Black Mirror S6: Why is Demon 79 named Red Mirror?
NetflixWith the premiere of Black Mirror Season 6, fans might be wondering: why is Demon 79 is a Red Mirror film? Read on to find out.
After a long, tenuous four years of waiting, Netflix‘s smash hit meta series Black Mirror has finally returned for its sixth season.
The season consists of five episodes: ‘Joan is Terrible’, ‘Loch Henry’, ‘Beyond the Sea’, ‘Mazey Day’, and ‘Demon 79’. Each episode tells its own unique story that explores the themes of humanity, privacy invasion, obsession, and a whole lot more.
However, the one stand out episode from the season is its last: ‘Demon 79’. Unlike its counterparts, ‘Demon 79’ is titled as a Red Mirror film. But, what exactly is Red Mirror? We’ll explain, but first: Spoilers for ‘Demon 79‘ ahead!
Why is Red Mirror presenting Demon 79?
Red Mirror is the alternative title card for Black Mirror to indicate that the episode is outside of the sci-fi, tech-led realm.
In a conversation with the Radio Times, creator Charlie Brooker explained: “‘Demon 79’ opens with a ‘Red Mirror presents’ title sequence, marking it out as ‘different-from-yet-adjacent-to’ Black Mirror. This is because, typically, Black Mirror has focused on tech dystopias or media satire, whereas this story has a stronger supernatural element, harking back to 1970s horror. The episode is almost unclassifiable.”
As for whether we could see other Red Mirror episodes in the future, he said “possibly,” adding: “It depends what people make of it and how it gets received and this that and the other.”
‘Demon 79’ follows Nida, a shy sales assistant of Indian decent living in Northern England in the late 1970s. After being forced to eat lunch in the store’s basement, Nida finds a talisman with a creepy symbol on it, which she accidentally gets her blood on. It turns out that the talisman houses Gaap, a demon, who then appears in her apartment as the frontman of Boney M.
Gaap explains that Needa needs to kill three people or else the world will end in an apocalyptic nightmare. In order to find the “perfect” people to kill, Gaap uses his demonic powers to show Needa the horrifying things those around her have done, including murder, incest, domestic violence, and theft.
NetflixWhile Black Mirror has dabbled in these topics in previous episodes, the show has never truly gone head first into the supernatural and horror genres and the Red Mirror banner is Brooker’s way of taking certain episodes in a different direction.
Speaking to Tudum, Brooker explained his vision for the show, saying: “I’ve always felt that Black Mirror should feature stories that are entirely distinct from one another, and keep surprising people — and myself — or else what’s the point? It should be a series that can’t be easily defined, and can keep reinventing itself.”
He went to state that Season 6 “has familiar Black Mirror tropes” with a “few new elements, including some [he’s] previously sworn blind the show would never do, to stretch the parameters of what ‘a Black Mirror episode’ even is.”
It’s safe to say that fans will most likely see the Red Mirror banner pop up in the future as Brooker and his team continue to redefine what Black Mirror is and push its boundaries to the max.
Black Mirror Season 6 is now streaming on Netflix. You can check out our other coverage in the hubs below: