The latest instalment in Blumhouse Television’s series for Hulu, Into the Dark, marks the series’ first sequel. Following up last year’s Pooka! comes Pooka Lives!, a tale wherein ‘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 versions of the creature.’ A real 180-degree turn from the bleak weirdness of the first film, Pooka Lives! features a cavalcade of comedic talent, from Jonah Ray to Rachel Bloom to Wil Wheaton, along with Felicia Day.

We were lucky enough to speak with the latter about the film, what attracted her to it, and horror comedy in general.

STARBURST: We find it really interesting that you’re in Pooka Lives just because of its whole take on Internet culture, because that has been such a big part of your career.

Felicia Day: Yeah, I think I was subliminally attracted to it, because I do like the theme of the Internet being a jerk to somebody, but real life friendship overcoming it, in a sense.

A big part of the plot is people getting piled on, online: has that been something that you’ve ever experienced yourself?

Absolutely. There were incidents in the gamergate situation – I don’t really like talking about that, but I did put it in my book. I was driven out of doing a lot of gaming stuff. I stopped doing the gaming things, which were basically what I was known for, because several thousand people just followed me around doing whatever I did. I thought, you know, psychologically I was very affected in a negative way and so I kind of had to withdraw a lot. Even now I don’t do as much as I wish I could do in that. Now, it’s back to normal, but I have withdrawn a lot and in it you know it was hard to deal with, so I certainly empathise with the core message of the movie, in a sense.

It also seems like as if the role that you play in Pooka Lives seems almost tailor-made for you in so many different ways. We have to ask: are you that woo-woo in any aspect of your life?

My producing partner, Ryan Copple, write the script and I think he wrote the part for me. I came on as a producer and I had a lot of involvement in the script, as well, so I certainly had my hands in guiding the character, but he’s been my best friend for 10 years, so I think he’s already one-upped me on creating a role that I couldn’t say no to.

In real life? No, I am not like that. I certainly dabbled in that, but I’m more the skeptical person. When my friend gives me a crystal, I kind of throw it in the yard. [laughs] It was actually pretty fun to play, because I think inside I kind of love that stuff from a spectator point of view, but I’m more of a – instead of a real-life shaman healing me, I’m all into the magic D&D shaman.

You’re a mother in real life and you’re playing a parent in this. Even though the part of is kind of based on you, do did you worry about falling into a thing where it’s like, “Oh you’re a mom, so of course you can play a mom”?

This character is certainly not me in real life, and that’s what I kind of like about it – she’s a lot more outgoing and bolder and more social, in a sense – she’s sort of the social fabric for this group. She’s certainly not me. I’m like, the last to do anything with other people.

But, you’re right – I think this is one of the first times I played a mom. I think I’ve resisted that a lot in auditions and shows that I’ve been offered because, quite frankly, mom parts are real boring. They’re mostly written by guys and the mom part services other people’s stories and I feel like women in general are a lot more interesting than that. You know, just because you have a kid doesn’t mean you give up your personality. You have to give up some things, but you’re still an interesting person. Some of the most interesting people I know are women who have children.

So, a lot of these parts are not interesting, but what I love about this one and why I wanted to play it and I was like, “Oh, this could be me in six or seven years” – because I have a three-year-old – was because she does have a life, and she does have a vibrant sort of personality that doesn’t just kind of gets subsumed by other people’s needs for her. So, I’m excited. I really love the part. I’d love to play her again.

That’s such an important part of her as a character in that she’s very outspoken, especially in terms of like standing up for herself in her role in the marriage. It’s great, because they’re obviously people who have sort of grown up and maybe grown a little bit apart, but they still care for each other.

Ryan Copple, when he was talking about it, he was basing it on relationships he knew, where people had been together a really long time. There’s a lot of things you can go through. You can love each other and still be irritated that they still leave the toilet seat up. I lvoe that there are all these small emotional arcs that are built into the movie.

Normally, I think genre movies aren’t able to kind of infuse that sort of characterization and that’s why I think this movie is very much like Buffy or Supernatural, in that the relationships are the things that carry through, but the action is what makes it exciting. Again: the vibe of the movie is so in my wheelhouse, just as a fan and as a person who does what I do.

Are you a fan of creepypasta in general?

I am not! I have to tell you, I am a scaredy cat, in general. I couldn’t sleep after the Game of Thrones episodes where the dragons were slightly endangered so, like, [laughs] I have such a nervous anxiety that I have to steer clear of things that are too tense – so, certainly, creepy Internet memes. I’m more of a keyboard cat or the funny memes. I love those kind of things, both old school and the newer stuff. That’s what I gravitate towards. I certainly have not been diving in, wanting to be scared.

That’s what I like about this movie: that it does walk the line, tone-wise. It does have its horror moments, but it’s kind of a Sam Raimi/Buffy/Supernatural horror, versus like a hardcore kind of tone.

We were going to ask if that was what really attracted you to Pooka Lives – the idea that it’s a horror comedy with a really good emphasis on both aspects?

Yeah, and that’s a really difficult tone to try and nail. I think a lot of people try and fail and or they go into parody. This is not parody. These are real characters in real circumstances. It’s not building into cliches, but it does have that tonality of self-awareness and ridiculous things that people are reacting to. Honestly, I think it’s a hard tone to nail as a writer and I think the combo of Alejandro Brugués and Ryan Copple really works in favor of the film. Alejandro comes from the Sam Raimi school, in a sense, and so, in all the action sequences you can see that sort of infused in everything. Even though with a low budget, they really pop and are so fun and gasp-worthy. You’re laughing, but at the same time, you’re going, “Whoa!”

I love it. I think it’s perfect zeitgeist for right now, when people don’t really want deep, traumatic horror. We’re all in our houses. Let’s have some fun, right?

In partnership with Blumhouse Television, INTO THE DARK is a monthly horror event series from prolific, award-winning producer, Jason Blum’s independent TV studio. Each feature-length instalment is inspired by a holiday and features Blumhouse’s signature genre/thriller spin on the story. Pooka Lives! is now streaming.