Pandory the Panda

Pandory the Panda is the main antagonist of The Hug, one of several short horror films created as part of "Huluween", a month long event in 2018 highlighting up and coming horror-makers where they would submit short films to Hulu both to promote their work, celebrate the Halloween season and be entered into a final prize of having a feature-length movie on Hulu.

The film was a homage to the Five Night at Freddy's franchise, Pandory himself is depicted as a large panda-like animatronic wearing a red coat in the style of those employed in establishments such as Chuck E Cheese, while somewhat creepy by design these critters are ultimately designed to entertain guests and act as friendly faces for the company. Beneath his mask, however, Pandory is revealed to actually be a horrific monster - though only seen briefly - with large fangs, bloodshot eyes and gruesome claws.

While he originally appears as a friendly mascot who will greet child guests and offer them a show, yet its true nature is that of a merciless and aggressive predator who seeks to lure victims into false security so as to capture and presumably devour them, unlike most monsters of this variety Pandory does not kill his victims outright but rather imprisons them within his form, suggesting that he keeps his victims alive for a prolonged (possibly infinite) time-scale, rather than simply killing them.

Pandory has enhanced strength, cunning and retractable claws - it is also suggested that Pandory has numerous supernatural abilities, perhaps even those of a demon or spirit, since he can capture victims within his form and keep them there for prolonged periods of time. Pandory is also a calculating monster with a capability of tricking others and manipulating them, so as to strike when their guard is down.

History
Pandory is the mascot of Pandory's Pan Pizza Palace and is a stage-show animatronic. One night, a group of children are celebrating a birthday and the birthday boy wishes to have Pandory put on a show, only for a somewhat rude employee to shutdown the stage and confront the kids, claiming Pandory was on a "dinner break".

Yet the bratty birthday boy manages to steal the keys from the employee and activates Pandory while said employee is distracted with the other guests, the stage soon comes alive and Pandory with it, though Pandory's presence is rather sinister and unnatural.

Despite this, Pandory soon offers the child a show in exchange for a hug and while reluctant at first the boy is tricked into giving the bear a hug regardless, with Pandory feigning friendliness.

Yet as soon as the boy hugs, Pandory changes and his eyes become bloodshot, sharp claws dig into the boy's back as the animatronic clings tight and his mask falls off, revealing his monstrous face, dragging him slowly further down stage as the curtains close.

After the boy's mother questions where he had disappeared to the employee suddenly looks to Pandory's stage and the closed curtain, he instantly becomes fearful and charges towards the stage, only to find the stage empty save for Pandory, who seemed to be back to normal with no sign of the missing boy, though the employee soon notices muffled cries from within the aimatronic and leans in the investigate only for the boy's arm to rup out from Pandory's mouth.