Warning: This review contains spoilers for theBlack Mirrorseason 6 finale, “Demon 79.”
The sixth season ofBlack Mirrorcomes to a close with one of the show’s best – and strangest – installments to date, “Demon 79.” Anjana Vasan stars as Nida, a young sales assistant at a shoe store who unwittingly awakens Gaap, the demon residing in an ancient talisman, played by Paapa Essiedu. Gaap tells Nida that she has to kill three people to prevent the apocalypse. Director Toby Haynes, who previously brought an exciting new space opera style toBlack Mirrorin its season 4 premiere “USS Callister,” has plenty of fun with the tropes and trademarks of ‘70s horror movies in his direction of “Demon 79.” It has all the hallmarks of a ‘70s horror classic: film grain, old-school FX, and a creepy, operatic score.
The opening titles of “Demon 79” give the episode a special label – “Red Mirror” – to separate it from otherBlack Mirrorepisodes. Instead of tackling technology and contemporary social issues, “Demon 79” deals in the supernatural. Visually, the episode draws influence from the vibrant giallo films ofdirectors like Dario Argento. Whereas “Mazey Day” offered a bad example ofBlack Mirrorbreaking away from the norm by randomly bringing in a werewolf, “Demon 79” opens the series up to limitless possibilities for future installments. The reason why “Demon 79” works where “Mazey Day” didn’t is that “Demon 79” doesn’t just bring in paranormal elements for the sake of it; Nida’s demonic companion serves a crucial dramatic purpose as he faces her with a complicated moral decision to make.
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The premise is awfully similar toM. Night Shyamalan’s new movie,Knock at the Cabin, in which a group of cultists tell a family to sacrifice one of their own to prevent disasters across the world. By embracing gonzo gore and pitch-black humor, “Demon 79” stands out as a much stronger and more effective take on the concept. “Demon 79” is the only episode of season 6 thatBlack Mirrorcreator Charlie Brooker didn’t write alone; he co-wrote the script withMs. Marvelhead writer Bisha K. Ali. Ali has a background in standup comedy, and that shows in the snappy dialogue and smooth comedic rhythm of the “Demon 79” script.
A Comedy Double Act For The Ages
Nida and Gaap make for an endlessly hilarious double act as the latter tries to teach the former how to become an effective murderer. Vasan and Essiedu share incredible on-screen chemistry in the roles, with synced-up timing that really clicks. Their dynamic could have sustained an entire series of its own. For Gaap, coaching Nida through a trio of killings is a sort of initiation ritual in a darkly comic inversion ofthe angel inIt’s a Wonderful Lifeearning his wings. Nida spends the whole movie talking to Gaap, but no one else can see him, so it looks like she’s talking to herself. Gaap’s demonic powers, like his ability to see into the future and his ability to look into people’s souls, pave the way for plenty of great gags. The banter between Nida and Gaap will surely make “Demon 79” one ofBlack Mirror’s most rewatchable episodes.
“Demon 79” is one of the most delightfully gruesome episodes ofBlack Mirror. Other episodes in the season have avoided showing too much violence on-screen. David murdered Cliff’s family off-screen in “Beyond the Sea” and most of the werewolf attacks happened off-screen in “Mazey Day.” But, in true giallo style, “Demon 79” doesn’t shy away from the violent aspects of its story. When Nida kills a murderer with a hammer to the head, she bashes him five or six times and there’s a huge spurt of crimson blood on every swing. The violence in “Demon 79” is hauntingly beautiful.
The Perfect Season Finale
“Demon 79” was the perfect episode to end the season on. Not only is it one of the strongest installments; it also has a surprisingly uplifting endingfor aBlack Mirrorepisode. It’s not a happy ending by any means – the world is wiped out by nuclear war – but at least Nida is okay and her friendship with Gaap is restored. Most of the episodes in this season have had a truly horrific and devastating ending, like the remorseful suicide at the end of “Loch Henry” and the family massacre at the end of “Beyond the Sea,” but in spite of its apocalyptic stakes, “Demon 79” ends on more of a bittersweet note.
With its grainy visuals, unsettling music, and unbridled depiction of graphic violence, “Demon 79” is one of the most classically horror-styledBlack Mirrorepisodes. And thanks to the electric on-screen chemistry shared by Vasan and Essiedu, it also has two of the most lovable characters in theBlack Mirroruniverse. Season 6 is pretty hit-and-miss, with some great episodes and some lackluster ones, but “Demon 79” will likely go down as a classic.
