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Psychoville
Conceived by Reece Shearsmith and Steve
Pemberton (The League of Gentlemen) and directed by Matt Lipsey (Little
Britain), this 2009 British comedy series boasts a pristine comedy
pedigree.
Featuring a cast of madcap grotesques that
strongly bring to mind the comedic creations of Matt Lucas and David
Walliams and incorporating surrealist elements reminiscent of The
Mighty Boosh, series one of Psychoville at times wears its
influences on its blood-spattered sleeve, but over the course of its
seven episodes ultimately manages to stand on its own merits.
By turns dark, weird and uproariously
funny, the series charts the fortunes of six mentally unstable
characters residing in different parts of England. There’s Mr Jelly, a
foul-mouthed clown with a hook for a hand who ekes out a living
terrifying children at birthday parties; Oscar Lomax, a blind eccentric
millionaire who collects stuffed toys; David Sowerbutts, a murderous
man-child who lives with his equally bloodthirsty mother Maureen; Joy
Astin (Dawn French), a midwife who believes her rubber training doll is
a living breathing child; and Robert Greenspan (Jason Tompkins), a
lovelorn dwarf who refuses to accept his Snow White will never love
him.
Each of the six is being blackmailed by a
mysterious black-clad stranger, who delivers handwritten notes of an
increasingly sinister bent. As the series progresses (and the bodies
pile up) the link between each of the deranged protagonists becomes
clear, and all must come to terms with the haunting misdeeds of their
collective past.
Psychoville is a highly successful
black comedy as well as an arch whodunit. Ever so occasionally it feels
like a pastiche of shows that came before, and Shearsmith and
Pemberton’s characters sometimes come across like Little Britain
cast offs, but there’s more than enough humour, intrigue and mayhem to
compensate. Furthermore the writing is flawless and both French and
Tompkins inhabit their characters completely, lending a believably
psychotic air to the already unhinged proceedings. It’s great fun, and
yet another worthy entry into the every-expanding oeuvre of inventive,
genre-bending British comedies.
Complimenting the strength of the material,
the DVD release is a solid one. Each episode features funny and
incisive audio commentary from Shearsmith, Pemberton and Lipsey, and
also on offer are behind the scenes footage, cast and crew interviews, a
split screen ‘making of’ option on Episode Four and a photo gallery.
The picture has a filmic quality to it and there are certainly no
complaints about the excellent visuals, and though the soundtrack is a
2.0 it performs admirably, packing a wallop and infusing some of the
more Hitchcockian moments with a suitable mien of dread.
Psychoville is clearly a labour of
love, and it shows in every frame. Both a throwback to vintage noir and
a fresh, modern take on the mystery genre, this is one series guaranteed
to leave you wanting more. |
