Northern England, 1979. A meek sales assistant is told she must commit terrible acts to prevent disaster.

Beginning with the title ‘Red Mirror Presents’, we get our first look at the Black Mirror sub-brand which focuses on retro horror. The typeface is reminiscent of an early 70s Amicus movie, as indeed is the story.

It’s the late 70s and loner Nida (Anjana Vasan) is leading a humdrum life as a shoe assistant in a department store. Banished to the basement to eat her lunch (it’s too smelly and foreign for a bigoted co-worker) she discovers a talisman and awakens the demon inside.

The demon Gaap (Paapa Essiedu) looks like the male singer from Boney M and tells Nida she must kill three people, or the world will end. There’s plenty to choose from, as her world is populated by murderers and molesters.

It’s a strange tale, and probably plays out differently to how you might expect. But ultimately it feels a little too broadly drawn, with such reprehensible characters that it’s hard to feel any empathy.

Verdict: So-so horror story based on a classic tale. The acting and production design are great, but it’s nothing special. 6/10

Nick Joy