Parents' Guide to Into the Dark

Viewers who like their horror in the cheap-and-dirty (but clever) Blumhouse mold (Get Out, The Purge) will find tricks and treats in this smart, gory, not-for-kids anthology. But like its movie output, Into the Dark likes to wallow in gore galore, and the strength of each episode can vary in quality. Things get off to a stylish start in the first episode, "The Body," set on Halloween night and centered on the comic/horrific fallout when a hitman's tires are slashed as a prank, leaving him with a plastic wrapped body and no way to get it to its agreed-upon dumping spot. It's a good setup, particularly when the hitman finds his way to a Hollywood Halloween party, where his bloody face and bloodier dragged body are considered a particularly good costume. "Is that animatronic?" gasps the dazzled host.

Blumhouse knows to make a lot of a little, and the grim city locations and well-written interactions between cast members make "The Body" fun to watch. But it loses a star for lots of regressive gender messages, with a female cast member panting endlessly over the hitman, who growls at her no less than three times: "There is no 'we.'" Whereupon she follows him around like a puppy and tries to kiss him. At one point she even talks to herself in the mirror: "Is this crazy? You don't meet guys like this every day. He's smart, he's strong, he's employed." Ugh. Considering how female-centric horror audiences can be, it's a bad idea to start out this way, even if "The Body" does turn the tables -- no spoilers! -- later on.