The Cutprice Guignol

Well, after last week’s emotional annihilation, it only feels right we move towards something a little more familiar in Inside No. 9’s horrible wheelhouse.

Or, should I say, All’interno del Numero Nove (apologies offered to all Italian speakers in the audience), since this particular episode, Private View, is something straight out of a lost Giallo anthology. Following a group of seemingly-disparate guests who are invited to a private viewing of a new art installation by a deceased artist, it doesn’t take long for people to start getting picked off – in some of the most exceptionally gruesome ways the show has ever featured.

And, look, I don’t think this episode is exactly one I would hold up amongst the most challenging of Inside No. 9. I’ve heard from a few fans of the show I know in real life that it’s not one of their favourites, that it’s a bit too blunt, too simple, too daft, and I wouldn’t argue with that. But I am, at the end of the day, a whore for gore, and an outright slasher episode like this? It’s a special little treat, just for me, and you will not convince me otherwise.

Because it’s great fun to see a show like this take on one of my favourite genres, and to do it in a way that seems intent on paying homage to the classics, old and new, that define it. There’s no doubt that this episode is primarily inspired by Giallo movies, with the red lighting saturating practically every frame, the POV shots from the killer, the leather glove, the art world setting – it could be a lost Bava or Argento short, if it wasn’t for all the puns. But there’s also a few references to more modern slasher fiction here too, most notably my beloved Saw – the terminally ill killer murdering in elaborate traps from beyond the grave, the industrial-tinged setting, and, of course, that sickly green bathroom that serves as the backdrop for one of its most brutal kills. If you love slasher cinema, this is an episode designed to make you go “oh, is that…?” for the entire runtime, and I will never say no to that.

But, at the end of the day, this is an IN9 episode, which means it’s going to be packed with some deliciously dark humour, too. This is one of my single favourite ensembles of the show’s whole run, the standout for me being the fantastic Morgana Robinson as a Big Brother contestant with delusions of grandeur and Grazia covers, but Fiona Shaw, eventually revealed to be the killer, has a few enormously fun moments nodding to the eventual reveal (that little comment about being unable to keep her kids in one piece was delightful on a second watch) amidst her dithering dinner lady turn. There’s little subtlety in this character work (I mean, one of them is literally just called Kenneth Williams), but, given the slasher genre’s passion for a redshirt body count, I think it works, and the episode has fun leaning in to ridiculous stereotypes in the process.

And I really love the twist-on-a-twist at the end – Fiona Shaw giving it her best John Kramer as she reveals the gruesome truth behind her plans that evening, only for Shearsmith’s sleazy critic Maurice to escape and use her as the final part of the exhibit. It’s a fun riff on the critics truly wanting to be an artist gag, and an extra little twist on the notion of Maurice’s heartless character – metaphorically, luckily for him, instead of literally.

Private View is a gory, silly, and utterly slasher-centric way to close out the third season – another in the run of horror finales we’ve had thus far. I love it to death (pun intended), but I’d be really interested to hear where it stands for you in the grand Inside No. 9 rankings – let me know in the comments below!

If you liked this article and want to see more stuff like it, please check out the rest of my Inside No. 9 reviews. I’d also love it if you would check out my horrible short story collection, and, if you’d like to support my work, please consider supporting me on Patreon!

(header image via IMDB)