In an effort to get back into Hulu’s Into the Dark scary movie series, the next movie we’ll be discussing for 12 Days of Christmas Movies is last year’s Pooka!

This film was the third installment of Hulu’s Into the Dark series. The series is a holiday-themed scary movie anthology that covers all the important milestones of the year, Christmas, New Year, Valentine’s Day, the 4th of July… you get the idea. It’s a series I always mean to watch and then shy away from because every “episode” is actually a full on movie. Which… I don’t get this, but for some reason watching a WHOLE MOVIE seems so much more daunting than marathoning an entire television series. Where is the logic?

This particular episode is directed by Nacho Vigalondo, director of other weird movies such as Colossal and Extraterrestrial. The premise of this movie is simple enough, but in keeping with the style of this particular director, it gets weird real quick, so I won’t give away any of the plot details that should remain surprising. Especially since, not gonna lie, there were several points in the movie where I was like, “I’m not sure I get what’s happening.” I think by the end it will all make sense though.

Anyway, basic premise: An out-of-work actor named Wilson (Nyasha Hatendi) moves into a new apartment, hoping to start over. Start over from what? We’re not quite sure. He gets a job playing POOKA, a fuzzy “cute” character who is set to be the next hot Christmas toy. The only problem? When WIlson dons the suit, he starts developing another sinister personality.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, so trust that that summary spoils nothing. Let’s break down how this is working as a Christmas movie.

Romance: 10/10. For a horror movie, the romance in this story still remains pretty central to the plot. It’s pretty much your typical Christmas movie romance plot. Wilson sees a woman and her son shopping for Christmas trees and immediately feels a connection to them. Later, when they come to the Pooka pop-up store to buy the toy, he manages to get the woman’s business card. Her name is Melanie, and she is a real estate agent (played by Latarsha Rose) and a single mom (score!).

Wilson and Melanie quickly bond and he works his way into the family. Hanging in the background, though, is the truth about the son Ty’s father. This mystery adds a sinister vibe to this relationship that keeps the romance from ever getting to saccharine sweet, which I appreciated. I’m a fan of romances that don’t work out perfectly. Even better: romances that completely implode. Which is this? Guess you’ll have to watch to find out.

Morality: 8/10. It’s, like, a horror movie, so morality isn’t super high on its list of things the movie is trying to accomplish. But I will say that in spite of that, Pooka! does seem to be making some sort of commentary on regret and guilt and the hidden darker side of people. I can’t really say more than that without spoiling.

Music: 9/10. Again, as a horror movie, the music is a little different from what you would expect from your average Christmas movie. But! There is a lot of atmospheric creepy music going on here. And, most importantly, Pooka has a theme song and a DANCE (see above gif to learn the moves). After you watch this movie, you might just end up singing “Pooka see, Pooka do, Pooka me, Pooka you” as you attempt to recreate the dance. And well, that’s weird and freaky as hell.

Christmas Spirit: 10/10. I mean, really what more could you ask for? This movie is all about buying the hot new toy. Also a Christmas tree is a central part of the storyline. Furthermore, the line “Look at all the pretty lights” will haunt your dreams. And if a Christmas movie isn’t haunting your dreams, is it really doing its job?

Warmth: 8/10. It feels strange to call this movie warm, but it’s definitely got a heart of some kind. As I was watching this, I kept thinking that this movie felt like the anti-It’s A Wonderful Life. Not to sound like a broken record, but I can’t go into that without spoiling the movie. If you see Pooka! and agree or disagree with that comparison, I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments.

I’m docking a few points for warmth because, for one, this is a horror movie that is in part about consumerism. Warmth is not the point of this movie. Also Pooka is creepy as hell. How could anyone look at this doll and think, “aww cute”? What the heck would you do if your kid wanted a Pooka doll? I think I might have to say hell no on that one. How about an iPad instead, kid?

I honestly had no idea this movie was going to rate so high in every Christmas category. Let’s tally up it’s final score.

45/50 = 90%/A-. All in all, a pretty solid Christmas movie! Way to go, Pooka.

You can watch Pooka! and the rest of the Into the Dark series on Hulu now. The latest Christmas episode will come out early this month (December), so will we see it later in this countdown? Hmmm… maybe. Who can say?