Every Inside No. 9 Twist Ranked
7. The Devil Of Christmas - It's A Snuff Film
Plot: A (not terribly good) 1970s Christmas-themed made-for-TV ghost story is shown, while the director (Derek Jacobi) provides a humorous audio commentary.
Many Inside No. 9 twists are pretty disturbing, but this one is genuinely the stuff of nightmares.
The Christmas horror story being a snuff film is already horrible enough, but since it's so completely unexpected - the few hints that are given are incredibly subtle and most of the episode is jovial and light-hearted - this ending reveal will harrow you to no end.
Frankly, this episode might be a bit too much for some viewers. It's arguable that the sight of the unfortunate victim (Jessica Raine) screaming as she realizes she's going to be murdered for real is the most disturbing moment in the show's history and that is saying something.
It's also a hard episode to rewatch since, when you know what's coming, the whole thing is seriously unsettling.
This shouldn't be misread as criticism though. It's a fantastic shocker of an ending that makes this an exceptionally effective horror story, and it's harrowing without feeling gratuitous (it cuts before the final kill), so this is a nasty ending done brilliantly.