... Garth Marenghi's Darkplace was a comedy series shown on Channel 4 in 2004. Created by Matthew Holness and Richard Ayoade, it's quite simply a parody of a so-called horror drama, based on the writings of the character Garth Marenghi - a 'horror writer', played by Holness.
Set in the mid-80's, ... Read review
When the Hellmouth opens beneath Darkplace Hospital in downtown Romford, kiddy doctor, ... more
Vietnam veteran and ex-warlock Dr. Rick Dagless M.D. (Garth Marenghi) is the only man who can close it.Joined by best buddy Dr. Lucien Sanchez (Todd Rivers), fiery h...
From the best-selling master of darkness... Celebrated horror genius Garth Marenghi ... more
introduces his long-lost television project: a haunting medical drama set in Romford. The best-selling writer is already known to hundreds as the creative force behind such classic chillers as The Ooze (can water die?) Afterbirth (a mutated placenta attacks Bristol) and Black Fang (rats learn to drive). Darkplace was originally filmed in the 1980s and has since earned a cult reputation as one of the most terrifying and radical television programmes ever made. Even now Garth warns that the show which he describes as an effort to radicalise men's minds may prove 'too subversive too dangerous too damn scary'.
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Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Production Year: 1997 - Drama - Director: Ronan O'Leary - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: James Spader, Anne Brochet, Barry McGovern, Anna Massey
Advantages: Genius comedy Disadvantages: Not watched by enough
Greetings traveller. Garth Marenghi's Darkplace was a comedy series shown on Channel 4 in 2004. Created by Matthew Holness and Richard Ayoade, it's quite simply a parody of a so-called horror drama, based on the writings of the character Garth Marenghi - a 'horror writer', played by Holness.
Set in the mid-80's, and based in Darkplace hospital in Romford, it evolves around Dr Rick Dagless M.D - played by Garth Marenghi (who, remember, ... ...the mood……
Garth Marenghi: I'm one of the few people you'll meet who've written more books than they have read.
Garth Merenghi: I have never exploded. But, I know what it would be like. Don't ask me how, I just know. I've always, just known.
Dean Learner: She was like a candle in the wind... unreliable.
Thorton Reed: I've been there hombre, when I heard my wife died I could barely finish ... more
Greetings traveller. Garth Marenghi's Darkplace was a comedy series shown on Channel 4 in 2004. Created by Matthew Holness and Richard Ayoade, it's quite simply a parody of a so-called horror drama, based on the writings of the character Garth Marenghi - a 'horror writer', played by Holness.
Set in the mid-80's, and based in Darkplace hospital in Romford, it evolves around Dr Rick Dagless M.D - played by Garth Marenghi (who, remember, is played by Holness!!) who has to fight of the forces of darkness, whilst coping with the day-to-day admin of running a hospital. As well as Dagless, the other main characters include Thorton Reed, played by Ayoade, Dr Lucien Sanchez played by Matt Berry, and Madeline Wool, played by Alice Lowe.
Each episode includes 'commentary' from Marenghi and Dean Learner, played by Ayoade, as well as the actor Todd Rivers played by Matt Berry. They in turn lavish praise on the programme, making it seem like the best programme…well, ever.
Before I go further, you MUST remember this is a parody - the comedy comes from the incredibly wooden acting, poor special effects, and cheesy script. The following text is more or less taking the p**s, so-to-speak. This ladies and gentlemen, is Darkplace.
The first episode "Once Upon A Beginning" is based around the arrival of Madeline Wool, who is supposedly psycic, and her believing that something bad is about to happen. She's right - the gates of hell open up in Darkplace - with one of Dagless' closest friends spontaneously combusting as a result. A gun fight ensues - a common feature of the programme - taking the preverbial out of other genres.
"Hell Hath Fury" is about objects coming to life, through the power of telekinetic abilites, and this endangers everyone in Darkplace. The hunt is on to find out who exactly is causing this chaos. In results in Dagless scrificing the life of the new temp-worker in order to find out!
"Skipper The Eyechild" is 'supposedly' about a metaphor of Marenghi not having a son of his own. As the title suggests, he fathers a giant eyeball, but it turn kills it…
Episode 4, entitled "The Apes Of Wrath" concerns everyone in Darkplace turning in apes, except Dagless and Reed. As everyone mysteriously turns into them, what can be causing it. To the viewer, it's exceedingly obvious it's the water supply, considering it's bright green, but as the character Marenghi, Matt Holness uses the comedy of making things far too obvious and pointing them out, just to ensure the viewer understands…were this to be a real-horror drama, rather that a comedy.
"Scotch Mist" is all about a strange mist that falls upon Darkplace, filling the surrounding the area with undeed 'Scotchmen', all after revenge of Dagless after he said "some pretty nasty things."
And finally, episode 6 - "The Creeping Moss From The Shores Of Shuggoth" - a curious green gas threatens to turn everyone into broccoli, specifically a woman that Sanchez has just fallen in love with. This episode includes the now infamous amongst Darkplace fans "One Track Lover" song by Dr Sanchez. Download it now!!
So then, here's a few choice quotes from the series to get you all in the mood……
Garth Marenghi: I'm one of the few people you'll meet who've written more books than they have read.
Garth Merenghi: I have never exploded. But, I know what it would be like. Don't ask me how, I just know. I've always, just known.
Dean Learner: She was like a candle in the wind... unreliable.
Thorton Reed: I've been there hombre, when I heard my wife died I could barely finish my lunch.
Marenghi: Everybody has a skill. Mine's a good writer, actor, director, painter…other people are good plumbers, that's their skill.
Learner: I had a cat once, I dropped a sofa on it, it was a write-off, so I stood on its head.
Answerphone: Och…kill…Dagless…mon Dagless: What does it mean? Dr. Sanchez: Well I know "mon" means man, but I don't think "Och" means anything.
Marenghi: The broccoli symbolised AIDS, and back then the only people to touch the subject were us, and Princess Di.
Marenghi: As a horror writer I don't ask for much. I just hope I've changed the way you think about life.
Excellent, and I'll stop there before I get too carried away! Now, the DVD was released over two-and-a-half years after the show was aired on Channel 4, and for a long time it looked as if it never would be released, partly due to the poor viewing figures when it was showed the first time around - not due to lack of popularity, but due to a lack of publicity on the channel's behalf. The programme now has a massive fanbase, and is quickly becoming one of those 'cult' programmes. Reportedly, Holness and Ayoade have been commissioned by FilmFour to write a film based on Garth Marenghi's Darkplace…. watch this space!
The extras on the DVD include the mandatory stuff such as commentary, deleted scenes and photos. But also, and more importantly, contains a full version of the "One Track Lover" song that I've mentioned already...comedy gold!
You can pick the DVD up on Amazon for £11.98 - now that's gotta be worth a watch if you ask me! This really is genius comedy. It's so different to anything else out there - it's clever, yet almost slapstick at the same time. Watch this today...you'll be impressed.
Advantages: Incredibly funny, brilliantly edited and great performances Disadvantages: they only made one series!
Garth Marengi's Darkplace is an excellent and inventive spoof 80s low-budget sci-fi/horror medical drama (!) set in 'Darkplace Hospital', and comes across like a cross between the X-Files and Police squad. Each episode is introduced by Garth Marengi himself- a Steven King-styled maverick horror writer and creator of truly abysmal bargain basement shockers who "wrote, directed and starred in" Darkplace. Following a reading from one of the author's ... ...we see a collage of Garth as Dr Rick Dagless MD, juggling his duties as doctor with his sworn duty to save Darkplace from the occult terrors lurking within, accompanied by a fantastically cheesy Goblin-esque synth-heavy intro theme. Dagless is aided by lothario-surgeon Dr Lucian Sanchez, an expert fencing instructor and masseuse, and the only surgeon allowed to drive a motorbike on the ward, aka smooth 80s actor Todd Rivers, (aka the brilliant Matt ...
Burning_Darkness 12.06.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Garth Marenghi's Darkplace (DVD)
Advantages: Nostalgic, original. One for comedy boffins. Disadvantages: May be a one trick pony.
...and Perrier award winner with Garth Marenghi's Netherhead a prequel that grabbed the award a couple of years ago. He plays Dr Rick Dagless MD/Garth Marenghi in the spoof show.
Darkplace is a mock television show that was supposedly made in the 80's by horror author Garth Marenghi and his publicist Dean Learner. It is based around Darkplace hospital (not unlike Steven King's Kingdom Hospital with its spooky goings on) where Warlock, Vietnam Veteran ... ...work around the hospital. Garth Marenghi played Dr Dagless and reminisces about his time on the show through candid comic interviews which suggest that it was made on a tight budget and was just too horrific to be shown at that time. The wild partying of the stars led to the downfall and ultimate axe of the show in Peru, the only country where it had previously been aired.
So clever is he that he does manage to entwine every comedy of aspect within ...
Theworker 06.01.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Garth Marenghi's Darkplace (DVD)
Advantages: Really outrageously funny... Disadvantages: ...but thats a matter of opinion
...are less spiritualy minded.
Garth Marenghi's Darkplace is an action horror thriller epic television series origialy filmed in the 80s, but was considered by the powers at be simply too powerful, too controversial, too downright scary to ever show on European shores and has since been locked deep in Garth's own vaults. Now unleashed upon the unsuspecting minds of the British masses, interspersed with interviews from the supporting cast and the dream ... ...in a hospital in which Garth himself opened the gates to hell, it quickly goes about its business of mocking all things 80s - including sexism, hair and special effects among its repertoire.
In the interests of my sanity, and those of avoiding hypocrisy (i hate long reviews), i shal say that it would be wise to watch an episode or two on youtube before you commit yourself to buying the DVDs. ...
CombiChrist 22.10.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Garth Marenghi's Darkplace (DVD)
Advantages: Always cheers you up when your bored! Disadvantages: There should be more episodes!!
If others arnt familiar with Garth Marenghi's darkplace, if they are fans of comedies "The IT crowd" and "The mighty boosh" they will definitly like this, not only because it stars some of the actors of those comedy series but because it is a mix up of each, only with Garth Marenghi's special touch and lets be honest, amazing accent! If you are a fan of 70's/80's horrors such as evil dead, you will like this, only its much better and comes in 6 different ...
carrie5454 11.08.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Garth Marenghi's Darkplace (DVD)
Advantages: Everything Disadvantages: Only got one series
...Each episode starts with garth merenghi explaining why the show got cut and how it was way ahead of its time with moral issues that people werent prepared to listen to at that time.
The DVD also offers a few dvd extras. There not great extras, things like commentry, deleted scenes, pictures of the actors and there is also the full version of the song "one track lover" that appears in the show.
It is a great great dvd and i would and did pay up ...
themike777 30.03.2007 (22.06.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Garth Marenghi's Darkplace (DVD)
This spoof series invites you to see a 'long lost' 1980s TV chiller from acclaimed novelist, Garth Marenghi. With hammy acting and ridiculously shoddy filmmaking technique, GARTH MARENGHI'S DARKPLACE makes for seriously funny viewing.
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