Into The Dark: Culture Shock, an oddly similar reflection of today’s world
By Paul Zuniga
Into The Dark: Culture Shock wound up being one of the most realistic entries in the horror-anthology series, mainly because it shared quite a few similarities with today’s world. Check out a deeper analysis below.
Culture Shock, the latest entry in Blumhouse’s Into The Dark series, shocked audiences with an authentic look at the plight of immigrants attempting to cross the Southern Border into the United States, though with some slight sci-fi elements thrown in. What’s strange are the uncanny similarities between the dystopian world envisioned in Culture Shock and the world we live in today.
Without digging into the political side of the dilemma, a surge of refugees from South America migrating north to the United States has made border control a heated subject. There are multiple opinions on how the U.S. should proceed with the humanitarian crisis, though no decision has been made and the crisis continues.
Warning! Potential spoilers for Into The Dark: Culture Shock follow. Read on at your own discretion.
In Culture Shock, audiences witness what’s supposed to be the closest thing to a first-hand look at the plight of migrants attempting to make the long journey from Mexico into the United States. Marisol (Martha Higareda) and Santo (Richard Cabral) are the main characters who take this perilous journey.
It’s on this long trek that Marisol encounters sexual predators, assassins, and human traffickers. Oh yeah, we almost forgot to mention that Marisol is about nine months pregnant. But despite her current state, she makes the long trek north to the Southern Border.
Along with evading predators, Marisol also has to consider the very real possibility of being captured by border patrol and sent back to Mexico. Or, she may even be sent further south to Guatemala.
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The Coyote (Sal Lopez) emphasizes to their young companion that border patrol will send him further south if he can’t prove he’s Mexican. To prove it, the Coyote makes Ricky (Ian Inigo) sing the Mexican equivalent of the National Anthem to him. Knowing such a credo would prove that he belongs in a certain country if questioned by border patrol.
The advantage of being identified as a Mexican is the following attempt to cross into the United States won’t be as lengthy. A majority of the migrants who are currently moving north, come from Central American countries, not Mexico like conspiracy theorists would suggest. There are definitely Mexican migrants sprinkled throughout but most are refugees fleeing from violent gang-ridden countries like Guatemala and Honduras.
All in all, Culture Shock is a fairly close approximation of what today’s world looks like. The only sci-fi elements to speak of are the virtual reality simulators which Marisol and Santo are imprisoned within — everything else matches up to reality.
The plight of migrants in South America, the challenge journeying north to the United States, the inherent predatory nature of human traffickers, all of it is identical to real life. What’s odd is Culture Shock is described as taking place in a dystopian world. Does that mean we’re living in one now?
What were your thoughts on Into The Dark’s latest entry in the horror-anthology series? Let us know in the comments section below.
Into The Dark: Culture Shock is currently streaming on Hulu. Into The Dark: School Spirit airs on August 2, 2019. For more on this Hulu Original, follow us on the Hulu Watcher Twitter Account @HuluWatcherFS or on the Hulu Watcher Facebook Page.
(Source: Deadline)