Playtest

Imagine a VR (virtual reality) horror game that reads your subconsciousness and personalizes itself by adapting to your deepest fears, so real (because everything takes place in your head) that your mind is not capable of distinguishing it from reality.

"Playtest" is a psychological horror mindfak, set in the environment of a retro "haunted house". The futuristic but potentially realistic premise, charismatic characters, great acting and directing, and an atmosphere similar to Poe or Lovecraft, make it my favorite episode so far. And the plot twists, although unoriginal, are only seemingly predictable and managed to surprise me and leave me under a strong impression.

8,5/10.

"Playtest" shows a terrifying vision which could actually be a reality in the future. At its core, it's just a man walking around a house screaming a lot. But despite its deceptive simplicity, it becomes a lot more than that due to some disturbing twists.

The episode clearly appeals to gamers, apart from the video game theme there are some blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments (I saw Dark Souls 3 in Sonja's game collection). Although non-gamers will understand the terrifying concept, it would resonate more with gamers, especially those who have tried horror games with VR headsets. It touches on why people play horror games at all when they are, as the name hints, horrible, but the main point of the episode is to show how far VR could go. The twist in this episode is that Cooper has technology inserted into his brain to make him see things are aren't really there. This allows the technology to play with his mind and his senses.

Much of this episode is made up of Cooper walking around the house and while it is tense, and while the sole protagonist's acting is very good and while there is a tone of dark humour, the plot at first is simplistic and predictable.

The real twists come one-by-one near the end of the episode and the final twist changes everything, completely turning what you thought you understood was happening upside down. Brilliant, intense and a shocking ending.

Let me start by saying that I rarely find the need to write physical reviews for many things, but then again that doesn't even matter. There was no doubt in my mind that I needed to inform others about the sheer audacity of this amazing episode.

As a fan of Black Mirror, I was excited to start this season. The first episode was very well-executed and I'm not quite sure what I was going to expect for the second episode.

But let me tell you.

This is one of the most well-made, well-directed, well-acted, truly terrifying, most intense pieces of television/film that I have ever seen. And I've seen some pretty disturbing s***. Nothing compares to what I just witnessed with this episode. Everything was so expertly crafted, that it made the climax that much more satisfying. I don't even know how to begin to process this episode.

I am truly in awe of how much time, effort and dedication the creators put into this show, let alone this singular episode. It is clear that both the writers and directors of this show truly care about phenomenal filmmaking.

Also, shout out to Dan Trachtenberg for directing this episode. As a debut director with 10 Cloverfield Ln, he was a force to be reckoned with. With this entry of Black Mirror, he proves that he won't hold back. Excited to see more from him! Second shout out to Netflix, as the distributor for this season. You guys really know what people want to see!

As an avid horror fan, I've seen pretty much all there is to see from the horror/thriller genre, I say that proudly, however I would be inclined to say that this is the best piece of horror/thriller cinema I've ever seen. Charlie Brooker absolutely killed this episode, if you pardon the pun, and single-handedly managed to create a better horror text than thousands of famous horror writers before him. Kudos to Brooker and the Director for this phenomenal masterpiece!

Would you kindly watch this episode?

Such an amazingly inside video game reference! I'm surprised that no one else has pointed it out yet.

I'm sure that there are many other insider references that I may not have picked up on, but having the protagonist perform an action by requesting that he kindly open the door is so very satisfying.

Acting from all players is great, no issues here. And the Japanese that is used is actually pronounced very well, even from the non- Japanese actors (something that is still EXTREMELY rare in TV/Movies).

Every episode of Black Mirror is excellent, in my opinion. This one is no exception. Playtest leaves the viewer with a few questions and much food for thought; which is standard procedure for Black Mirror all around. Highly recommend all episodes, and this one simply for the Bioshock reference above. Brilliant!