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If you are a horror fan, you are probably constantly digging for the next great horror movie, television series, or short to watch. Streaming services have been lacking lately on new releases in the genre, causing many of us horror fans to turn to older horror as a means to satiate our terrifying sweet-tooth.
Fortunately for us horror fans, there are many hidden gems on streaming services — one of which being Hulu’s Into The Dark horror short production project. The feature anthology series is produced by Blumhouse Productions and features a variety of feature-length and short films to satisfy anyone’s taste for horror.
Into The Dark was released initially back in 2018, but additions to the hidden horror-gem keep coming out. With the current lull in good horror releases, it is always a good time to revisit some quality horror production from past years — as well as get hooked on the newer additions.
The Hidden Gem Of Into The Dark
Into The Dark was introduced as an ongoing horror anthology consisting of short films ranging from five to ten minutes. However, as the series continued to grow, they began adding feature-length films. The anthology series has been around for a few years. However, if you ask me, it has not gotten the attention it deserves.
Two years after the initial release, the second season is still going strong with feature additions. Many people don’t know about the series because of the difficulty finding it on Hulu. Because the series’s installations are not actual episodes to a cohesive series, Hulu releases this anthology series categorized as Into The Dark installations but does not keep it in one organized location in Hulu.
The production is sourced by Blumhouse — which is a widely appreciated and respected horror studio responsible for movies like The Invisible Man and Get Out. Because of these big horror film names, it is surprising that many horror fans barely know the production. Hulu is a widely underrated streaming service, typically dominated by streaming services like Disney Plus and Netflix, which could explain why this horror anthology series is such a hidden gem.
Movies Worth The Watch
There are plenty of feature-length movies included in the Into The Dark anthology series worth the watch, but a few are worthy of notable mention. Here are some worth checking out for any horror fan.
Pooka! (2018)
Most of the features in Into The Dark are holiday-themed, and Pooka! is one of the Christmas-themed episodes. The movie was originally released and aired back in December of 2018, but it has had a sequel released titled Pooka Lives! The movie itself has a strange storyline featuring a young actor named Wilson, played by Nyasha Hatendi, who scores a job playing a large character named Pooka. The story begins to go haywire when it turns out the suit used to play Pooka is haunted and could cause Wilson to kill those closest to him.
As previously mentioned, the movie has a sequel, calling for a longer horror experience if you enjoy the first installation. The movie is a sci-fi horror mix of genres and will be an exciting horror film for anyone looking for something new and different. At the end of the day, even if you don’t enjoy the strange storyline of Pooka!, at least you’ll get a few laughs out of how absurd the costume for the film is.
Treehouse (2019)
The next movie is a heavy-hitter for anyone who enjoys campy horror like The Cabin In The Woods. Into The Dark‘s installation Treehouse features Jimmi Simpson playing Peter Rake, a budding celebrity chef and single dad who drives to his family’s estate for the weekend with his daughter. Some strange occurrences start happening, which involve the haunted treehouse on the grounds, and what follows is a strange and horrifying psychological thriller.
The storyline’s basis is that an old hometown friend is stalking the celebrity chef, and he starts to unravel the truth behind the treehouse as the movie goes on. Bordering on the psychological thriller, this horror film is absolutely worth the watch — especially for any fans of mystery thrillers like The Lovely Bones.
I’m Just F*cking With You (2019)
Believe it or not, this movie is actually an installation in Hulu’s Into The Dark anthology series. Due to Hulu’s organization, this movie was released as an April Fool’s Day-themed movie and received very little press for its release. However, I’m Just F*cking With You is a twisted take on internet trolls and absolutely worth the watch.
The movie features a guest staying at a motel with a sadistic and terrifying hotel manager who torments him during his stay. The guest, played by Keir O’Donnel, turns out to be an internet troll. The film’s irony winds up being that he is sadistic on the internet but is in for sadistic torment from an even crazier motel manager. Besides being extremely trippy, the movie is genuinely terrifying and full of a ton of fun scares, heavily qualifying it for the shortlist of highlights on Hulu’s Into The Dark anthology series.
More Hidden Gems
This article only features three of the best installations in the anthology series; however, the hidden category of Hulu’s Into The Dark series is stocked full of exciting watches for horror fans. Every installation is feature-length and includes some movies starring big-name actors like Keir O’Donnel and Jimmi Simpson. For any horror fan going through a horror-release lull right now, hopefully, the hidden-gem of Hulu’s Into The Dark series will hold you over until Jordan Peele or Blumhouse’s next big production release.