Television series

Into the Dark

Name: Into the Dark
Genre: Drama, Horror, Thriller
Released: 2018

Horror
Very dark
Dip in and out

Into the Dark is a monthly horror anthology where Blumhouse brings genre thrills to twelve American holidays. Each 85-minute episode reinvents a familiar celebration as the setting for something nasty—a New Year's heist goes wrong, Valentine's Day turns sinister, Halloween gets worse. It's uneven but bold: some entries sing with real invention, others misfire, but the calendar structure keeps things unpredictable. Best for horror fans who like their scares wrapped around a gimmick.

TVMaze rating

2.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like self-contained horror stories with a sharp hook, where each standalone episode gives you a fresh premise and a different holiday-tinged unease to chew on.

Skip it if you want a single continuous story or a slow build, since every installment starts over with new characters and most lean on bold, sometimes uneven, genre ideas.

What it asks of you: Each sitting runs about an hour and a half and asks for full attention, with the mood swinging between light and vicious, best taken one at a time.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Black Mirror2011

Anthology format like Into the Dark but with sci-fi instead of horror. Each episode is a standalone nightmare about technology or society. Inventive, dark, and several are genuinely unforgettable.

But Relentlessly bleak and the quality sags in later seasons. Some episodes feel like they're preaching rather than storytelling.

The Haunting of Hill House2018

Gothic horror with real emotional weight. A family's trauma haunts a house; the show haunts you with their story. Gorgeous filmmaking, perfect ensemble, some of the scariest sequences on television.

But Slow to build and occasionally melodramatic. If you want jump-scares and plot momentum, this moves at its own pace.

Midnight Mass2021

A miniseries about faith and vampires and a small island where miracles arrive. Deeply unsettling, visually stunning, and it asks real questions about belief and belonging while being genuinely creepy.

But Religious themes and long, meditative monologues. Not a fast watch and not interested in action-movie pacing.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Into the Dark

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Wailing2016

Both use genre to explore how communities react to intrusion and rupture. Into the Dark's holiday celebrations torn apart echoes The Wailing's interrogation of how quickly order collapses.

South Korean horror-thriller about a village where mysterious deaths follow a stranger's arrival. It's a puzzle box about faith, doubt, and the impossibility of knowing what's true. Unsettling, ambitious, genuinely haunting.

But Two and a half hours, in Korean, and deliberately ambiguous—no satisfying answers. Demands active attention and repeat watching.

Ash vs Evil Dead2015

Horror that knows it's fun. Bruce Campbell as a deadpan demon-hunter facing increasingly absurd evil. It commits to both the scares and the comedy—horror fans love it because it respects the genre while mocking it.

But Over-the-top gore and deliberately silly tone might undermine the scares if you want genuine dread.

Insidious2011

A masterclass in slow-burn horror. A boy falls into a coma and his family discovers there's something in the dark—something ancient and patient. The sound design alone is worth your evening.

But The rules of its own mythology get muddy. Sequels exist but don't watch them expecting the first one's elegance.

Goodnight Mommy2015

Austrian horror about two boys whose mother returns from facial surgery looking wrong. Deeply unsettling, visually precise, and it builds to a reveal that recontextualizes everything you've watched.

But Slow, cold, and very dark thematically. Not visceral—this is psychological horror, and it takes its time.

His House2020

Horror about a South Sudanese couple haunted in their new British home. It's a haunted house story that's really about displacement and trauma. Gorgeous, angry, and genuinely frightening.

But The horror is inseparable from grief and real trauma. It's not escapism—it's using genre to explore suffering.

A Quiet Place2018

A family survives by making no sound while creatures hunt by sound. Simple, ingenious, and the constraint forces genuine innovation. Tense from the first frame to the last.

But Light on plot and character development. It's a concept stretched to feature length, and if that concept doesn't grab you, there isn't much else underneath.

Karla2006

Both pit genre against real horror. Into the Dark wraps entertaining scares around holidays; Karla refuses entertainment entirely, showing how genre can fail us when confronted with actual evil.

A true-crime docudrama about a Canadian serial killer's wife. It's presented as a story rather than spectacle, uncomfortable and thoughtful. Rarely seen but deeply important—a horror film that refuses to sensationalize real suffering.

But Deeply bleak, based on actual abuse and murder, and some find it exploitative despite its restraint. Not for an evening—more like penance.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas1998

Both are monthly/episodic horror events rooted in American celebrations and myths. Fear and Loathing treats Vegas as Into the Dark treats holidays—as a setting where something awful is waiting.

Gonzo horror disguised as a drug trip. A journalist and his lawyer descend into Las Vegas searching for the American Dream and finding only paranoia and decay. Visually hallucinatory, darkly funny, genuinely unsettling.

But Deliberately chaotic and contemptuous of plot. A style exercise first, narrative nowhere. Very much a 1990s film about addiction, not for everyone.