May 2014 *
What happens when best selling horror author, dreamweaver, visionary (plus actor), Garth Marenghi turns his power to terrify to the small screen in true auter fashion?
Darkplace. That's what happenes!
https://static.squarespace.com/static/5155e966e4b0fc0d9466068c/t/5320e9e7e4b0c16d0730ee9a/1394665961620/
Sadly, Marenghi's magnum opus was simply too terrifying to viewers to watch and retain their sanity, and he, and producer/publisher Dean Learner, we're cut off in their creative prime. Audiences (except for those who saw the small run in Peru) would have to wait over 20 years for the series to see the light of broadcast, complete with interviews from the key players.
So what is Darkplace?
Darkplace Hospital, Romford, is no ordinary hospital. It it home to the gates of hell (in the canteen), telekenetic rage and attacking office equipment, mutants, ghostly tartan mists, and space brocolli. But only one man can take this in his cowboy-booted stride, and fix it with his magnum .44. Dr Rick Dagless, MD (Marenghi).
Ever under the watchful gaze of Thornton Reed (Learner), the hospital's manager, Dagless must battle the forces of darkness, and be the world's most best surgeon, while raising money to complete the kiddie wing.
Rounding out the cast are Todd Rivers, as Dr Lucien Sanchez, Dagless' good buddy, and Madeline Wool as a... woman.
If you needed any reassuring of the horrificacity of Darkplace, here's a mutant eyeball raping a man...
No expense was spared on high calibre actors
special effects
and slow motion.
Darkplace is a must for any true horror fan.
At least that's what it appears to be.
Darkplace (2004) is, in fact, a comic masterpiece from Matthew Holness and Richard Ayoade. A perfect parody of preachy, pompous perversity. Garth Marenghi is part Stephen King, part Ramsey Campbell, part James Herbert and completely terrible. He is a comic misanthrope almost on par with Basil Fawlty, albeit in a very different mold. His fauxlosophic narrations, casual bigotry, and constant explanation of foreign words have endless comic possibilités - French for possibilities...
Coupled with this is the sub-plot of Dean Learner's apparent psychopthay, and, in the DVD extras Darkplace Illuminatum and Horrificata Illuminata, Todd Rivers (Matt Berry) alcoholism (and apparent fact that he's never actually watched the show).
There is also a loving devotion to all the bad soap operas, cheap horror series, and so on, and so many background jokes, that rewatches are mandatory - each new viewing uncovers a new, hilarious detail - particularly look out for the continuity, lip-synch, sound dubbing, and so on - and pay special attention to the music - there are a few recognisable horror influences in there.
It is a loveletter to trash, TV, pop-culture, and epic horror and so, belongs right here on Trash Epics.
The thoroughness of the homage, and the skill with which it has been put together are marvelous. Sadly, for TV channel related reasons, Darkplace only lasted for one 6-episode series, but perhaps that's for the best. I think more would simply spoil the joke. So enjoy it for what it is, and also seek out the spin off series "Man to Man with Dean Learner" from the same team.
Luckily for you, Darkplace is available in its entirity on YouTube.
So sit back, be it on your sofa, armchair or beanbag if that's how you choose to live your life. Dim the lights (or switch them off if you don’t have dimmers), put conventional logic to oneside and prepare yourself to enter the world of Garth Marenghi.
Enjoy. I say enjoy...
Darkplace. That's what happenes!
https://static.squarespace.com/static/5155e966e4b0fc0d9466068c/t/5320e9e7e4b0c16d0730ee9a/1394665961620/
Sadly, Marenghi's magnum opus was simply too terrifying to viewers to watch and retain their sanity, and he, and producer/publisher Dean Learner, we're cut off in their creative prime. Audiences (except for those who saw the small run in Peru) would have to wait over 20 years for the series to see the light of broadcast, complete with interviews from the key players.
So what is Darkplace?
Darkplace Hospital, Romford, is no ordinary hospital. It it home to the gates of hell (in the canteen), telekenetic rage and attacking office equipment, mutants, ghostly tartan mists, and space brocolli. But only one man can take this in his cowboy-booted stride, and fix it with his magnum .44. Dr Rick Dagless, MD (Marenghi).
Ever under the watchful gaze of Thornton Reed (Learner), the hospital's manager, Dagless must battle the forces of darkness, and be the world's most best surgeon, while raising money to complete the kiddie wing.
Rounding out the cast are Todd Rivers, as Dr Lucien Sanchez, Dagless' good buddy, and Madeline Wool as a... woman.
If you needed any reassuring of the horrificacity of Darkplace, here's a mutant eyeball raping a man...
No expense was spared on high calibre actors
special effects
and slow motion.
Darkplace is a must for any true horror fan.
At least that's what it appears to be.
Darkplace (2004) is, in fact, a comic masterpiece from Matthew Holness and Richard Ayoade. A perfect parody of preachy, pompous perversity. Garth Marenghi is part Stephen King, part Ramsey Campbell, part James Herbert and completely terrible. He is a comic misanthrope almost on par with Basil Fawlty, albeit in a very different mold. His fauxlosophic narrations, casual bigotry, and constant explanation of foreign words have endless comic possibilités - French for possibilities...
Coupled with this is the sub-plot of Dean Learner's apparent psychopthay, and, in the DVD extras Darkplace Illuminatum and Horrificata Illuminata, Todd Rivers (Matt Berry) alcoholism (and apparent fact that he's never actually watched the show).
There is also a loving devotion to all the bad soap operas, cheap horror series, and so on, and so many background jokes, that rewatches are mandatory - each new viewing uncovers a new, hilarious detail - particularly look out for the continuity, lip-synch, sound dubbing, and so on - and pay special attention to the music - there are a few recognisable horror influences in there.
It is a loveletter to trash, TV, pop-culture, and epic horror and so, belongs right here on Trash Epics.
The thoroughness of the homage, and the skill with which it has been put together are marvelous. Sadly, for TV channel related reasons, Darkplace only lasted for one 6-episode series, but perhaps that's for the best. I think more would simply spoil the joke. So enjoy it for what it is, and also seek out the spin off series "Man to Man with Dean Learner" from the same team.
Luckily for you, Darkplace is available in its entirity on YouTube.
So sit back, be it on your sofa, armchair or beanbag if that's how you choose to live your life. Dim the lights (or switch them off if you don’t have dimmers), put conventional logic to oneside and prepare yourself to enter the world of Garth Marenghi.
Enjoy. I say enjoy...
