MovieChat Forums > The Sender (1982) Discussion > Influence on Garth Marenghi's Darkplace?

Influence on Garth Marenghi's Darkplace?

posted 15 years ago by Sivey
4 replies | jump to latest

I couldn't help noticing that some of the stylistic elements and a few scenes reminded me a lot of the low-budget sci-fi/horror TV series spoof "Garth Marenghi's Darkplace" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0397150/

I'm thinking mainly of the more extreme 'horror' sequences like when they attempt to shock treat John Doe and people start flying about and we see close-ups of them screaming and such. "Darkplace" takes the piss out of this type of effect quite a lot but in quite an affectionate way I thought. Also the whole setting and premise is very similar to a darkplace episode.

Anyone seen it? Know what I'm talking about? Or shall I get my coat...

[–] gramtear2003 15 years ago

hey can you tell me why at the end of the movie when he was discharged from the mental hospital and he went inside his pick up truck and was ready to go when suddenly his mother IS RIGHT THERE SITTING BESIDE HIM????? why is his mother still with him????

[–] WarpedRecord 15 years ago

His mother is dead, but she continues to control him from the grave. She's not literally sitting beside him in the truck. He's continuing to receive orders from her telepathically. That's what makes this so chilling: It implies that he will wreak further havoc on the world now that he is free. Must not disobey mother!

[–] djsmokingjam 14 years ago

Or, it's a cheap "shock" ending imposed by the studio.

Give a thousand monkeys a thousand laptops and they'd all be writing their stupid opinions on IMDB.

[–] thetallships 14 years ago

I've seen both and I know what you're talking about, but I don't think it's a direct reference. I think it's just a pastiche of 80s horror tropes in general.

Although, a lot of the movie was filmed in England, so I guess there's a chance...I don't know how well-known it was in the UK at the time, so it's hard to say.