Summary
Into The Dark Season 2, Episode 1: “Uncanny Annie” is, unfortunately, a dud, which does not kick off their new instalments well for the next 12 months.
This review of Hulu Series Into The Dark Season 2, Episode 1: “Uncanny Annie”, contains minor spoilers. In partnership with Blumhouse Television, Hulu Original Into the Dark is a year-round horror event series.
I was surprised when I heard that Hulu’s Into The Dark was renewed for a second season. The first season served some feasts, while other episodes veered towards the predictable and generic. Season 2, Episode 1, “Uncanny Annie” follows the same vein — it feels like we’ve seen it all before.
The premise has promise at least; a story about a group of highly-involving teenagers enjoying Halloween together in respect of their deceased friend who died in an unfortunate accident a year prior. Their entire night flips on its head when they decide to play board games, and they choose to pick the creepiest one titled “Annie”.
The selling point of “Uncanny Annie” is that the audiences can smell that there are secrets amongst these characters, and once they understand that they are inside the game, it’s all about when, not if, the secrets will come to the surface.
Unfortunately, Episode 1, “Uncanny Annie” is void of the shock-factor. As the characters go deeper and deeper into the game, none of the elements coming together raises a heartbeat or makes you remotely curious. The horror character, Annie, barely surfaces, and by the time she does, while her aesthetic and performance are mysterious, she displays no motive for her own selfish needs. There does not seem to be a backstory or a reason for her to cause havoc on these teenagers.
In terms of production, “Uncanny Annie” manages to keep it respectable. Episode 1 does not over-egg the production with scene after scene of attempted CGI, but rather it creatively allows the game to run its course.
“Uncanny Annie” does not earmark the main character either, which I found odd and off-putting. Episode 1 decides to keep each character on a level playing field, refusing to allow anyone to take the lead. I don’t believe that this method works in this environment because the audience requires to root for someone to survive.
But this is Hulu’s installment for this year’s Halloween, and while it is in theme, it is wildly off-the-mark in making something unoriginal tense and entertaining. Hopefully, next month’s instalment will live to expectations. Into The Dark Season 2, Episode 1: “Uncanny Annie” is a dud.
