Written and created by BAFTA-award winner Howard Overman, best known for creating the sci-fi hit Misfits, Crazyhead is one of his lesser-known but entertaining works. While it is a six-part series with only one season, it is appealing due to its lustful and hilarious take on demon hunters, female friendships and supernatural romance.
Now available on Netflix, this British horror-comedy stars Cara Theobold (Ivy the kitchen maid on Downton Abbey) as Amy and Susan Wokoma (Helen on Truth Seekers) as Raquel, two best friends with the ability to see demons. These powers make them targets of supernatural forces, all while having to deal with the challenges of being a young adult. Crazyhead brings something new to the demon-slaying genre by mixing strong yet awkward female friendships, reminiscent of Grace and Frankie's friendship and shenanigans, with the horror of fighting against demons, as seen in Warrior Nun's battle against the spawns of hell.
Crazyhead Enjoys Parallels to Buffy and Misfits
The series shares some parallels with the iconic Buffy the Vampire Slayer, particularly with the character portrayals, as both feature young women with powers fighting the forces of evil. From here, Crazyhead takes a more comedic approach as the two friends, armed with knowledge from Wikipedia and weapons bought from eBay, try to figure things out for themselves. This leads them to fumble their way through demonic encounters, with Amy, in one instance, questioning whether she needs to relieve herself over her possessed friend, Suzanne, as part of an exorcism Raquel found online.
Fans of the Misfits series will find a similar style of comedy on this show, which is witty and self-aware. As Howard Overman did on Misfits and now on Crazyhead, the supernatural/sci-fi settings are used as a tool to explore the realities facing these young individuals. At first, Amy seeks help with her mental health as she keeps having hallucinations, but discovers that it ties back to her powers. While she doesn't have mental health problems, in the end, the series captures how isolating it can be for those who suffer from such conditions. This helps to bring mental health issues to the forefront, as Stranger Things did with Eleven and Max.
Crazyhead Subverts Supernatural Tropes
As mentioned previously, Crazyhead takes the well-used formula and tropes established by shows like Buffy and gives its own spin on them. Firstly, the series is based on the friendship between these two socially awkward and dysfunctional women. While they may seem like unlikely friends, with Raquel being loud and crass and Amy being cold and reserved, they bring out the best in each other. Unlike most paranormal shows that feature romance, the majority of which involve the love triangle trope, this trope is non-existent in the series. The present love interests neither take up much space nor are they unbalanced due to age disparities.
With Crazyhead, it is the love between friends that saves the day. At first, Raquel unknowingly dates a demon, who reveals himself in Season 1, Episode 6, "Beaver with a Chainsaw," with his betrayal fueling her emotional breakdown and telekinetic abilities, which open the gates of Hell. Amy convinces her that he is not worth it, and brings her back from this state. The breaking down of these tropes accompanied by the comedic chemistry between the two leads and the underrated value of the series suggests that Crazyhead has all the elements that make for a long-lived cult classic.
Crazyhead is now streaming on Netflix.