User Reviews

Not the best movie, but overall it was a fun 80 minute episode. Actors were believable old friends, especially when compared to other movies falling in the popular "old friends get together and spooky stuff happens" trend. The ending was fine.

This movie is good enough. I cared for the characters just fine and the eventual "twist" was predictable but a fine plot point. However, the writing at times feels clunky and the decisions at points feels odd... plus the fact that this movie has a confusing ending doesn't help. Overall, this movie is a fine brainless short supernatural horror flick.

Pooka Lives Directed by Alejandro Brugues. Written by Ryan Copple

The Into the Dark series of movies on HULU are supposedly based off of holidays. I'm not sure where they're getting that from because every one of these I've seen so far I had no clue where the holiday fit into the film. They don't seem to be trying too hard. Pooka Lives has nothing to do with any holiday in April. I have no idea what they're going for in that respect. I assume maybe because this Pooka is designed more like a bunny but that is a gigantic stretch.

I'm getting off topic. Pooka Lives is the sequel to Pooka. I've never seen the original Pooka. That doesn't matter here as there is no connection outside of the Pooka character. So this is not a Lake Fear 3 situation at all. Whew that takes a load off. I was terrified of being lost by complex mythology. Pooka has none of that. Pooka Lives is a skewer the internet movie. It's one of those films that takes the worst parts of internet culture and blows it up to sky high proportions. It plays on viral memes. It preys on creepypastas like Slender Man and Momo. It even name checks Momo.

This is a very over the top film. You are not meant to take any of this seriously in any way, shape or form. It is clearly designed to be a comedy. It is mildly amusing. I had a few chuckles and didn't hate myself for them. I hated about 90 percent of the characters in the movie. I understand that it's supposed to be satirical of internet culture especially in relation to cancel culture as well as feeling superior to it at the same time but it became difficult to find someone to side with who wasn't Felicia Day. She was delightful in this as always.

This film had some moments. Jax who is the extremely irritating Youtube personality who sets things in motion is the absolute worst. He is meant to be the most unlikeable sack of manure around. His encounter with Pooka is satisfying. Most of the Pooka scenes work. It reminded me a bit of The Banana Splits movie. It takes this innocent idea and turns it upside down but doesn't take any of it seriously.

I haven't seen many of these and the ones that I have seen have been terrible. Pure was not scary and a little queasy. My Valentine was incredibly stupid. Pooka Lives is the best one I've seen so far. It is still fairly mediocre and not as clever as it was hoping it would be. I give this movie a C.

It had alot to live up to from the first one. It's not a continuation, more of a remake in my eyes. Which was not needed. It was ok, best part was girl from supernatural playing a part in this one, which she also had a part either writing or producing I believe, could be wrong.

Fun to watch, campy and cheesy. Delivers exactly what you're probably expecting!

Great horror comedy with true classic drive in horror feel. Great cast with awesome cameos and hilarious one liners. Defenitly worth a watch.

The reason I checked this movie out was 2 fold. For my podcast of Journey with a Cinephile: A Horror Movie Podcast, I like to pair up a 2020 film with an older film that has a theme. Since Pooka! was a Christmas movie, I could pair this one as the new film from this year. Much like the original, I didn't really know much about this one aside from bringing Pooka back. The synopsis is a group of thirty-something friends from high school create their own Creepypasta about Pooka for laughs, but are shocked when it becomes so viral on the internet that it actually manifests more murderous version of the creature.

We start this movie out with Ellie (Rachel Bloom) who is the creator of the original toy of Pooka. She was fired and her husband comes home, quite upset to learn about this. I believe he is David (Wil Wheaton). Things don't go well as he takes his rage out on the toys which causes Ellie to snap. She stabs him to death before setting herself, his body and the house on fire.

The movie then shifts us to Derrick (Malcolm Barrett). He's driving and we see that his phone is being blown up on social media. The messages he is getting though aren't good. He has been living in New York City as a writer. He made the mistake of coming after a popular influencer of Jax (Motoki Maxted) who is now having him canceled. Lucky for Derrick, his friend of Molly (Felicia Day) and her husband of Matt (Jonah Ray) are letting him stay with them until this blows over. The problem is that it requires him to come back to his hometown of Spring Valley. He's not thrilled at this idea as time is much slower there.

Derrick lucks out getting a job with SCI, which is the company behind the Pooka toy. Also working there is his ex of Susan (Lyndie Greenwood). They are still pretty cordial and the feelings are there too. They also have a friend of Bennie Taylor (Gavin Stenhouse) who is a local deputy.

Despite returning home, Jax is still after him with his followers. Derrick ends up with a stalker that is messing with his life. Derrick comes up with an idea though while hanging out with Susan, Molly, Matt and Bennie. It is to mess with the internet by creating their own 'Momo-Creepypasta' like post. They come up with the Pooka challenge. Jax helps it spread unknowingly, but this ritual might actually be conjuring up these much scarier versions of the children's toy of Pooka.

That's where I want to leave my recap of this movie as I feel that gets you up to speed with what this sequel is doing. What I will say, I'm so glad that they took a different route to what this movie was doing. I established in my review of Pooka! that it was more of a psychological thriller, where this one takes us into the supernatural. I'm actually glad that they stuck to this concept as well. Before delving into some of the story elements, I was a bit confused as to when this movie is taking place to the original. I'm guessing that this is indeed a sequel. The original toy failed, so now they're unveiling a new one. There is something else that would be spoiler to the original that I don't want to delve into here. They don't really factor in the first movie so you don't technically need to see them to understand both.

Well into this movie we reveal an idea of what Pooka could be here. Molly brings up that there is a Tulpa, which she explains is that Buddhist monks are able to will an entity into existence. They normally aren't scary like we get here, but she does state that they cannot be control once they're brought into our world. By having this ritual of Pooka go viral, there are so many people on the internet believing in it that it starts to come to life and killing people. This is akin to what is established in later the A Nightmare on Elm Street films where Freddy gets his power.

This is where I think the movie loses itself just a bit. The whole concept of Pooka is that it can be nice or naughty. The movie would have been better served for me if it doesn't punish all of those that conjure it. This turns it into a take on 'Bloody Mary' or 'Candyman'. It would have been nice to see it attack those that truly deserve it. The movie could still have it coming after our main group of people, just have them reveal different things that Pooka could be punishing them for. I guess the truth here would be that we all commit sins that we could probably be punished for. The other explanation is that as the lore goes out of control with people changing it, it is possible that Pooka could be punishing anyone who conjures it like we get. Ellie ties back into this as well which also helps to reinforce why everyone is punished.

What I did like here as well was the social commentary. This movie is looking and partially poking fun at 'Cancel Culture'. I thought Derrick did something bad to have Jax after him, but it seems like Derrick wrote a book pointing out the problems with influencers like Jax and he's acting childish having his followers try to destroy Derrick's life. It is completely horrible to do to someone who doesn't really deserve it. Susan though does point out that Derrick could just delete his social media profiles, but he refuses to. It is showing us that he is partially addicted to it, hence why what Jax is doing is ruining him. To be honest though, I have considered redoing my social medias in the past, but it is so much work to re-establish what I already have. Having seen the dangers of it, I also don't care enough either.

Since I've delved a bit into the characters themselves, I think next I'll look at the performances. I think that Barrett is solid as our lead here. Susan points out things about him that he's never considered. He needs the growth to become a better person since he isn't that much different from Jax. I really liked Greenwood, Day, Ray and Stenhouse as the rest of the group. They're all distinct and bring their own spin to their roles to set them apart. I would also say that the rest of the cast rounded this out for what was needed, shout-outs to the actors who portray different version of Pooka as well.

The effects are where I should take this here. I will say, I really liked what they did with Pooka. There seems to be two different, scary versions of it. One is more animalistic where another is more demonic. These both look to be done practically which I can appreciate for sure. The use of the red filters on the light also helps here. I do know this one did shy away from showing us blood and some of the attacks. I think a lot of this is Blumhouse TV and being made for Hulu. I would liked to see a bit more, but what we saw was good.

That's all I really wanted to say about this sequel. I think that they took the story to a place that they should as the original doesn't need its story being expanded anymore. I like taking this supernatural and incorporating social commentary on 'cancel culture' and things going viral on the internet. I thought the acting was solid for what was needed. The effects were about the same as well and the soundtrack fit. If there is anything I would have liked to see more of the deaths and attacks, but I get why we don't. Overall I'd say that this is above average overall. This movie for me was a bit of a step down from the original, but not by much.

My Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Pooka Lives! Is a free Hulu picture and solid followup to the very worthwhile original. The film uses some of the same cast but has a unique storyline from the first film. Honestly, I looked at it as two completely separate films. The storyline falls short of having the depth and coming together as well as the first one, but it is still entertaining and fun to watch unfold. I can't say I liked the new Pooka at the end. It felt like they were trying too hard. Overall, I'd say this is worth your time, especially if you liked the first one. I'd give it a 6.5/10.

Holy macaroni! This is peak horror-comedy, it really doesn't get any better than this. It made me laugh more than Amy Schumer's stand up and scared more than the first one.; it really was in my opinion, the most anticipated sequel since Knack 2. This was so enjoyable, I was on the brink of suicide before I watched this but the acting of these actors saved me from the ultimate sin. So emotional, so sympathetic, they really knew what they were doing, I felt like I was in the movie, pooping my pants and helping our protagonists fight off Pookas. I really like the whole light vs dark aspect and how all the characters were so relatable. 1/10.

Love the use of the Internet to show how giving enough attention to something online ( good or bad) can really make it take on a life of it's own. Also loved all the lore the internet creates ! And maybe I just liked the style but I found this one more fun than the first! Give a shot!

Pooka Lives! is a little better than the first in the series, Pooka! This one has more terrifying scenes and blood. I like how the internet and social media is interwoven with the evolving Pooka. Watch it if you liked the first one.

Why must the doll be named Pooka?

Why do movies of this genre, or any genre, focus so much on certain humans winning illogical and nonsensical situations?

If a killer has someone by throat, they should be dead. Why wait three minutes for them to dramatically breathe through the situation and still fail?

The plot is whimsical.

The casting is great, specifically Felicia Day.

The blood could have been better designed by any FaceOff contestant.

The choices made by essential characters are quite questionable.

I wish the movie would have focused on comedy.

I enjoyed this movie very much. Great social and cultural commentary. Watch the movie, not for what you want it to be but what it is.

Good watch, would watch again, and can recommend, though don't expect the same experience as you did from the first one.

PSA: Doxing is bad. Most of the time we don't have enough information for judgement. Please have your opinion, but support official action on matters. Harassing someone usually doesn't benefit anyone. Thank you.

Where the first one was able a man wondering if he was slowly going crazy, this is more about the world slowly going crazy. Or about how the internet is a horrible place? It was unclear.

With confirmation that Pooka was a real you, and a really odd backstory, it wasn't really what I wanted, but with expectations dashed, I was open to see what they did with it.

While I honestly don't like the Doxing / influencer angle of the plot, because it's sadly a real thing, and it's too much reality in my eacapism, it really establishes the power that belief on the internet can exert on the world.

The plot from there continues in an interesting way that I'd spoil by mentioning, but the writing is well placed, if a little goofy. There are nerd/comedy actors that do some good support roles, but Malcolm Barrett, with a some help from Lyndie Greenwood, really carried the movie well.

Pooka Lives! Is not as good as the first Pooka movie (to me). They lost the plot somehow, somewhere and got carried away. At a certain point I forgot this was a movie about Pooka and it became frustrating to focus. Maybe that was the point? I still enjoyed the Pooka lore though; it's horrific, it's silly, and it's over the top. The ending was cool too.

There can never be too many Christmas (or holiday season) thrillers or horrors. Kinda hoping they'll go for a third installment. 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.

A somewhat brainless fun, mostly made for alien teens with nothing to root for. The quality of this episode was abysmal and the ending was horrible.

Pooka you can do better than that!

Funny, original and I enjoyed it. Although I couldn't figure out where it fell in the Pooka universe, but that's me thinking too much about a movie that is just meant to be enjoyed at face value. Glad the main characters lived.

I just watched this movie right after seeing the original and was super disappointed by this sequel. I thought the original Pooka film was incredible; it was brilliantly odd and deeply metaphorical. To follow that up with a cheesy horror comedy ghost story was an horrible decision on behalf of the creators in my opinion. And the fact that they casted Felicia Day of all people to play the 1 character who knew what a Tulpa was? Are Sam and Dean gonna be in the 3rd installment? If this was a standalone film and not advertised as sequel then I might have rated it higher, but it's still mediocre at best. There's no relation to the original movie other than the Pooka character. I got the whole "the internet won't let Pooka die" thing, but turning him into a ghost ruins the whole psychological idea of the first movie and I truly hope they weren't trying to imply that Pooka was a supernatural entity there too. And why on earth did they make a movie where Rachel Bloom is a killer, and then only put her in one scene??? WASTED opportunity. They should have thrown the Pooka idea out for this film and just made a slasher with Rachel Bloom as the serial killer. I would rate that movie a 10/10. This one is more like a 3/10 in my book.

This second part of the Pooka Storyline isn't as bad as the first part. In fact it made an atmospheric 180 degree turn. It's no wannabe psychosocial horror-drama, but a trashy little creature/demon flick. The Cliffhanger gives room for more. It's by far not perfect but worth a watch.

This is definitely a fun and entertaining film. It has a good premise accompanied by a strong character (Pooka). The effects are solid, and the cinematography is enjoyable (especially the beautiful lighting effects).

Admittedly, killer toys is one of my favorite horror sub-genres, so I'm rather partial. Nonetheless, I think this is a great step in the right direction for horror films. The writers found a creative way to integrate a classic 'killer toy' genre into the contemporary society (e.g., our technology and social media practices). Using new technology and the internet felt perfectly natural.

We currently live in a retro-driven nostalgia culture. Now, I'm admittedly a fan of all the retro fan fare, and it's produced some great material (e.g., Stranger Things, IT: Chapter 1). Nonetheless, I also desire for the horror genre to push beyond nostalgic regurgitation and bring new ideas into play. I thought this film is a solid example how horror can make good content without having to reach into the past.

If you like this film, you might also like the new Child's Play remake (2019) and vice versa.

This installment of Pooka Lives is much better than the first Pooka. Let's just say casting Malcolm Barrett, Lyndie Greenwood, Felicia Day, and Jonah Ray and throwing in Wil Wheaton for good measure was a phenomenal choice. The installment catches you right away and ends most excellently. If you ignore all other installments of Into the Dark do not pass this one up.

I gotta say that i enjoyed this episode more than the Pooka in first season. The first Pooka is kind of a drag... more like a relationship drama than horror. Now this one is pretty fun.

So its about this writer who wrote a book that offended a famous KOL and he moved back to his hometown to hide while the KOL sorta summon his fans to harass the writer. Then writer got a job with the pooka company. Crazy stuff happening. You get different 'mutations' of pooka going around. Pretty cool creature design.

I like how they approached this installment with some humor. Some of the dialogues are pretty funny. Then there's some violence and gore. Nothing too over the top though.

Hope to see the 3rd part of the story... maybe in season 3?