Garth Marenghi's Darkplace (2004)

Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace is a gleefully lo-fi cult spoof that presents itself as a “lost” 1980s horror/drama: a cheaply produced hospital series filmed in Romford and allegedly created by egotistical horror novelist Garth Marenghi. The show alternates between the campy, over-the-top episodes of Darkplace (complete with bad special effects, wooden acting, ridiculous dialogue and gratuitous violence) and present-day interviews with Marenghi and his smarmy publicist/co-star Dean Learner, who constantly inflate the show’s importance. The result is a layered parody — part pastiche of 80s TV, part mockumentary about creative vanity. If you watch it, expect to laugh at purposely terrible production values and laugh harder at the characters’ self-importance. The horror elements (gates of Hell beneath the hospital, surreal supernatural occurrences) are played for absurdity rather than scares, so the tone swings between black comedy and affectionate genre lampooning. The modern-day framing adds a meta level of humor: the creators’ breathless anecdotes and defensiveness highlight the series’ many plot holes, sexism and pretensions, turning cringe moments into comedic gold. Viewers will experience rapid-fire satire of horror clichés, shameless pastiche, and escalating surrealism — the show rewards those who enjoy smart, dry, sometimes mean-spirited comedy that mocks both genre tropes and artistic pomposity. It’s deliberately tasteless in places and not for those who want polished scares, but fans of absurdist, self-referential humor will find it a brilliant, laugh-out-loud send-up and a compact cult classic.

Actors: Richard Ayoade, Matt Berry, Matthew Holness

Genres: Comedy, Fantasy, Horror

8.5 /10 8.5 /10