In the world of dark horror-comedies, few are more revered than Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace. The horror series achieved undercover fame as a cult classic, only to recently discover newfound life when it began streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

With a host of new fans praising the miniseries for its witty writing and clever performances, many fans are discovering some interesting parallels between the stars of Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace and another hit horror series streaming on Netflix: The Haunting of Bly Manor. Notably, one of the stars of Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace is now receiving acclaim for his work in the recent Netflix show. 

‘Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace’ is a cult classic comedy horror show

Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace is a horror-comedy miniseries that was first released in 2004. According to IMDb, the series is a parody of classic ’80s, horror films, complete with “poor production values, awful dialogue, and hilarious violence.”

A combination of parody documentary and old-school horror flick, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace was a labor of love for the production team, but when it was first released, it didn’t gain a lot of traction. The series, which focuses primarily on the exploits of a fictional horror author named Garth Marenghi, only ran for three months, from January through March 2004. 

According to PopTonic, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace has gained a lot of popularity in underground circles, becoming a cult classic in the decades since it was first released. Now that the series is widely available on Amazon Prime Video, new viewers are discovering the show and realizing that one fan-favorite actor had an important role in the making of Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace. 

What role did Matthew Holness have in ‘Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace’?

Holness might be well known to fans these days for his role in The Haunting of Bly Manor, but he had his first big brush with the horror genre in Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, according to IMDb. Holness, who was born in England in 1975, and was an award-winning comedy writer at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, not only starred as Dr. Rick Dagless/Garth Marenghi in the series, co-starring with Richard Ayoade, but he also served as the series co-creator and writer.

Holness helped to develop the character of Garth Marenghi in 2000 when he launched a stage show called Garth Marenghi’s Fright Knight. By the time Holness appeared in the TV series Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, he was closely connected to the character. 

Matthew Holness is making waves with his role in ‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’

In the years after Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace went off the air, Holness remained active in the entertainment industry, appearing in mainly BBC projects. However, in 2020, he had a headline-making role in the hit Netflix horror series The Haunting of Bly Manor. As Dominic Wingrave, Holness added a unique flair to the mystery show. As Bleeding Cool noted, the casting of Holness as Dominic helped to create an environment that is both distinctly British and American, blending UK elements with a show that would otherwise be designed specifically to appeal to American viewers. 

In addition to The Haunting of Bly Manor, Holness has acted in a variety of projects in recent years, including TV shows such as We Are Lady Parts and Year of the Rabbit. However, it has been a number of years since Holness has resurrected the character of Garth Marenghi. Perhaps, with the recent increased interest in the character, Holness will bring back the beloved fictional horror writer in some form.