Into the Dark: Pilgrim (2019)

February's episode of Hulu's anthology horror series Into the Dark pays homage to Thanksgiving as its underlying theme. For once, in keeping with the spirit of the series, the festival's meaning plays an intrical part of the plot unlike many previous outings where the festival for the month is merely mentioned in passing without any strong connection to the storyline.

The storyline is a bit bizarre. A middle class family decides to celebrate Thanksgiving by getting a bunch of cosplayers to reenact the first Thanksgiving in their house. Of course things do not turn out as planned as the hired performers appears to be more than just play-acting their roles, and the situation soon turns bloody for everyone concerned. This episode not only offers a refreshingly original storyline but also some of the series best performances. Peter Giles may be an unfamiliar face but his portrayal of the maniacal pilgrim Ethan that torments the family is very engaging. His delivery of his lines were rich in tone and laced with a threatening presence without physically projecting so. In fact each character is allowed to shine and have their moments making them feel more than just supporting one dimensional roles. The episode also knows well enough to inject in a bit of dark humour when the goings gets progressively more extreme, hence making the viewing seem more fun to watch than to cringe at. Suffice to say you will find yourself laughing one moment and screaming in another!

So finally, I am happy to report an episode of Into the Dark that successfully embraces its series theme of having a tale of horror that ties in to a festival that falls in each month. Hope there will be more of such quality episodes to come for this current Season 2. Meanwhile Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate!