Summary
Into the Dark: A Nasty Piece of Work is a well-worked example of middle-level management and the desperation to climb that corporate ladder.
This review of Hulu’s Into the Dark: A Nasty Piece of Work (Episode 3 of Season 2) contains minor spoilers. You can read the review of the previous installment of the series by clicking these words.
Hulu’s Into the Dark: A Nasty Piece of Work is an earnest cry to those middle-level management workers that never feel appreciated by their bosses. Blumhouse has teethed into the insecurity of corporate structures and asks the question: how far will you go for the lucrative promotion? A Nasty Piece of Work presents a creative story that is fun and full of enjoyable twists. Some are a tad predictable, but overall, the small horror/thriller feature is a reason why Into the Dark is justifying the investment of this seasonal series encroaching a second year.
The story follows Ted, a manager at a large company who becomes frustrated at his director’s lack of care and attention to his employees. Ted wants the plaudits from the director and a path to the top spot. When Ted learns that there will be no Christmas bonus from the company, he becomes disenfranchised, blurting angrily to his wife on the phone before approaching his boss directly. Surprisingly, the boss invites him to his house for a night that could turn into an opportunity for him.
It’s clear that when he arrives and sees his colleague and enemy Gavin that this is not going to be a normal night. Into the Dark: A Nasty Piece of Work stages a scenario whereby Ted and his wife Tatum (Angela Sarafyan) have to endure a night of competition and mind games. Their boss pits Ted and Gavin against each other, with the stakes increasing towards hidden truths and potential life/death situations. Into the Dark: A Nasty Piece of Work creates an extra-weird habitat where the director has a flagrantly dysfunctional relationship with his wife.
Into the Dark: A Nasty Piece of Work‘s main tool is ensuring that there is a level of anxiety placed on the audience. It is difficult to engage what part of the night is real or what is part of the game. The frustration shown by Ted and Tatum is the selling point of A Nasty Piece of Work as they speak for the audience. How serious is this situation? Are there any veiled truths or is the whole set up bulls–t?
With a running time of 77-minutes, Into the Dark: A Nasty Piece of Work respects the scope of the story. It’s the exact right length to not become ludicrously stupid and keep you happily entertained. The horror/thriller feature is a defining example of the Hulu series getting the concept spot on, implementing a slightly original story and honing in on a cast that wants some fun. It’s barely horror in most aspects, and there’s a slight tinge of comedy that will amuse at certain moments.
Into the Dark: A Nasty Piece of Work will certainly please audiences.
The feature will be released on Hulu on December 6, 2019.
