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Loch Henry is the second first episode of Black Mirror Season 6.
It’s 1983 and we get the delightful dulcet tones of KC & The Sunshine Band’s Give It Up.
Davis McCardle (Samuel Blenkin) and Pia (Myha’la Herrold) are a couple of young students, making a film in the picturesque Scottish highlands, and briefly stay over with the former’s mum, Janet (Monica Dolan), who like all right-thinking people, used to record a ton of stuff on VHS tape. On this occasion, it’s Bergerac, because she always used to fancy John Nettles. It’s all she’s got left after her policeman husband, and Davis’ Dad, was bumped off in the line of duty.
Our two leads meet up with old friend Stuart – who runs the sole pub in the town – and his eternally drunk Dad, Richard (John Hannah). However, trade is slim, because Iain Adair (Tom Crowhurst) lived nearby with his own mum and dad, but he was a murderer, and despite no longer being alive, himself, it’s tainted the area for tourism.
This all spurs Pia on to want to make their film about this, and where it all happened, but Davis is reluctant.
However, when the story came to reveal its hand, although I don’t like to try and guess these things in advance, it was the sort of outcome we’ve seen many times before in old-style Hammer Horror movies, so I was neither shocked, nor impressed. In fact, the episode was just lazy and derivative. Come on, Charlie Brooker, get someone else to write these!
Loch Henry is now available on Netflix.
Score: Lazy and derivative
Widescreen ratio: 2.00:1
Director: Sam Miller
Producer: Ali Marlow
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Music: Adam Janota-Bzowski
Cast:
Davis McCardle: Samuel Blenkin
Pia: Myha’la Herrold
Stuart King: Daniel Portman
Richard King: John Hannah
Janet McCardle: Monica Dolan
Kenneth: Gregor Firth
Kate Cezar: Ellie White
Iain Adair: Tom Crowhurst
Simon Challis: Scott Mooney
Dawn Challis: Beth Robb Adams
Reconstruction Dawn: Alisa Gashi
Award Presenter: Kirsty Wark
Actress: Weruche Opia
Doctor: Laura Cairns
Reporter: Marcella Whittingdale
Himself: Clive Myrie
His Own Actual Voice: Richard Ayoade
BAFTA After Party Guest: Ryan James Mack
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.