The Buffy the Vampire Slayer comparisons are hard to avoid with Crazyhead (E4, Wednesday) and, thankfully, both shows appear to be of the same calibre.
Amy (Cara Theobold) is freshly off medication for hallucinations when she meets Raquel (Susan Wokoma), an established demon hunter (or hell bitch, as she prefers), who helps her realise that her hallucinations are actually a gift, a gift to fight evil. Not unlike the 'Normal Again' episode of Buffy, where Buffy's life as a slayer are the wild fantasies of a mental health facility resident, our two protagonists are in and out of psychiatric treatment and they routinely have to examine and evaluate reality. And their reality, unfortunately, has demons. Lots of them. And the Big Bad (that's villain in Buffy speak) just so happens to be a leading psychiatrist. Balls.
Created and written by Misfits creator Howard Overman, Crazyhead's humour is blunt and distinctly British. The fear factor is mildly gorey, sort of like Shaun of the Dead, so you won't be sleeping with the light on for weeks on end. The first episode is a great introduction to our hell bitches, with Raquel delivering sage demon-tracking advice like "If the guy is possessed, his semen is cold", and Amy bravely stepping into her new role when she has to piss on her possessed best friend. If you didn't guess it, this show is also about friendship.
The gags come thick and fast in this horror romp and you are immediately rooting for Amy and Raquel as they face the world and underworld together as soon-to-be best friends. It’s a simple set up and the pace of the first episode hints that there’s room for long and clever story arcs to develop over time, hopefully leading to a fleshed out, entertaining first season.
