Six new stories. Six new, chilling and terrifyingly life-like realities await in the third season of Black Mirror.
It’s due to boot online via Netflix on October 21 and as the release date draws near, two new featurettes have emerged, offering you the chance to peer into two of those six warped, futuristic scenarios. As executive producer Annabel Jones points out, the imminent batch of episodes – up to six over the regular three – retains Black Mirror‘s knack for presenting a reflection of our society in a way that is entertaining, yet deliciously dark.
Each episode is slightly exaggerated, of course, whether it’s introducing some far-flung technology or a toying with an unusual social norm. For a series that only comprises two three-episode seasons and a Christmas special, Black Mirror has a frightening ability to hit home and down below, you’ll see the ways in which “Nosedive” and “Playtest” will hook under your skin in two weeks’ time.
“Nosedive” An insecure office worker (Bryce Dallas Howard) lives in a world in which everyone obsessively ranks and rates every tiny social interaction. She thinks she finally may have found a way to rank alongside her friend (Alice Eve), who’s one of society’s elites. At first glance, this sounds like a classic Black Mirror setup — an existing tech element taken to a horrifying new extreme. But Brooker says it’s one of the most unusual episodes he’s done. “Each episode this season is a different genre; this one is a social satire,” Brooker says. “It’s got a creepy serenity to it and won’t be what people expect.”
“Playtest” Brooker was formerly a video game journalist and here he revisits that world: A thrill-seeking globetrotter (Wyatt Russell) visits Britain, hooks up with a woman (Hannah John-Kamen) and tests the latest in video game technology – “a device as mind-bendingly sophisticated as it is terrifying.” Directed by Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane), Brooker notes, “Dan is fantastic at creating suspenseful and tense mood; this is our Evil Dead 2.”
Halloween is right around the corner and that means scores of horror movies, TV shows and games will be clawing for your attention. But if you’ve experienced Black Mirror before, you’ll know Charlie Brooker’s prescient series can be more disturbing – and, by effect, linger in your head for longer – than almost anything else out there. That looks set to continue with season 3, and we can’t wait to dive into those warped Black Mirror realities on October 21.