The Harrowing

i am really starting to like inside no.9 . from the first episode itself i was hooked to this series. and there were ups and downs as i went through this series.And coming to this episode i sincerely thought this one had a good atmosphere. but having watched it fully, i saw some wasted potential. other episodes , except last gasp, had cool twist but this one had a real potential for a jaw dropping twist but sadly they have wasted that potential and created an usual twist ending that we have all seen before

Overall this episode is good and has its moments but twist? no. is it good? yes of course my rating 6/10

The Harrowing comes from a love and appreciation of the gothic horror genre. It is campy and silly in places, but with a creeping sinister edge, delving into demonic territory. Tabitha is a wonderful character and Helen McCrory played her perfectly. The same can be said for Katy, played by Aimee-Ffion Edwards.

There are some brilliantly absurd moments and classic misunderstanding humour, especially when thrusting a gothic horror into the modern day. The grotesque, horror elements are faithfully done, without taking away from the comedy. The twist isn't as stark as previous episodes, it does foreshadow and sow seeds, but not always very well done and some jokes fall a bit flat for me. Nonetheless, it was a fun episode and shift towards more supernatural elements.

The first season sadly ends rather weekly.

Just another of the generic horror movies I like to compare this favourably to. There's plenty of great horror (this show is only one example) but still...I am yet to see any remotely good scary movie that has a gerund for a title.

The action is enlivened by the parodic characters and its funny tone but the plot is stolen from a thousand bland haunted house pictures without any kind of freshness and parody just turns to derivation.

My favourite episodes of "Inside Number 9" are always the ones that lean more heavily into the horror side that the show has, so "The Harrowing" is right up my alley.

A teenage girl, Katy (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) is hired to house sit for an eccentric couple, Tabitha (Helen McCrory) and her brother Hector (Reece Shearsmith). With it's freezing temperature and artwork depicting the various demonic scenes, Katy is feeling a touch intimidated, so is happy when her friend Michelle (Poppy Rush) joins her in the house. Tabitha and Hector have another brother, bed ridden upstairs and though she's been told that they won't hear from him, she's left confused as to what to do when the bell by the side of his bed begins to ring.

This first emotion caused by watching the episode again now is sadness, given that we've lost Helen McCrory who, as she always was, is wonderful as Tabitha. She threads the line of the character perfectly, the threat, the sadness all whilst being cordial to Katy. Shearsmith as her brother Hector is channelling the "Carry On" horror film, an aging suit and make up to make his face an unnatural colour. There is no Steve Pemberton in this one, mirroring Shearsmiths absence from the "Last Gasp" episode - I wonder if these two were filmed at the same time, to save the budget?

There are some laughs to be had but as I say, this leans into the horror elements. The ending I can see is divisive in the reviews. I'd say that's my favourite part of it, the twist is that there is no twist. No escape from their fates and it's all the better for that. Along with "Lip Service" this was my highlight of rewatching the first season.

This story has comical elements reminiscent of Carry on Screaming within it. There are some fun characters and it's twee hammy vibe is sweet. A fun end to the first season.