Into The Dark: Flesh and Blood - Movie Review
What do you get when you take a stellar actor known for romantic comedies and allow them to let loose as a villain?
An extremely tense thriller that has no business being this good.
Let’s discuss.
Flesh & Blood is part of Hulu’s fairly solid, holiday-themed horror anthology series, Into the Dark. It was the Thanksgiving episode of the 2018 season, but much like the other episodes—you could watch it at anytime as it doesn’t beat you over the head with the theme.
The film focuses on Kimberly Tooms, a young woman who has developed agoraphobia after the death of her mother. Whether the psychosis was caused by the loss or the fear that the murderer is still out there, Kimberly is trapped within the walls of her home. The only place she feels safe is in the house with her father, but when she discovers that her father may not be the loving man she always thought he was and that he may have done something horrible, Kimberly must confront her fears and find a way out before it’s too late.
I went into this movie with 0 expectations. I had no idea who the lead actress, Diana Silvers, was and the only bankable star, Dermot Mulroney is more known for movies like My Best Friend’s Wedding, The Wedding Date, and The Family Stone. Now, I know he’s had a presence in horror television and movies over the last decade+, but let’s be real—he didn’t really make a mark on the genre. He always seems to play an almost cameo role, but in this film he is definitely the star. Diana Silvers does a great job of embodying her role, but this movie is all about Mulroney.
It helps that the film has a great set. Since it’s essentially a single location story, the house could have been a major letdown. However, in this case they hit it out of the park with the big old, constantly under construction home. Throughout the film, areas under construction are laid out—providing an organic path for our heroine to utilize to keep herself safe, without having to have her be a klutz and accidentally fall into them.
Alongside the house, the musical score by The Newton Brothers ties everything together with an ominously beautiful, family film style track that is reminiscent of the melody for the original Home Alone movies. It’s really cool how they incorporate this style of score into a thriller and how the song which starts life as a wholesome family moment ends as the denouement of the family.
I can’t say more without saying it….
….spoilers…
…You’ve been warned.
Sweet Mercy, Dermot Mulroney knocks his role out of the park!
His shift from the loving, father of the year candidate to raging BTK-inspired monster is so sudden and jagged that it feels like a punch to the heart. Even when it’s fairly obvious that he’s not the man that you have been led to believe he is—you still question if he’s really the monster his daughter thinks he is.
I know the biggest complaint i’ve seen leveled at the movie is that the shift is too quick and too soon, but I think it was perfectly paced. I hate that movies now are almost always over 2 hours. The fact that this film is only 93 minutes makes me love it, and love the shift more because they were able to get me invested in the characters so quickly.
The moment that solidifies Mulroney’s turn, the murder of Dr. Saunders is so quick and viscious that it shocked me as much as it did Kimberly. The film was so understated and tame prior to this moment, but as soon as the razor meets flesh—we as the viewers now know that there is no limit to what can happen. If he’s willing to do so obvious a murder in front of Kim, what restraint could he possibly have when it comes to her wellbeing?
It’s brilliantly executed.
I think this may be my favorite Into the Dark episode so far.
Please watch this movie, streaming exclusively on Hulu.
