Out of numerous sad attempts at modern horror or ‘tech horror’ in cinema today, only Black Mirror offers something truly interesting. Created by Charlie Brooker a british writer, the third season of Black Mirror has finally been released on Netflix. Surprising the audience with a six episode long season unlike the past two shorter seasons, along with the promise of another six episode season coming soon. This amazing series contains dark plots, and relies heavily on shock value, which would normally be off-putting for shows but Black Mirror somehow makes it work.
Each episode of Black Mirror is its own individual story, and the cast is changed once the 40 minutes of the show is up. The series is similar to a collection of short films, each one has a different disturbing element that makes it unique and thought provoking. The show is futuristic, yet still portrays how we live life in an era of technology. Each episode seems to have a thread of this in one way or another. The show itself was named after a computer screen, the creativity of this show is unbelievable and even the lighthearted ones seem to be chilling.
Each episode is artfully crafted, the cinematography is amazing. A lot of times it feels like shows can either have rich plots and good character development or be artsy and visually stunning. Black Mirror is one of those rare shows that has both. The acting is wonderful, and the accents are highly entertaining to listen to. The last episode of the third season called ‘Hated in the Nation’ stars Kelly Macdonald the voice actress of Merida in the Disney movie Brave, which is shocking to hear her in such a dark setting.
Black Mirror is influenced by the old television classic The Twilight Zone, and the similarities are clear. Black Mirror is by far the scarier choice but considering how iconic Twilight Zone is, comparing something to such a well known and well loved piece of entertainment would usually put the modern version to shame. However, Black Mirror lives up to the high standards and keeps up the tradition of chilling twists and even takes it to new levels.
This show makes us reconsider our relationship to technology and the impact it could have on our society in the near future if we continue to allow it to go on the way it does. This series is so relevant to our life and would benefit us to watch it and think on it. It’s not the kind of thing you can see before going to bed, and it’s not easy to binge. Each episode needs the time to process and marinate in your mind, space for the levels of meaning to come out as the episodes are a bit lengthy. But it’s completely worth watching It will leave you with an aftertaste that makes you shudder.