USA Network

USA Network

Warning: This piece contains minor spoilers for this week's episode of Mr. Robot, episode four of season two.

Mr. Robot rightfully gains a lot of attention for its obsession with detail. The show employs outside consultants to make sure things like its portrayal of the FBI or the bits of code flashing across the screen adhere as closely to reality as possible. As NPR TV Critic Eric Deggans told Ars ahead of the season two premiere, the show simply “gives viewers the feeling everything is grounded in reality… Because they get the details right, the average viewer—and 80 percent of the viewers may not know the computer stuff—can watch it and it feels right. And when the show has to do something that’s unrealistic, this makes it that much easier to buy it.”

It turns out this granular focus extends beyond the show's depiction of technology, hacking, or any of the related real-world news—it includes video, too. Last night's episode (S2E4, "init1.asec") opened with a flashback to Elliot Alderson and his sister Darlene watching a digital copy of one of their favorite childhood VHS tapes. Plot-wise, the sequence revealed a minor detail as it flushed out the origin story of the fsociety hacker mask. But that low impact didn't stop show creator Sam Esmail from ensuring this VHS film became fully realized.

Today, USA released the VHS—The Careful Massacre of the Bourgeoisie—online as a sub-10 minute film. Entertainment Weekly reports series staff writer/producer Adam Penn lovingly created this era-appropriate Easter egg, and a quick viewing will ring true for any fan of 1980s b-horror films. For a quick plot synopsis of this NSFW gem:

Rich, bratty siblings BROTHER and Ashley are prepping their New Year's party. BROTHER, however, refuses to take off the "un-chic" mask of his father, a prop dad used to where on his yacht... the one where Uncle Conrad once committed suicide after losing the family business. Despite having plenty of booze and some illicit drugs (an “infinite supply of pure Colombian boca sugar”) no one seems to be showing up... though Ashley and BROTHER quickly discover they aren't alone.

Like Mr. Robot at-large, Penn does well to incorporate small details here to make the film feel real. There are VHS screen artifacts and cringe-worthy dialogue phrases (“sweater pups,” eh?). The most fun moments come from familiar horror tropes such as the killer showing up in someone's reflection, a noticeable dummy stand-in for a recently deceased victim, and cheap nudity while fleeing an attacker.

As former Grantland TV critic Andy Greenwald told us for this week's Decrypted podcast, things like Bourgeoisie shows how in command show creator Sam Esmail has been with S2. Even if the kinetic plot of S1 has slowed down this go-round, Mr. Robot's world continues to round itself out through increased roles for the supporting cast and bits of true humor to balance out all the brooding cybercrime. “[Esmail] essentially created a horror movie called the Slaughter of the Bourgeoisie or something, traced the mask to this, and has [Darlene and Elliot] watching this campy horror film," Greenwald said. "He knows what he’s doing, he knows the tropes he’s playing with, and I really enjoy the visual humor.”

Hear more from Andy Greenwald below on this week's episode of Decrypted, Ars Technica's Mr. Robot podcast. Listen or subscribe however you please below, and let us know what you think—thoughts, questions, criticisms, or your Leon Seinfeld review—through the comments section, on iTunes, or via e-mail.

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