Ranking each of Hulu’s impressive, diverse and grim chapters of Into the Dark

Into The Dark is Hulu’s horror inspired anthology series. It features plenty of holiday spooks and a new unique method of storytelling. Below, we rank the first four films so far!

Into the Dark is a new television series by Blumhouse pictures in partnership with Hulu. It consists of 12 original stories with a holiday theme or release. The first came in October, titled The Body, about a hit-man on Halloween night who undergoes unforeseen hijinks on a night that should have gone smoothly.

The second was a family drama project titled Flesh & Blood for Thanksgiving. The third, known as Pooka! is a Christmas horror story about a children’s toy that isn’t your average gift. Finally, the fourth story is New Year, New You, and it takes a dive into new horror territory.

After several chapters, we have figured out that Hulu has plenty of exciting stories to tell in the horror genre. At first, The Body sets a tone that makes you think the series will serve as a comedy/horror genre concept, but after watching the first four you discover that each truly has their own identity, and as a whole they embody the notion of a true anthology.

To give you a better understanding of each, we decided to breakdown each episode (with a ranking) so you have an idea of why you should be watching Into the Dark.

1. New Year, New You

Nothing quite rings in the New Year like a little bloodshed and New Year, New You was the perfect example of a themed horror thriller event. Focusing on a group of four former high school best friends, the episode takes place on New Years Eve where they once again reunite and there’s visible tension – including a scarred protagonist. When their friend Danielle, (a famous blogger) appears at the party, things take a turn and they have some axes to grind because of past events setting up a meta narrative that is all too real.

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New Year, New You features a particularly great performance from Carly Chaikin who perfectly portrayed the ideas behind the project with wit and a believable charm that easily made her a character worth following. As a whole, New Year, New You is a horror story that is both smart, and full of surprising additions that make this a one of a kind take on a new breed of self-important internet influencers. With the episode being the best so far, it’s a definite must-watch from Hulu’s horror anthology.

2. The Body

Of the three, The Body certainly has some of the most surprising elements. In the beginning, you assume it will be a straightforward story about a hit-man, but within the first 20 minutes it begins to embrace the comedic elements of the story.

From there on out, the hit-man’s plans are thwarted by a handful of ditsy friends who end up in his cross-hairs. The ending really starts to throw curveballs at viewers, keeping you on your toes until the installment’s very last moments. The story introduces an unpredictable dose of romance, plenty of laughs and a lot of blood – making the body a strong first chapter that will appease multiple genre fans with ease. That in addition to solid performances by the charismatic Rebecca Rittenhouse and entertainingly stoic Tom Bateman make The Body a must-watch from Hulu.

3. Pooka!

The episode Pooka! is the most recent Hulu film from the series, with the toy that will be burned into your memory for quite some time. When a relocated actor finds the job to essentially become the Pooka! mascot – he takes it on despite his lack of actually acting. Shortly after, strange occurrences begin like loss of time, confusion surrounding certain events, and the occasional fury of Pooka which has the actor questioning his own sanity.

By the time all is revealed in Pooka!, it solidifies itself as a film that makes you think back at everything you thought you knew because of a particular revelation. Of the three so far, Pooka! contains the most horror-centric moments and thriller ambiance of the Into the Dark chapters, so if you’re looking for something creepy that forces you to speculate, Pooka! is the story you’re looking for.

4. Flesh & Blood

This chapter of the anthology series provides us with a Thanksgiving theme, telling the story of a father and daughter. Our protagonist is a young girl who has lost her mother in a tragic “accident” and since then she develops a fear that renders her unable to leave her own home.

Only interacting with a psychiatrist and her father, she begins to question everything she knows about her own life as she finds a possible link to a missing person that ties back to her father. This leaves the girl unsure of what her own father is capable of, what really happened to her mother, and even her own sanity.

Of the first four episodes, Flesh & Blood is probably the weaker link at the moment but does make its way towards a surprisingly grisly conclusion for one character. In respect of the episode, it does have an ending that one might not expect given the usual way of handling family drama in a horror tale.

The first four episode of Into the Dark are available now on Hulu so make sure to binge them for yourself and prepare for more in the coming months!