Rating: 3.5/5
Bright and raunchy, Crazyhead is Britain’s latest addition to the urban fantasy genre. It stars Cara Theobold as Amy, a mousy twenty-something bowling alley worker who is also a ‘seer’ of demons, and Susan Wokoma as the larger-than-life personality Raquel: a demon hunter delighted to find a friend with powers like her own. The two young women, whose personalities clash instantly, are thrown together into trouble as they exorcise flatmates, hide bodies in the woods, and stumble headlong into a demonic plot that threatens to doom humanity.
Written by Misfits creator Howard Overman, Crazyhead sells itself as a modern and diverse supernatural drama in the vein of Buffy. Crazyhead benefits from never doubting itself; the oft-goofy villains or awkward gags are delivered with sincerity. The same can be said for the characters; the main two were created by Overman as a direct response to the lack of powerful women in the genre. The actresses praise the depiction as something outside of ‘two-dimensional woman kicks ass’, as Theobold and Wokoma’s characters display emotional fortitude and earnesty so often overlooked in monster-of-the-week paranatural fiction. However undercutting this message is Amy’s coworker and friend, Jake. His entire storyline seems to be ‘follow Amy around and make her incredibly uncomfortable’. Amy’s ability to see demons has isolated her. Jake is one of her only friends, presumably because he believes he has a chance with her. When she runs to him for help, he makes passes at her, which the show frames as jokes. Ostensible comedy is about the extent of his character’s depth, but so often this comes in strangely homophobic or sexist quips. I was convinced that this Awful Friendzoned Baby would be condemned for being a creep, yet the last episode comes and goes and nothing happens.
Visually, Crazyhead is slick and compelling. Special credit goes to the opening credits sequence for setting a striking tone that carries through the rest of the episode (plus, Gin Wigmore sings the theme, which is neat).
While they have their flaws, Crazyhead and its diverse and compelling cast are a fun little jaunt through a tale of female friendship and family, while kicking vaguely-fascist-looking demon butt.