Inside No. 9 (TV Series) The Harrowing (2014) User Reviews

Shouting but no twist

[safenoe · 8/10 · 27 November 2020]

I enjoy watching Inside No. 9, mainly for the twist ending, and the first five episodes of season 1 didn't disappoint. But for some reason, The Harrowing, lacks that twist at the end which keeps us on the edge of our sofa. The ending was horrifying yes, but rather conventional still. But where was the twist?

Sean Buckley, who played Andras in The Harrowing, sadly passed away in 2016.

Good one but less of a twist ending

[jijogeorgealex-61308 · 6/10 · 2 December 2017]

i am really starting to like inside no.9 . from the first episode itself i was hooked to this series. and there were ups and downs as i went through this series.And coming to this episode i sincerely thought this one had a good atmosphere. but having watched it fully, i saw some wasted potential. other episodes , except last gasp, had cool twist but this one had a real potential for a jaw dropping twist but sadly they have wasted that potential and created an usual twist ending that we have all seen before

Overall this episode is good and has its moments but twist? no. is it good? yes of course my rating 6/10

The Harrowing

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 19 March 2020]

The finale of series one has less comedy and goes for creeps and gothic horror.

Schoolgirl Katy has been hired to house sit as siblings Hector (Reece Shearsmith) and Tabitha (Helen McCrory) go out for the evening to attend an event.

Left upstairs in the house is their bedridden older brother, Andras who is extremely disabled but supposedly he will not bother Katy.

After they depart Katy's schoolfriend Shell turns up. With no mobile phone signal, Katy feels uncomfortable in a house with paintings depicting hell. She then hears a bell ringing from upstairs.

Inside No 9 episodes usually depicts a twist and both the main writers starring in it.

Here Steve Pemberton is missing and I assumed he would be playing Andras. The twist actually happens part way through and it's not that Hector and Tabitha are creepy and eccentric.

The ending is straightforward and dark which is both satisfying in the context of the story and also frustrating.

Carry on Screaming

[eppingdrwho · 29 January 2020]

This story has comical elements reminiscent of Carry on Screaming within it. There are some fun characters and it's twee hammy vibe is sweet. A fun end to the first season.

Milk and Rusks

[norxilla · 7/10 · 7 March 2024]

The Harrowing comes from a love and appreciation of the gothic horror genre. It is campy and silly in places, but with a creeping sinister edge, delving into demonic territory. Tabitha is a wonderful character and Helen McCrory played her perfectly. The same can be said for Katy, played by Aimee-Ffion Edwards.

There are some brilliantly absurd moments and classic misunderstanding humour, especially when thrusting a gothic horror into the modern day. The grotesque, horror elements are faithfully done, without taking away from the comedy. The twist isn't as stark as previous episodes, it does foreshadow and sow seeds, but not always very well done and some jokes fall a bit flat for me. Nonetheless, it was a fun episode and shift towards more supernatural elements.

Mischief Makers

[southdavid · 9/10 · 2 July 2021]

My favourite episodes of "Inside Number 9" are always the ones that lean more heavily into the horror side that the show has, so "The Harrowing" is right up my alley.

A teenage girl, Katy (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) is hired to house sit for an eccentric couple, Tabitha (Helen McCrory) and her brother Hector (Reece Shearsmith). With it's freezing temperature and artwork depicting the various demonic scenes, Katy is feeling a touch intimidated, so is happy when her friend Michelle (Poppy Rush) joins her in the house. Tabitha and Hector have another brother, bed ridden upstairs and though she's been told that they won't hear from him, she's left confused as to what to do when the bell by the side of his bed begins to ring.

This first emotion caused by watching the episode again now is sadness, given that we've lost Helen McCrory who, as she always was, is wonderful as Tabitha. She threads the line of the character perfectly, the threat, the sadness all whilst being cordial to Katy. Shearsmith as her brother Hector is channelling the "Carry On" horror film, an aging suit and make up to make his face an unnatural colour. There is no Steve Pemberton in this one, mirroring Shearsmiths absence from the "Last Gasp" episode - I wonder if these two were filmed at the same time, to save the budget?

There are some laughs to be had but as I say, this leans into the horror elements. The ending I can see is divisive in the reviews. I'd say that's my favourite part of it, the twist is that there is no twist. No escape from their fates and it's all the better for that. Along with "Lip Service" this was my highlight of rewatching the first season.

Absolutely love it!

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 12 October 2018]

The Harrowing was without a doubt my favourite episode from the first series, it's sensationally dark, witty, and totally bonkers. You just know that as they were writing it they decided to go for all out horror, knowing no bounds, and it's plain to see that all involved enjoyed making it.

I wonder if the duo had the same appreciation for Helen McCrory as I have, she is one of the best actresses around, she gets a great part, and delivers in her own inimitable style. All involved are great. It's visually brilliant too, the camera work and special effects are terrific.

One of the most memorable, and one of the best. 10/10

Did I Miss Something?

[LCShackley · 2/10 · 4 November 2018]

I've been enjoying this show, which I didn't know existed until it popped up on the "Britbox" service recently.

The first five episodes of season one were enjoyable, each in its own way. This one started out like a lost "Night Gallery" episode (in fact, there are very strong parallels with the episodes "Cool Air" and "The Sin Eater."). As usual, the boys build up the suspense until we finally meet the monster upstairs. Creepy!

Then we get the horror twist and find out what's in store for our protagonist (the actress who played Sophie on "Detectorists"). And that's it. The last 10 minutes add nothing to the plot; no final twist, just a girl about to be attacked by a guy who looks like Gollum in a Depends. Very disappointing. I even ran the ending back again to make sure I hadn't missed something, but no. I hope season two picks up the pace again.

The weakest episode of the first season

[vali64 · 4/10 · 13 August 2020]

The budget was probably exceeded so this episode ended in a hurry. In fact, nothing remarkable happened in 30 minutes, except for a few sparks of humor, far from what we saw in the first 5 episodes. Nothing original, nothing to catch your eye, seems to have been made just for the pleasure of Pemberton & Shearsmith. It's a shame...

A nasty piece of work

[210west · 1/10 · 15 May 2021]

We watch as a virtuous schoolgirl is intimidated, then terrorized and betrayed, by the adults she trusted and by a girl she'd regarded as a friend. She is drugged, stripped to her underwear, and tied up to await some sort of final assault or ravishment by a malevolent being who's either a satanic demon or a hideously deformed old man (whom, out of kindness, she'd been attempting to help).

And that's how it ends.

It's not funny (though apparently some fans of the show found it chucklesome); it has no point to make except that evil (especially supernatural evil) often triumphs over ordinary well-intentioned mortals. It's thoroughly mean-spirited and ultimately rather pervy, and I wonder about people who find such exercises in sadism enjoyable.

Taking inspiration from the wrong places.

[GiraffeDoor · 5/10 · 27 March 2020]

The first season sadly ends rather weekly.

Just another of the generic horror movies I like to compare this favourably to. There's plenty of great horror (this show is only one example) but still...I am yet to see any remotely good scary movie that has a gerund for a title.

The action is enlivened by the parodic characters and its funny tone but the plot is stolen from a thousand bland haunted house pictures without any kind of freshness and parody just turns to derivation.