My friend with the truck has to work the next few days- lucky him- we'll likely finish the move over the next weekend sometime. Since my storage facility is closed down at the moment, I had to stash a fair amount of my stuff in my sister's basement. She has a house, whereas my mom only has an apartment, like I do, so there wasn't room for everything, really.
But mom does have a guest room with its own bed, so I'm basically set, save moving my own computer in and hers out- it's old as dirt and she only uses hers to pay bills, so it's no big deal- she can do that on mine. I'll move my bed to my sister's basement and the rest of my stuff to my mom's, and that will be that. It will likely take a few days to get settled, so hang in there and I'll get things back to normal soon-ish.
In the meantime, I had time to do a short article at least before I go back into moving mode. While I still have yet to review all the movies I watched when we had the free movie channel previews, I wanted to make sure I started something I could finish, so I can get new content out to you all, so I'm doing this first. I'll likely get to that other stuff after the move, but if I manage to finish another article, I'll post it, of course. Then it will be back to my regular columns- thanks for hanging in there to those who prefer that stuff! 😊
Now, without further ado, let's take a look at the two April-themed episodes of Into the Dark!
As all of you probably know by now, Into the Dark is a Hulu horror anthology series from the Blumhouse Production fold (of Insidious, The Purge & Paranormal Activity fame) that puts out a holiday-themed, feature-length episode every month. Some are more closely tied to said holidays than others, as is the case with both of these episodes, which are ostensibly set on, respectively, April Fools' Day (I'm Just Fucking With You) and Easter (Pooka Lives!), I think.
The former, at least, revolves around practical jokes, whereas the latter only merely mentions Easter at one point, but otherwise has nothing to do with the holiday, really. In addition, though, like Black Mirror before it, the stories all seem to take place in the same universe, featuring references to prior episodes in subsequent episodes. Pooka Lives! is the first direct sequel to a prior episode that I'm aware of, though I haven't yet seen all of the first season, so I might be wrong there- but going by the descriptions of all the eps, I don't think I am.
First up, though, is I'm Just Fucking With You, which, as you might have guessed from that title, is one of the more irreverent episodes of the show to date. It revolves around a disgruntled, tightly-wound man, Larry (Keir O'Donnell, Amusement, Incarnate), who moonlights as an internet troll, and is currently tormenting his ex online, who is about to get married. He plans to meet up with his beloved sister, Rachel (Jessica McNamee, The Loved Ones, The Meg), who doesn't know about Larry's online alter ego, to commiserate the unfortunate event at a nearby hotel, and provide the miserable Larry with a shoulder to cry on.
Fun fact: McNamee plays Rachel Adams, a nod to actress Rachel McAdams, with whom she co-starred in The Vow. Meanwhile, O'Donnell also played McAdams' brother in the hilarious comedy classic Wedding Crashers. So, yeah, that name is very much an in-joke, and possibly not the only one to that end.
When Larry arrives at the Pink Motel, he almost immediately runs afoul of the oafish hotel manager Chester Conklin (Hayes MacArthur, A Haunted House 2, Director's Cut), who is intense, manic, and constantly making jokes at poor Larry's expense, at a time in which Larry is in no mood for them. As things at the hotel progressively get weirder, Larry begins to suspect that Chester might actually be up to something nefarious- and may not be who he claims to be.
Together with his sister, the two try to get to the bottom of what Chester's up to, while at the same time, trying not to spend too much time with the man, who attempts to insert himself into their lives with a brazen insistence, the more he resists them, like a more psychotic version of Bill Murray's character in What About Bob? Eventually secrets about both Larry and Chester come out and things come to a deadly head, with several casualties along the way, this being a horror show, after all.
The end result is basically a twisted black comedy in the vein of the previous Christmas-themed episode A Nasty Piece of Work, only more low rent, given the dive motel setting. As with that episode, it's hard to tell when certain main characters are being serious, or when they're trying to be funny. In fact, given the April Fools' Day association, I halfway expected everything to turn out to be an elaborate joke, a la the slasher movie of the same name, but that's put to bed relatively early on, when the first body drops and it's obviously the real deal.
The episode is written by Gregg Zehentner & Scott Barkan (Edge of Fear) and directed by horror regular Adam Mason (Broken, Pig, Hangman), who also directed Season One's Father's Day-themed They Come Knocking, which I'll be getting to in June. The opening sequence, which features a lot of internet-centric animated graphics, also brings to mind the similar opening to Season Two's My Valentine, which likewise features a prominent role for internet trolls. The music, including that catchy title track, is by Chino Moreno, of The Deftones fame.
While the ending is somewhat muddled- did all that went down really happen, or was it a Fight Club-esque meltdown in which Larry went off the deep end and Chester was just a figment of his fevered imagination? - it doesn't stop the overall episode from being a lot of fun, thanks in no small part to MacArthur's wonderfully unhinged performance, which wouldn't be out of place on something like It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
In fact, the entire cast, which also includes Charles Halford (The Walking Dead, Rectify) and John Marshall Jones (The Curse of La Llorona, also Rectify), is pretty fantastic, with O'Donnell the perfect foil for MacArthur's antics, as he also slowly becomes completely unhinged, and McNamee nailing the cool sister part. Overall, I really enjoyed it, in spite of my sight confusion at the ending- insofar as I could tell (spoilers) Larry was blamed for Chester's actions in the end, which seems a bit dubious to me, as Chester didn't even try to hide his crimes, so you would think the evidence would be overwhelming, in spite of that internet video to the contrary.
Much more straightforward, and arguably even more fun, is Pooka Lives!, the sort-of sequel to Season One's excellent Pooka! I say sort-of, because, while the Pooka doll is front and center, this is a completely different story, with all-new characters. I think what threw me was that it had been a hot minute since I saw the original, and I thought that was the same actor playing Wilson from the original, which it isn't, but rather a different, but similar-looking actor playing an all-new character.
For that reason, I was a little confused, wondering for most of the episode if this was (spoiler for the original Pooka!) another fever dream like what happened with Wilson. Instead, it's a completely unrelated character, Derrick, played by Timeless vet Malcolm Barrett, which is really embarrassing, as I was a huge fan of that show. To be fair to myself, I was a bit bleary-eyed at the time, if you know what I mean. 😜
Anyway, Derrick is an author who was internet "cancelled" by an online personality he took a swipe at in his book on the vapidity of internet fame, and who turned around and directed his online army directly at Derrick, causing his book to tank after a promising start, sales-wise. The fans continue to torment him, even after he moves, becoming more and more invasive and confrontational.
Fired by his publisher, and unable to sustain himself in the big city, he returns to his small hometown with his tail in between his legs to start over from scratch. He moves in with some old friends and gets a job writing copy for the company that manufactures the infamous Pooka.
As a goof, he and friends Molly (nerd goddess Felicia Day, of Supernatural and The Guild fame, who also co-produced), husband Matt (Jonah Ray, Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return, which also featured Day), and ex-GF Susan (Lyndie Greenwood, Sleepy Hollow, The Expanse) create a Creepypasta-style legend surrounding Pooka.
It turns out that Pooka was created by the obsessive Ellie (Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), who went crazy after she was told the doll would be redesigned and was fired. She then stabbed her prick of a husband, David (Wil Wheaton, Star Trek: The Next Generation) and set herself on fire! So, Derrick creates a legend that says that, if you put ash in your mouth and recite a rhyme, Pooka will come to you and determine whether you are "naughty or nice" and proceed accordingly.
Much like the whole "Slenderman" thing, people online start to take the whole thing seriously, and the next thing you know, a lot of people are being paid a visit from Pooka, who changes his look according to the way he's portrayed online, which means he becomes more muscular, with Wolverine-like claws and sharp teeth and the like, which, in turn, makes him much more dangerous. Needless to say, a lot of naughty people get theirs, as the frantic friends scramble to undo what they've done- if they can.
This episode is much less brooding and serious than the original, which certainly had its darkly comedic moments, but had a much bleaker tone, given what was really going on with the protagonist. While Derrick is similarly a sad sack, he's nowhere near as tragic as Wilson, but he is kind of a dick like Wilson was. Unlike that episode, Derrick does learn from his mistakes and becomes a better person in the process, making for a more satisfying character.
Indeed, depending on your own particular sensibilities, this is either a vast improvement over the original episode or a sillier and more inconsequential version of what started out as more of a black comedy. Personally, I liked them both for wildly different reasons. The original was brooding and bleak, more akin to any given episode of Black Mirror that doesn't involve San Jacinto or Miley Cyrus. The sequel is much more of a fun ride that may appeal more to mainstream viewers. Plus, you don't really need to have seen the original episode to enjoy this one, which is a plus.
I'd say watch them both if you can, but if you have to choose, go with which is more in line with your own sensibilities. If you like your horror dark, stick with the original. If you prefer your horror with a dash of comedy, you should love the sequel. It's also a must if you're a fan of any of the main cast, with Day in particular a hoot as a daffy New Age type that is the only one to see bad things coming down the pike as a direct result of their actions. Day is worth her weight in comedic gold, let me tell you.
Overall, I enjoyed both I'm Just Fucking With You and Pooka Lives! quite a bit. I guess I'd give Pooka the higher recommendation, but only because I already enjoyed the previous installment as it was, and was thirsty for more. Having such a nerd bait cast the second time around was just icing on the cake.
But don't discount I'm Just... It's also pretty great and a lot of fun in its own right- just in a different sort of way that's more akin to the OG Pooka! than the sequel. It's darkly funny, but not necessarily in a slapstick sort of way, the way Pooka Lives! is. If you can, I'd say check them both out. Also, the fact that neither one is much related to any holiday means you can watch them anytime, really- assuming you're a stickler for such things, that is. I like to stick to watching stuff around the times of year in which they're set, but you may not care as much.
Well, that about does it for now. I can't say for sure when my next article will be, but this may well be the last one I write in my current home- if so, it's kind of the end of an era, in a way, as I started this blog here in my current abode, but won't be finishing it here. 😥
Join me from wherever I may roam next- okay, no need to be cryptic: it'll be my mom's place. Hopefully, we can get through this current crisis together by reviewing some wacky, bizarre cult classics together. If I can even make our current, shut-in sitch any more bearable for one of you, it'll be worth it to me. Hope it will be for you, too. See you on the other side! 😁
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