The next chapter of Hulu’s horror anthology series, Into the Dark has arrived with the “The Current Occupant”. In this feature-length episode, a man trapped in an asylum believes he’s the president of the United States and is subjected to torturous experiments in order to treat mental trauma. 

The editing and story are reminiscent of the movie Jacob’s Ladder in that the main character and viewer are lost in reality and unsure of what’s really going on. It becomes clear early on that some or all of what we see regarding the “president” is a fabricated reality created to protect his mind from some awful truth. As he talks to the other patients to unravel the mystery, he’s subjected to abuse from the doctors and orderlies. The frantic pace of the editing during these scenes makes it hard to understand what the writers are trying to convery.

It seems as though the scriptwriters are attempting to connect the ego of the current president to the main character in the film. He is a man so unwilling to accept reality that he consistently creates layers of lies and delusions. The storyline successfully strings the viewer along and poses questions without coming off as overly complicated. Its biggest problem is that despite the premise, setting, and editing, the episode is rarely scary. There are scenes in which tensions ramp up as in a thriller, but in actuality, there’s nothing truly suspenseful going on.

Much like similar shows such as The Twilight Zone and Black Mirror, this episode is mainly about the revelation that happens towards the end instead of what led up to it. The themes at work are interesting and can provoke some debate if you’re watching it with someone else. If you have a Hulu subscription, “The Current Occupant” makes for an interesting weekend watch when you want to check out something intriguing and creepy.

Author Bio:

Ulises Duenas is a contributing writer at Highbrow Magazine.

For Highbrow Magazine