Midwestern Gothic

There are few shows that come into existence that become worthy enough for me to rattle on about on this little ole website. As I did with Flight of the Conchords (and yes, I’m thanking myself for getting the word out there and making the show the hit that it was), I’m here to preach about a show so additively funny that it warrants an entire post. The show in question: Garth Merenghi’s Darkplace.

Basically, the show’s premise is that Garth Merenghi, a horror-writer who believes that he has a cult status (although, this is questionable), has finally managed to unseal and show to the public for the very first time a short-lived drama (think of it as a phantasm-filled A-Team) that focuses on Dr. Rick Dagless, MD who works at Darkplace Hospital - a place that sits on the gates of hell. Sound campy? It is. There’s also his partner in crime Dr. Lucien Sanchez, his book publisher-turned-actor Dean Learner, and the sometimes-psychic Dr. Liz Asher who usually ends up being the butt of everyone’s jokes.

Now, why is this show so great? For starters, the layers. This whole thing was filmed in 2004 and stars veteran British comedians Matthew Holness and Richard Ayoade. The fact that you have these real British thesps playing pompous B-list celebrities who in turn play flaky, see-through characters on a sub-par television show makes it just seem that much more real. And seriously…it really does feel like it was made in the 80s. Check out the intro:

See what I mean? Now, there were only six episodes made and each one has Rick and the gang checking out spooks and evil happenings in/around Darkplace (permeated with horrible acting and even worse special effects). Oh, and at the beginning and end and during a few interrupted moments, the “cast” of Darkplace are interviewed and give their takes on the legacy of the show and what it means today.

As of now, you can’t buy the DVD in the States, but thanks to the glory that is YouTube, you can watch every episode in three pieces. And just to make things easy for you, here’s the whole of episode 2, entitled “Hell Hath Fury”:

Do yourselves a favor and check the rest of em out. Cripes, if you have nothing to do at work (ahem), sit back and put on your headphones and just enjoy. Trust me, it will make you laugh.

Here’s the link to the Wikipedia page, or check out the “official” Garth Merenghi website right here.

Ciao.