Into The Dark: Blood Moon – Hulu Review (3/5)

BLOOD MOON is the March 2021 episode in the Hulu horror anthology INTO THE DARK that covers all sorts of genre stories. This time it’s werewolf-themed and even manages to avoid those awful transformation scenes. Read our full Into the Dark: Blood Moon episode review here!

INTO THE DARK: BLOOD MOON is out on Hulu now as the latest installment in their horror anthology. This latest episode is all about a werewolf. Who the werewolf is and how it’s all connected will be revealed in due time. In the episode, not this review, of course.

Don’t miss: Our reviews of previous Into the Dark episodes here >

I do want to point out that this story has a lot of heart. The fact that the two main characters are a mother and her son, should be a huge indication that this is the case. Personally, I felt invested in these characters and loved that the mom always said what I was thinking, whenever some creep tried to approach her. Always a good start!

Continue reading our Blood Moon episode review below and find the latest Into the Dark movie on Hulu now.

The dangers of werewolf movies

First and foremost, I need to commend this werewolf story for avoiding those terrible transformation scenes. It was cool in An American Werewolf in London (1981), which has become an iconic movie for a reason. Obviously, the fact that John Landis created an awesome story and ensured brilliant special effects is a big reason why.

However, that particular movie was also a horror-comedy and you can get away with a lot more in that genre hybrid. Whenever it’s full-on horror, the transformation scenes tend to be very grotesque to the point of becoming involuntary funny. For Into the Dark: Blood Moon, we see transformation elements hidden by fabric and changes in the eyes of the person transforming.

That’s it!

Also, this movie is brave enough to never show us a wolf-human hybrid walking around attacking people. Instead, we hear what happens, witness people being dragged away, and see the bloody aftermath. To me, that’s a lot more powerful. Also, yes, there is a wolf, so it’s not like the entire werewolf thing is hidden from the viewer.

You might like: If you’re interested in alternative takes on werewolf stories, then check out the Polish post-WWII horror-drama Werewolf. Find our review of it here >

Megalyn Echikunwoke stars in the Into the Dark werewolf episode

The absolute star of the Blood Moon installment of Into the Dark is definitely Megalyn Echikunwoke as the mother Esme. We know this is her name, but you’ll notice that this isn’t the name she goes by when she moves to a new town with her young son. Megalyn Echikunwoke is amazing and gives a wonderful portrayal of this woman fighting to create a normal life.

You’ll probably recognize Megalyn Echikunwoke from various TV series. From season 1 of 24 to The 4400 and The Following. Hell, she was also in CSI: Miami and the horror-drama series Damien about the Anti-Christ himself.

I know werewolf movies aren’t for everyone, but if you enjoy a good story without the bad special effects, then this one is for you. Also, if you do like werewolf movies and you have Shudder, then you’ll want to check out Howl as well. Check out our review of Howl on Shudder here to find out if it’s worth your time >

Watch Into the Dark: Blood Moon on Hulu now!

Blood Moon is directed by Emma Tammi who also directed the rather brilliant The Wind. She’s got a talent for creating horror out of the small familiar moments, which is perfect for this story as well. This is her second Into the Dark installment as she also directed the May 2020 “Mother’s Day” episode Delivered.

Don’t miss out on: Our review of Emma Tammi’s horror-drama The Wind (2018) here >

The screenplay was written by Adam Mason and Simon Boyes, who previously wrote the pandemic sci-fi thriller Songbird (2020) together. Also, Adam Mason previously directed two episodes of Into the Dark back in 2019. The episodes are I’m Just F*cking with You and They Come Knocking.

What’s even more interesting in terms of this werewolf plot, it the fact that he was a consulting producer on the amazing indie horror-movie Lifechanger (2018), which we gave a top rating!

I always feel like these Into the Dark episodes are just a tad too long. With Blood Moon, I couldn’t help but feel this way as well, however, I can’t say that I think anything should be cut. Every scene there makes sense for the story, so really, I think the runtime of around 80 minutes was pretty spot-on.

The Blood Moon installment of Into the Dark is out on Hulu from March 26, 2021.

Details

Director: Emma Tammi
Writers: Adam Mason and Simon Boyes
Stars: Megalyn Echikunwoke, Yonas Kibreab, Joshua Dov, Marco Rodriguez, Gareth Williams, Jack Yang, Brian Norris, Patrick W. Day, Jan Munro, Danielle Juliet Ma