From the sinister minds that brought you The Purge, Happy Death Day and Paranormal Activity, comes the Hulu original horror series Into the Dark, which turns every holiday into a complete nightmare. The horror anthology series features different actors in each episode, with a new episode being released each month focusing on a holiday from that month.
The latest episode of Into the Dark is titled “Delivered,” and it is the second installment to focus on Mother’s Day. The story centers on Val, a pregnant woman less than a month from her due date. Things take an unexpected turn when she makes a new friend at a class for expectant mothers.
Into the Dark delves into a wider array of subgenres within the realm of horror. Some of them get to be a bit odd, some are fun and some are just plain disturbing. “Delivered” falls under the disturbing category. Horror movies tend to feature villains with sick intentions, but this one goes to a new level and it gets to be a little hard to watch.
Unfortunately, that’s not the only thing about this latest episode that is hard to watch. “Delivered” is slow moving, at least in relation to other episodes of Into the Dark. There are plenty of long, silent pauses and unlike other installments, they’re not used to build suspense or set up jump scares. They’re just pauses for the sake of pausing.
This episode also goes to the classic horror well of the fake out dream scare one too many times. A good horror film will occasionally have you jumping out of your seat and wondering what just happened before the main character wakes up and you realize what you just saw didn’t actually happen within the story. “Delivered” tries to use that gag three times with its hour and 20 minute runtime, allowing the audience to know exactly what’s going on and removing any suspense from the moments.
And of course, on top of all that, you have the inherent hard-to-believe moments of a typical horror film. Moments that will have you asking “how?” or “why?” occur quite a few times throughout. For example, how does the willain’s vehicle wind up in front of the protagonist’s only seconds after driving off in the opposite direction? These types of moments are typically forgiven in horror films, but when combined with the previously mentioned issues, they stand out just a bit more.
It’s not all bad though. As is usually the case for Into the Dark, the cast does a phenomenal job. Natalie Paul, who portrays Val, does an excellent job of making you believe every bit of the pain she feels throughout the story. Not to be outdone, Tina Majorino is the perfect believable psychotic villain with terrible intentions.
In fact, Majarino’s performance and the episode as a whole are very reminiscent of a classic horror film – Stephen King’s Misery. Majarino creates almost a mirror image of Kathy Bates’ Annie Wilkes, and horror fans are sure to get a kick out of the similarities. “Delivered” actually walks a fine line between homage and remake, including several of the story notes of the horror classic, right down to that iconic bone-breaking moment.
Overall, “Delivered” is a tough one to watch. It has some aspects that work, including another great cast. Mostly though, it suffers from some overused tropes, dead space and some truly disturbing moments. It also features a particularly gruesome finish. If that sort of thing doesn’t bother you, it may be one you enjoy. Otherwise, this will likely be near the bottom of your Into the Dark list.
“Delivered” will debut on Hulu on Friday, May 8. Be sure to check out our reviews of previous episodes and check back each month to see just what Into the Dark has in store next.