‘Haunting’ Black Mirror Thriller Set In The Scottish Highlands Hailed As One Of The Show’s Best And Most Underrated Episodes

A disturbing Black Mirror thriller set against the remote beauty of the Scottish Highlands has been hailed by viewers as one of the anthology series’ most underrated episodes — with some going as far as calling it the best the show has ever produced.

Loch Henry, the second episode of season six, arrived in 2023 and offers a very different kind of nightmare from the futuristic technology usually associated with Charlie Brooker’s acclaimed series.

Instead, the hour-long story follows two young filmmakers who arrive in a seemingly quiet Highland town to make an innocent documentary, only to uncover a horrifying piece of local history.

And the deeper they investigate, the more dangerous their project becomes.

An Innocent Documentary Takes A Sinister Turn

The episode centres on Davis McCardle, played by Samuel Blenkin, who brings his American girlfriend Pia, played by Myha’la Herrold, back to his hometown in Scotland.

Both are film students and initially intend to use the trip to make a nature documentary.

They stay with Davis’ mother while working on the project, surrounded by the beautiful but eerily empty landscape of the fictional town of Loch Henry.

Pia soon begins wondering why the area appears so deserted.

The answer changes their plans completely.

She discovers the town is associated with an infamous serial killer and the disappearance of a newlywed couple in the late 1990s.

Rather than continue with the nature documentary, Pia sees the disturbing case as a much stronger subject for their film.

She persuades Davis to investigate what happened and turn their project into a true-crime documentary.

For Davis, however, the story is painfully personal.

Davis Has A Tragic Connection To The Case

Davis is initially reluctant to revisit the murders because his late father, a police officer, was himself a victim of the killer.

Despite his reservations, the couple begin digging into the old case.

What initially appears to be an opportunity to tell a fascinating true-crime story gradually becomes something far more unsettling.

As Pia examines the history surrounding the murders, she begins to realise that there may be more to the case than either of them understood.

Eventually, she also becomes aware that they could be in danger.

From there, Loch Henry delivers the disturbing twists that have helped the episode earn such a strong reaction from viewers.

Scottish Highlands Provide The Chilling Backdrop

Although the town of Loch Henry is fictional, the episode was extensively filmed in Scotland.

Much of the production took place in Arrochar, a village in Argyll and Bute.

The remote setting plays a significant role in the episode’s atmosphere.

Sweeping Highland scenery surrounds Davis and Pia, but the beauty of the landscape sits uneasily alongside the increasingly sinister story they are uncovering.

The isolation also heightens the sense that something is wrong long before the full truth emerges.

Rather than creating fear through a futuristic setting, the episode turns an apparently peaceful rural community into the centre of its mystery.

Fans Left Stunned By The Ending

The episode has continued attracting praise from viewers years after its original release, particularly from people discovering it while working their way through newer seasons of Black Mirror.

Discussing the instalment on Reddit, one viewer admitted they had been completely unprepared for where the story would go.

“Loch Henry sounded interesting so I decided to give it a watch and holy s**t my jaw was on the floor,” they wrote.

They acknowledged that some viewers do not consider it a conventional Black Mirror story but added: “Loch Henry definitely makes the top tier for me.”

Another viewer described it simply as “an underrated ep,” while another said: “I love this episode.”

One fan was so affected by the story that they struggled to watch it again.

“Loch Henry became my favorite episode in the entire series,” they wrote. “I couldn’t rewatch it for weeks because it was so good, and so disturbing.”

Viewers Say The Story Keeps Sending Them The Wrong Way

Part of the episode’s appeal appears to be its ability to make audiences feel that something is wrong without allowing them to easily identify exactly what it is.

One viewer said they repeatedly believed they had worked out where the plot was heading, only to discover they were mistaken.

They wrote: “Of course it’s meant to give you the ‘meh something ain’t right here’ feeling but I couldn’t figure it out and I don’t think I’ve missed so many turns in any movie – kept getting it wrong.”

Another fan was even more enthusiastic about its major twist.

“It was amazing, best plot twist,” they wrote. “One of the best, if not THE best episode.”

The positive response is also reflected in the episode’s critical reception, with Loch Henry holding an 87 per cent score on Rotten Tomatoes.

A Black Mirror Episode That Feels Different

Black Mirror, created by Charlie Brooker, is a British science-fiction anthology series in which individual episodes tell separate stories with different characters and settings.

Many episodes are built around technology and its potentially disturbing consequences.

Loch Henry stands apart because its premise initially resembles a traditional true-crime thriller.

There is no need for an elaborate futuristic world.

Instead, the story finds its horror in a filmmaking project, a decades-old crime and the uncomfortable process of turning real suffering into entertainment.

That difference has divided some viewers over whether it feels like a typical Black Mirror episode, but for others it is precisely what makes the story so memorable.

One Hour That Becomes Increasingly Disturbing

The premise could hardly sound more straightforward.

Davis takes his girlfriend home.

They plan to make a documentary.

Pia discovers an old murder case.

Then they decide to investigate it.

But each new piece of information pushes the story somewhere darker, until the original filmmaking project bears little resemblance to what Davis and Pia thought they were creating.

For viewers who have yet to see it, much of the episode’s impact comes from not knowing exactly where those discoveries will lead.

That unpredictability has helped Loch Henry remain one of the most talked-about instalments of its season.

Three years after its release, viewers are still discovering the Scottish Highlands thriller and coming away stunned by its final revelations — with some convinced this disturbing, unconventional story deserves a place among the very best Black Mirror has ever made.