Review: 'Into The Dark: Blood Moon' a Subtle Season Finale

In the streaming wars, much of what used to differentiate Hulu from other services such as Netflix, HBO Go, and Amazon Prime were live events or semi-live releases which mimicked old school golden age television. In 2018, Hulu commissioned Blumhouse TV to produce "Into the Dark," a horror anthology series that was conceived as a monthly horror event in which each feature-length episode was to be tied to a holiday. A lot of that made for an excellent and very timely first series over Fall 2018 to Fall 2019.

Even though the coronavirus pandemic halted production of some of the installments in the second season, filming and releases continued after a while. The season finale, "Blood Moon," is being released to nearly coincide with the first full moon of the Spring this year. While not all of the movies should be watched with children, the relatively lower level of violence and gore would allow teenagers and kids below the age of 13 to watch at least the season finale.

One of the more pleasant things that differentiates "Into the Dark" from the Hulu horror miniseries "Monsterland" is that a lot of the overall runtime in many of "Dark" installments is dedicated to setting mood and establishing plot. "Blood Moon" certainly measures up to the other films released so far by playing a lonely guitar with little embellishment against the image of nearly desolate ranch land. Across this rarely-driven road rolls Esme (Megalyn Echikunwoke), a woman who seems to be looking for a place for her and her son to settle down in obscurity. She meets the locals and starts setting up her house and being strangely protective of her ten-year-old son, Luna (Yonas Kibreab). In other respects, the tension builds for this finale slower than previous releases this season, but is maintained in part by allowing for unanswered questions and the inclusion of several potential answers at any given time.

Esme moves like a haunted woman, trying to set down roots, while still keeping people at arm's length and away from the house. By neatly interweaving her own stories of her past through her own voice and eyes, including her romance with Luna's father, Esme is so central to the lens that it can be sometimes difficult to pay attention to other actors or action in the frame. It is hard not to see her controlling language, as well as frequent lying to the people around her, even her own son, as a reason to not trust her as a narrator. By the time the Blood Moon rises, it is hard to know who to blame for the murders that happen.

"Into The Dark: Blood Moon" premieres on Hulu Friday, March 26th.