From the sinister minds that brought you The Purge, Happy Death Day and Paranormal Activity, comes the new Hulu original horror series Into the Dark, which turns every holiday into a complete nightmare.
The new horror anthology series will feature different actors in each episode, with a new episode being released each month focusing on a holiday from that month.
The series’ fourth episode will have you questioning your New Year’s resolutions. The episode is titled “New Year, New Your,” and it focuses on a girl dealing with the recent fame of her internet celebrity friend and the dark past they share.
As always, I’ll remind you that I’m not particularly a big fan of horror. So I’ll let you know that this episode, like the previous three in the series, will not be costing me any sleep. I think you’ll be just fine too.
Into the Dark has been getting better and better, with December’s “Pooka!” being the strongest episode yet. “New Year, New You” doesn’t quite surpass its predecessor, but it is certainly a worthy next step in this year-long holiday nightmare-fest.
If there’s one thing Blumhouse has done well with Into the Dark, it’s building suspense. This episode is no exception. There’s an uneasy energy to the whole thing and the tense score Michael Montes only amplifies that. Only Blumhouse can show you a girl getting champagne out of her garage and keep you on the edge of you seat while watching it.
Once again, the cast does an incredible job, selling us on the backstory of their characters in the limited time we have to work with and getting us invested. Suki Waterhouse and Carly Chaikin, in particular, do a great job leading the way as complex characters who make twists and turns throughout the story.
The story seems simple on the surface but as it unpacks, you’ll learn that there’s much more to it. Jealousy appears to be the driving factor but there are also lessons about self reflection (as is evident by the copious amount of mirror shots) and, of course, being the best you. There’s also some social commentary on the current climate of internet celebrity and the risk of blindly following what you see online.
There are some minor issues I found with “New Year, New You.” Small plot points regarding the characters’ history are left unexplained and the juxtaposition of camera work typically seen in something like an episode of Modern Family being used in a tense thriller is a bit jarring, though I find myself going back and forth on whether or not I love that.
“New Year, New You” is a perfect nightmare as we head into 2019. It will make you think twice about your New Year’s resolutions and certainly about how much you trust your favorite YouTube, self-help influencer. They may not be exactly who you think they are.
“New Year, New You” premieres on Hulu on December 28, with subsequent episodes of Into the Dark coming each month for a full year. Be sure to check out our review of the last episode, “Pooka!” and check back for more reviews of this new Hulu original as I try to help you decide if each episode will cost you hours of sleep.