Into the Dark: The Current Occupant (2020)

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

July's entry in the Into the Dark anthology series once again pays homage to Independence Day in America with a story surrounding the US Presidency and White House. I have to comment that this episode is very different from the usual Into the Dark stories we have been used to. It is bleak, and feels more like something out of The Twilight Zone. Which is not saying that there is anything wrong with that. In fact, I welcome the unexpected as long as it has a good strong story and decent performances and production values. In that context, The Current Occupant passes the test.

The episode centres around the predicament of one Henry Cameron, who believes he is the President of the United States of America and is trapped in a psychiatric hospital. He is led to believe he is being held captive there due to some conspiracy theory and repeatedly gets subjected to various torture treatments as he attempts to escape. The episode cleverly plays with the minds of the audiences throughout the film's running time to determine whether Henry is indeed the President as he said he was, or merely a psychiatric patient with a serious identity crisis. The sets are deliberately dark and strangely relic looking with tools that belong more in the past than something you would find with today's advanced technology. The conclusion when finally delivered is devastating for both Henry and viewer to accept. As I mentioned earlier, this episode does not feel like the usual Into the Dark episodes not only in the way it is delivered, but also in its contents which is more psychological thriller rather than outright horror. It is a classy act but also a bit frustrating  because its ending doesn't necessarily explains everything that transpired before leaving these to your own imagination to close the gaps. While it misses the opportunity for being used to bash the current President and be anti-Trump, which is so often the popular choice in Hollywood these days, it stands with a story with subtexts that still has relevance and references to the crazy world we live in today.  I for one appreciates the risk taken in this episode and thinks it's one of the stronger Into the Dark entries hence, firmly establishing this current Season 2 being a notch higher than its predecessor Season 1.