User reviews

This started off quite interesting, and then it dipped a bit in the middle and to be honest I lost interest. But at the end it's pretty much explained what's going on and I thought it was good ending. Good little twist. A lot more clever than the first 2. I can understand why people would tune out before the ending though. Doesn't do the job of keeping the viewer engaged. But all in all a good watch.

It's not that I don't understand the film. It's an artsy, psychological thriller that true film buffs will probably love. Lots of symbolism, double meaning, etc.

I'm not that kind of movie fan. I love strong movie-universes with compelling actors. This movie had none of that for me. Wilson had 2 major expressions: fear and shaky trepidation or surprise. In the former, he holds his mouth open for ridiculous amounts of time. In the latter, he simply refuses to blink. It's hard to get into a story when you don't like the character. I wanted him to blink and close his mouth.

Seems petty but when you are watching a character for 90 minutes, the petty becomes ridiculous. But I waited for the end because I was hoping for a big payoff. I was disappointed.

Again, film buffs might really enjoy it. Wasn't my cup of tea. I want a refund on my time.

I remember when this episode of Into the Dark dropped as it is one of the first episodes that came out. Pooka seemed to be popular amongst some and disliked by others. Heck, I knew of it without seeing this until now. I figured that since this is was the first Christmas episode of Into the Dark and they made a sequel to it that came out in 2020, I could pair these up as a double feature for Journey with a Cinephile: A Horror Movie Podcast. The synopsis here is a struggling actor takes on a seasonal holiday job as the mascot for the year's hottest new toy: Pooka. However, after putting the costume on, he develops two personalities - one for himself and one for Pooka.

For this movie, we start off hearing the phrase repeated over and over again: look at the pretty lights. Something seems to be on fire and there are the red and blue police lights that are going. We also see a person in them. This then cuts to the apartment of Wilson Clowes (Nyasha Hatendi). He's the struggling actor from the synopsis. He's just moved into this apartment and is getting acclimated. We see him as he goes by his mundane routine of riding the bus, going to a coffee shop and returning home. He does see a flier for an audition. Wilson locks himself out of his apartment and needs his neighbor of Red (Dale Dickey) to let him in. The two of them become friends as she is lonely herself.

Things change for Wilson when he goes to the audition. He studied his lines inside and out, but things don't go as planned when he arrives. The casting director, Diane Sellers, hears a line from him and cuts him off. Wilson asks some questions and on a balcony above him is Finn (Jon Daly). They have him do weird things which end up being a dance. Wilson does them well enough and he's given the part. The part isn't what Wilson was expecting though. It is to be inside of a large Pooka suit. The money is amazing though and no one will ever know it is him underneath.

For a bit more back-story, Pooka is the new hot toy in town. It will listen to what you say, record it and will say them back to you. It can be nice where it will say them with blue eyes or it is naughty with red eyes.

Wilson's life is looking up, even more so when he meets Melanie Burns (Latarsha Rose). She's a real estate agent that he's seen a couple different places. The two of them hit it off and Wilson does what he can to impress her son of Ty (Jonny Berryman). The problem though is that Wilson is losing himself in Pooka. Bad things are happening and Wilson isn't sure what is going on. When things turn violent and aggressive, can Wilson get his life under control before it is too late?

Now I'll be honest, I didn't know what to expect coming in. I've already said that I knew about the character, but wasn't sure what type of movie this would actually be. I didn't even realize that Nacho Vigalondo was the director until settling into watching this. Not saying that just seeing his name made me enjoy this more, but I can see some of his talents going into what they do here. Before I move into my first point, this is really a psychological thriller mixed with horror.

I'll first breakdown the character of Wilson. He's leery about taking on this role, but it allows him to not be struggling anymore due to the money. He can have the life that he's wanted. When he meets Melanie and they hit it off, he's on top of the world. I believe there's a bit of social commentary here about success going to his head. He's losing himself in the role that he's playing. The Pooka portion of his personality allows him to do some bad things. This all makes sense as well at the end for the final reveal. I was a bit shocked there and found it to be interesting.

Next I want to delve a bit into Wilson's relationship with Melanie and Ty. Ty's father was abusive. It doesn't say if it was physical or emotional, but Melanie is damaged from it. Wilson is doing everything that he can to help her through her issues. The problem becomes though, as things in his life falls apart, it causes her to distance from him. He can't handle this. I will say I could connect with this. I've been broken up with and have done everything I could to get that person back. Looking back I see that I shouldn't have. It was toxic and not helping any of the parties involved. It has taken me to do some growing up to see that, but it allows me perspective on what we're getting with this movie.

The last thing for the story I'll briefly go over is the toy of Pooka. I love that we're seeing capitalism here as this is really poking fun at things like the 'Tickle-Me Elmo' or 'Furbys'. This toy is actually pretty dumb and conspiracy theorists could have a field day that it is recording things that we say. It is funny though to see how this toy is so popular and then fades quite fast. It really is a situation of getting out of Dodge before everything falls apart for it.

Where I want to go next would be acting since it really is character study of Wilson. I thought that Hatendi does a great job. We get to see him as the normal version of himself. We see him on Cloud 9 and then as things fall apart, we see him become unhinged. This all culminates to the truth of his character which works. Rose, Daly, Dickey, Berryman and the rest of the cast rounded this out for what was needed in developing and interacting with this character for sure.

Next would be the effects. We really don't get a lot and what we do is subdued. Most everything is done practically from what I could see. I think the bit of blood that we get was good. Making Wilson looking more disheveled as his life falls apart makes a lot of sense. I do have to give credit to the cinematography here as well. The use of color filters, especially red really works. It makes a lot of sense since it is associated with rage and naughty when it comes to Pooka.

The last thing I'll go over briefly would be the soundtrack. I'd say that the selections fit for what was needed. It was interesting to see that Bear McCreary did the score. Not his best, but it works. What I did really enjoy was the theme song for Pooka. If I can find it I will throw it on the podcast episode for sure.

So now with that said, I thought this was a solid little movie. I'll be honest, I haven't seen a bad one of these Into the Dark episodes. I thought that the performance of Hatendi as the lead was solid. I like the social commentary that we're working with. The ideas they are exploring are relevant. The rest of the cast rounded this out, the effects we get are solid and the soundtrack fit. To rate this movie, I would call it above average overall.

So I'm not going to insult anyone saying that if you don't get it, you suck but it is a slow burner with a twist ending.

Now about the movie....

It's not bad but don't expect a masterpiece. The premise starts off similar to the movie "Clown" but then the movie takes a twist. It is a psychological thriller movie and if you take the time and pay attention you could possibly predict the ending or come close to it.

If you have 80 minutes to spare, then I'll recommend watching it. Definitely a good 6/10. Gave it 5 just because it does take a while for the plot to quicken. Certain scenes could've been trimmed down but that's just me being picky.

Hope you enjoy!!! Pooka!!!!!

Just because you are unable to follow the story or understand the ending doesn't make it a bad movie.

This one had strong characters and a promising plot, but ultimately failed to deliver because the plot made no sense. I feel like some important scenes must have been cut out of this one.

Sometimes captivating story with some genuinely creepy moments. Shot very nicely with good use of locations and lush production design. Derivative of...Donnie Darko, Halloween III, The Sixth Sense...well, name your poison. Works best as a horror/paranoia/satire, a la Roman Polanski's The Tenant...until the obligatory (and unnecessary) twist. This could almost (stress on the "almost") be the one you watch with your non-horror fan friend/partner without them occasionally rolling their eyes and saying "you don't need to pause it" while they go to the kitchen.

Something is definitely missing here. Things stopped making sense, and never came back. The acting was solid, but everything else ...

Cool dark adult version of something kid-like! I saw this awhile back then really lost interest in the series now I'm loving it! The director of this one did other enjoyable films like Colossal, Open Windows, and a segment of VHS:Viral which I've enjoyed all 3 a fair amount. I quite enjoy things that are super effed up and weird and I don't mind that this has a lazy story.

Im a sucker for psychological horror/thriller films and this did it well. Acting on point along with good writing. Highly recommend.

I honestly would not waste your time on this installment. Had potential, but failed to deliver.

Winston is an actor who needs work, so he takes a job as the toy mascot Pooka! As soon as he puts on the costume, strange things start happening. Has Pooka taken over his life, or is Winston going crazy? Cool idea. Movie looks fantastic, great performances, but it's hollow. The film would have worked better as a short, this premise doesn't stretch far enough for a film. Or, this would have been an amazing horror comedy, playing up the humor that could have easily been pulled from the concept. Either or, it's just not a good straight "horror" movie.

Worst episode ever! boring, not a continuous storyline, not scary at all.

Pooka! Is from season 1 episode 3 of the Hulu series Into The Dark, but it's more or less a feature length film on it's own at about 80 minutes runtime...and it's a bit if a trip!

The story begins with a struggling actor taking a job as the mascot for the seasons hottest Christmas toy- a doll named Pooka, whose ai chooses phrases uttered to it to repeat back to it's user in either a naughty or nice tone.

But when he puts on the costume...he really becomes the character...to the point that he starts to go increasingly schizophrenic...with the lines becoming increasingly blurred between what is going on in reality vs in his head.

And that doesn't even account for the twist in the end...which involves a single mom he meets on the job and forms a relationship with.

Leaving the whole thing a Scrooge sort of vibe in the end.

They really manage to capture the nature of schizophrenia in a cinematic way...so it's purposefully psychedelic and convoluted, but also wildly violent...and all around weird.

So if that sounds like it will be up your alley, definitely give it a watch.

It's worth it.

(there's a follow up to it called Pooka Lives!, as well)

6.5 out of 10.

What a waste of time. This should have been a 20 minute TV show. Long, drawn out tedium.

If you're in the mood for a well-acted horror movie, then this is it! Very psychological, and I liked that I didn't fully understand everything until the very end.

As some said, it's a wee bit slow in the beginning, but once it picks up the pace, it just keeps going! I do wish there was a tad more of a wrap-up at the end; much like some 1970s horror I've seen, they explain everything, but then that's just it.

As far as scare factor, I wouldn't say it's terrifying or anything, but I don't think it's trying to be. Definitely disturbing in parts, though!

In the end, if you want a cheesy horror film that's entertaining (but you're sick of especially bad acting and predictable storylines like I am), you could do much, much worse than Pooka!

Wow, could not have had a less original ending which has been done time after time before. This is like being on a bad psychedelic trip you just want to get off of. There is no payoff you are just angry you wasted 90 minutes of a guy acting ridiculous in a costume.

Funny, I've been in Hellraiser mode all weekend with the release of that 2022 reimagining and this 2018 "movie/anthology episode" feels like a Pinhead tale.

A recently down on his luck Los Angeleno bachelor takes a job dressing up as a teddy bear named Pooka in order to sell the Teddy Ruxpin-sized versions. Additionally, he finds a nice single mom and just perfect neighbor. Things are really looking up for him until he realizes, the longer he plays Pooka, the odder his behavior becomes and gruesome actions to follow.

It wasn't too bad, even though it took a VERY long time to get to the explanation of what this was all about. I had my ideas throughout and was pleasantly wrong. The climax thoroughly made up for any shortcomings. It's a Recommendation.

***

Final Thoughts: Coincidentally enough, I just introduced my dad to "Willy's Wonderland" just yesterday by chance and I had been planning on viewing "Pooka!" today. I know, totally different movies, but still, they're both about large, evil and manmade killer furry beasts.

This movie was missing far too much to make the plot at all logical it truly fell short with the ending...its like doing a puzzle for 90 minutes only to find out that so many pieces are missing you dont even know what it's a puzzle of. Don't waste your time...and for all the reviewers who think people just dont understand it. Trust me there is no deep meaning behind this it's just a poor attempt at using a style that has worked for real creative filmakers.

This was an excellent slow burner of a man's decent into madness, with an excellent twist at the end. I loved it just as much as the other two movies so far. This series is fantastic.

Haters will say it's a bad movie but it should be given a chance! Creepy, funny, horrific Christmas, it's nice to get another movie about toys. This Christmas horror about obsession and toy possession has now become a classic in my book, so I have to watch it at least once during the holiday season. I enjoy the Pooka lore

There can never be too many Christmas (or holiday season) thrillers or horrors. Kinda hoping they'll go for a third installment, the second was pretty decent, go check it out. If you have a love for possessed toys n' friends and children, mixed with craze and obsession, then you'll at least 'like' this movie.

There are plenty of better movies available on Hulu. They just advertised it a couple hundred times during their commercial breaks, and I like horror, so I decided to try it. It was NOT good... just a wildly confusing and not every entertaining movie that has a ending to pull it all together.