Into The Dark

Prepare to continue going into the dark, as Hulu has ordered an additional nine episodes of Blumhouse’s ‘Into the Dark’ anthology. That is on top of the 15 additional installments it already ordered on top of the 12-episode first season.  That means two more years worth of holiday-centric terror.

The first season launched last October, which was fitting as that is the time of the spoooooooookiest holiday, Halloween.  In addition, the first season consisted of episodes focused on holidays both ubiquitous and obscure– Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Valentine’s Day, International Women’s Day, April Fool’s Day, Mothers’ Day, Fathers’ Day, Independence Day/Fourth of July, the “first day of school,” and on September 6, the season finale, Daughters’ Day.

 

RELATED: Check Out The Trailer For Hulu’s “Pooka” Episode For ‘Into The Dark’

 

Since there is apparently now a “holiday” for every day of the year (at least here in the US), including my personal favorite, June 5, a.k.a. National Donut Day, the producers, writers, and directors should have no trouble filling the next two years with horrors.  (But, don’t mess with National Donut Day if you can help it.  Please?)

Blumhouse TV co-president Marci Wiseman stated:

“What we want to replicate is the kind of the filmmaker-driven vision for the films.  We’ve brought Hulu filmmakers who are vision first, script later, and they have been unbelievable partners in letting us build this collection.”

The Hulu horror audience may not be massive, but it’s devoted.  Like all streaming services, there are no “ratings” for ‘Into the Dark’ to speak of, but Jordan Helman, Hulu’s vice-president of content development, said the show’s “deep roots in the horror genre and their commitment to showcasing up-and-coming artists” has found a niche and reliable fanbase.  He added:

Into the Dark allows us to super-serve one of our most engaged and passionate audiences.”

Wiseman added:

“The idea is diversity of entertainment within the collection rather than sameness.  We lean into the fact that it’s a fun experience to come every month and you don’t quite know what’s coming, rather than seeing something expected.”

The series has also made a point of recruiting filmmakers that are not typically mainstream.  As Wiseman said:

“This is really an opportunity to have people who are iconoclasts or people who don’t work within the system traditionally come and work with us in a very regimented system with all this infrastructure.  They get to really to play within that system to see their kind of creative vision.

Obviously, since each installment of ‘Into the Dark’ is helmed by a different director, not every episode will please every fan, but the anthology offers various unique views which may connect to different aspects of the horror fandom.  And it allows under-the-radar filmmakers to produce something more mainstream which may draw interest to their more indie endeavors.

The last episode of Season 1 airs on September 6 on Hulu.  It hasn’t been announced when Season 2 (or 3) will launch.

 

Source: Vulture