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Red Iron Road is a bit of a loose name for the title. It translates to something along the lines of: Red Composition. Red Content. Though I figured it would be better than using the Russian text to which it would confuse everyone that came across the post. To summarise what this show is, it is a Russian answer to Netflix's 'Love, Death & Robots' anthology series, which was a massive hit around the world for its unique stories and varying animation styles that appeared throughout the different episodes. Streaming service Kinopoisk dominates the market in this part of the world, where Disney+ and Netflix are still yet to really enter and start contributing in the entertainment market, so it isn't much of a surprise that these services find what works in other areas of the world and pursues similar ideas. And lately I have been quite interested again in the simplicity of anthology series, the shows that offer bite-sized stories of around ten to twenty minutes in length and with varying production quality. If you saw Love, Death & Robots, you'd know that this series was a hit based on the fact that it was different. It offered different creative animation styles alongside interesting and engaging stories. With what's going in that area of the world right now, one might have a misconception regarding what Russian audiences like to watch, and how entertainment media actually pursues creating new things. If anything, the sanctions and disconnect from the west has merely encouraged the film industry to grow and become more independent, leading to newer creations in their domestic market.

Red Iron Road was an interesting sort of copy of something from the west, I admit. I couldn't help but make comparisons to the show from Netflix, almost feeling like maybe it wasn't all that fair. Though there are some glaring similarities in its structure. I found it to be a really engaging animated anthology series that found itself using many different unique animation styles with some really fun stories that mostly pertained to the world of horror. Some of which were stories that felt quite surprising coming from the Russian market, where perhaps the political situation is a bit troubled and the idea of freedom and free speech is tucked away in the minds of its citizens, rather than actively pursued and discussed in the open. But I enjoyed that most of the episodes didn't have any political commentary, some were stories from Russian authors, adapted a little bit and altered. It is worth mentioning that this can be watched without knowing anything about these stories, and that there are English subtitles as well as an English dubbing to the show; you don't need to know Russian, just perhaps access to the Eastern European service Kinopoisk which may not operate in most regions for obvious reasons. 

This post may feature the odd spoiler regarding some episodes, though I will attempt to avoid mentioning them. Read ahead at your own discretion. Though I doubt anyone else will watch this series as result of my post.

<center>**Red Iron Road**</center>

![Red.Iron.Road.S01.E02.2022.WEB-DL.1080p-0001.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/namiks/23u5xeXNTHDSdmpVYEeyVmY2xrXgLf1oEgaouvxjDbKPgxzhGBcxzJDJQLXdeRcK5urc1.png)

Like your typical anthology series, Red Iron Road is a series with animated episodes of short stories that are around ten minutes in length. Each episode has some elements of horror to it, making it a generally horror focused series. Each episode in the show has a different animation style to it, and this is something I really enjoyed about it, particularly in that each episode's style is vastly different, to the point where there's no real comparison to make between the episodes. There were some episodes that I found the animation was a bit weird to begin with, but gradually began to think that it actually suited the story quite well, in particular one was about a zone outside of the city, a place in which it is polluted to no end and considered a zone void of life and safety. A train now ventures through this area of the zone, and tours are slowly being conducted under the assumption that this area is now safe for travel. It isn't. Those invited onto the train don't know this, and one person in particular is warned to stay on the train for their own safety, to leave would be certain death. It had an interesting story on the idea of journalism, and what lengths one may go to succeed instead of telling the truth. Somewhat political, as the journalist pushes their ethics aside and blatantly lies to the public. 

Other episodes had some sort of dystopian horror aspects to them, one in which was focused on the idea of a tech dystopia, how people sell their freedom piece by piece for little luxuries in life. To the point in which to enter a certain area of a building one must have their identity scanned for approval. Leading to the point in which not participating meant total rejection from society and its basic necessities, even pertaining to health. It showed how those who reject are then victimised, that those who abide become slaves that exist purely to consume and sell more of their privacy. It showed a very Soviet era looking environment, which was interesting as it felt like a play on the Soviet era and even the present, as the future grows even more dystopian with the reliance on tech. A combination of the Soviet era dystopia through communism, and the totalitarian chaos that comes with technological developments. Other episodes were more focused on the horror. Fantasy stories on things coming back to life. Adaptations from Pushkin's stories. I'm not all that familiar with them, but it's a name that doesn't stop showing up in this part of the world, to the point in which it's almost impossible to not find yourself stumbling across something from him.

![Red.Iron.Road.S01.E04.2022.WEB-DL.1080p-0003.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/namiks/23tkoyVV8odHJbrCATkx1ZWKf6Q2DWH7AWRLvHFWVQMAt1HUQUJ5KirTay4mqCSC62CRV.png)

As is typical of an anthology series, they consider themselves tales of horror, though the horror elements are more of a thrilling aspect than modern horror. I wouldn't expect something that genuinely causes some discomfort and fear. I think I prefer this to what we consider horror these days. Less about the gore and the jumpscares, and more about the stories of horror elements. I made a first impressions post on the reboot of Creepshow yesterday, to which I think this show holds a few similarities, certainly some influence over the years due to the impact the show had. Red Iron Road has a lot of short stories that remind you of Halloween. Holding the various themes of the holiday without the intense elements of gore and going over the top in attempt to pursue shock value. This is the type of horror I enjoy; that more dated feeling to it. That isn't to say that some of the stories don't have those things, but they're used sparingly, much of the stories are more on the atmosphere, the build up of some sort of twist or big reveal that makes the story hold its weight. Focus on characters caught up in something much bigger than them, sometimes even just regular stories of ordinary people in some strange worlds.

I'd say this is a show that's definitely worth checking out. It's great fun and with some comparisons to existing creations to be made, it still stands on its own feet with its own inspirations and stories to pull from. Red Iron Road was a fun, refreshing look into the Russian idea of horror. It turns out, it isn't that different after all. There are some clear influences from prior films and shows, video games even. Some from the west, some from the east. Certain episodes even feel like they're heavily pulling from the likes of blockbuster titles from decades gone, like Mad Max. Pretty fun!

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