Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Cast: Anjli Mohindra, James Bamford, Marc Warren, Mark Lewis Jones, Lu Corfield, Adjoa Andoh, Sam Swainsbury, Rosie Sheehy, Maeve Courtier-Lilley, Dylan Jones, Lloyd Meredith, Lauren Morais, Tuyen Do, Jim Kitson, Oliver Ryan, Aled ap Steffan, Wayne Cater, Connor Calland, Issey King, Andrew Dunn, Harry Hepple, Jill Halfpenny.
It is heartening to find that television executives are willing to still believe in the writing of those who see the world of the British Folk Horror as being at least commercially viable, if not an intriguing possibility to draw in the faithful viewer wanting to take a stab at seeing the world through eyes and other senses skewed by the cultural shift of expectations and rituals that we have dared to forget as we surge and flock to the great explanations supplied by the internet and intentional dismissal of all that once held sway against modern interpretation.
The Red King, created by the astounding mind of Toby Whitehouse, is a sublime reminder of how production houses such as Hammer House of Horror held sway over the imaginations of the public, how films such as The Wicker Man became cult classics, and which left fear in the minds of those fortunate enough to see it in the cinema half a century ago.
The six-part series delves into the crevices of manipulation, of the group isolation and the fear of the unknown incomer who may destroy the balance that has come from developing a system that is at odds with the narrative of the surrounding countries or communities. It is the peeling back of myopic understanding that surrounds such villages or islands that are closed off from a kind of civilisation for long periods of time, that the viewer comes to recognise just how close we all are to a kind of systematic madness, that if left unchecked, rituals can become monsters that require constant feeding.
The feeling of being unsettled is one that carves out a tremendous effect on the viewer’s heart, the mind feeling the effects of demonstrations of uncertainty as Sergeant Grace Narayan, played by the outstanding Anjli Mohindra, investigates the disappearance of an islander whilst she deals with the after effects of doing the correct thing when other officers over step the law, and when a fellow policeman decides to commit suicide in front of her; such is the fall out and resentment from certain quarters that the puzzle takes on a dimension of uncomfortable resolve, of inherent fear that comes with being an outsider in a community focused on their dogma.
With superb performances by Mark Lewis Jones, Adjoa Andoh, and Maeve Courtier-Lilley, The Red King is one of the most exciting and inherently focused dramas of its kind for a long time on British television, a resounding appreciation for Toby Whitehouse and his imagination, for the spirit in which he created this masterpiece of Folk Horror. Ian D. Hall