FOR Astro’s Turn On The Screams, a slew of horror and thriller films will be aired on the platform from now until mid-November.
Among the planned productions will be Into The Dark, an American horror anthology television series initially produced for Hulu by Blumhouse Television.
If the name Blumhouse does not ring any bells, maybe you have been away from cinemas for too long.
Blumhouse, or Blumhouse Productions, is arguably the leading production company for the biggest blockbuster horror films that have taken hold of cinemas over the past decade or so.
The television division of the company is Blumhouse Television, and its president Jeremy Gold sat down to talk about the first season of Into The Dark, which will be available for Malaysian viewers through Astro over the next few weeks.
As horror film anthologies are not exactly a new format, Gold deftly explained what makes the TV series different from its predecessors, and why the company is boldly claiming that Into the Dark is “the first of its kind”.
“(They are) feature length episodes, and each one is a holiday-themed horror story that delivers on the Blumhouse signature thriller/horror genre,” he said.
“We produced them all in the hybrid model of film and television. We created a new infrastructure that hasn’t been done before, which is the methodology of producing a slate of 12 movies in the way episodic television might be produced.
“From the inception, it was always going to be a collection of movies. The opening idea was something that could be launched around Halloween; it was the original, inciting idea.”
The episodes, varying in length from between 80 to 90 minutes, are an innovation the company is most proud of since the launch of the television studio at Blumhouse.
As the episodes have elements that are tied to horror and holiday themes, audiences can look forward to seeing very different stories in different settings.
For instance Gold pointed out that the Pilgrim episode from the current season of Into The Dark was inspired by the experiences of a young executive at the company who had Pilgrim reenactors amongst his family members when he was a child.
Gold further points out that the tone, essence and cinematography of the episodes are all very unique, different and standalone.
Ultimately, audiences will find most of their desires fulfilled when it comes to horror-thrillers, as there is something for everyone.
“Some are true horror with a capital ‘H’, some are bit more like thrillers, and others have their feet firmly in horror-comedy,” he excitedly said.
Thus far, Into The Dark has released 10 out of 12 episodes in its second season; the first season also had 12 episodes.
The last two episodes of the second season had to be temporarily shelved due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
“We’ve been working since the Covid shutdown, where plans were put into place to safely follow protocols and guidelines in order to finish both those movies.
I can tell you that we are very proud of those films and there will be plans to release them. You will be seeing the final two for sure,” Gold assured.
“Of the two final films, both have finished principal photography, and are in various stages of post-production.
“I’ve seen a cut of the second last one, and dailies of the final one, and both were very strong.”
