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The new Amazon Prime series, Truth Seekers, finds a perfect balance of horror and comedy by creating genuinely scary situations that never falter into spoofs. At its core, Truth Seekers is a horror show and a love letter to the likes of the X-Files, but it also manages to conjure hordes of laughs through natural yet cheeky reactions of its well-rounded characters in the face of the strange and terrifying.
The Story Of Truth Seekers
Truth Seekers was created by Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, James Serafinowicz, and Nat Saunders. Frost stars as Gus Roberts, a broadband cable installer who lives with his father-in-law and runs a paranormal YouTube channel in his spare time (called Truth Seekers, of course).
In the first episode, Gus’s boss (played by Pegg) assigns him a new partner, Elton (Samson Kayo). He is an endearing young man but seems overtly fearful of the paranormal for some unknown reason. By the second installment, the two meet Astrid (Emma D’Arcy), who claims to be being chased by ghosts. The “Truth Seekers” are formed. As a trio, they experience several chilling encounters as the series unfolds, dropping only hints to the larger story at hand until it finally climaxes with a world-threatening conspiracy.
It’s only fitting that a show that is paying homage to the paranormal culminates epically. The thread of Gus’s wife’s death is finally pulled through when we find out that she was murdered to further an apocalyptic ritual. Elton’s past secrets come to light and explain his fears and reveal something special about his connection to the dead. The biggest twist comes with the revelation that Astrid is actually a ghost and doesn’t belong in the world of the living.
Truth Seekers starts like a comedic horror and slowly uses character development and narrative breadcrumbs to reveal an overarching story that climaxes into a suspenseful thrill ride.
Horror With A Side Of Comedy
Mixing horror and comedy is nothing new. Ghostbusters (1984) combined paranormal horror and comedy to make one of the most beloved movies of all time. More recently, Scream (1996) seamlessly blended the slasher genre with meta-humor to create a uniquely funny and genuinely scary film franchise. Despite the silliness of a Godzilla-sized marshmallow man in Ghostbusters or the self-aware dialogue explaining the “rules” to a horror movie in Scream, these movies respected the genres that influenced them. Truth Seekers walks the same line by giving every horror scene its proper esteem, allowing the humor to come naturally from character reactions without ever seeming like a parody.
From the opening scene, Truth Seekers establishes that it’s a horror show at its core. Astrid is being haunted by a female ghost who must have met a fiery end. Her skin is charred from head to toe, some of it peeling off around her unwavering eyes as she hovers over Astrid in a creepy hospital. If that’s not a scary start, I don’t know what is. In the very next scene, Frost and Pegg use the established genre of horror for comedy. Gus’s introduction shows him alone (supposedly) in his house, working as something lurks in the shadows, unbeknownst to him. The music creates an ominous mood.
The tension grows. Suddenly, the soundtrack cuts and the camera pulls back to a more comfortable medium shot. It’s revealed to be Gus’s father-in-law, played expertly by Malcom McDowell, who is just trying to use the electronic stairlift. Truth Seekers continues this pattern of scary peaks, like Astrid’s hauntings, connected with comedic valleys, such as Richard’s (McDowell) constant desire for interaction.
A Comedy Of Characters
The humor is never over-the-top or slapstick like some other horror-comedy series such as Ash Vs. Evil Dead (2015-2018), which presents excessive gore and campy dialogue. It’s satire. It’s funny, it’s disgusting, but it’s never truly scary. Truth Seekers, however, manages to create a constant barrage of laughs while holding onto its horror roots.
The understated way in which the characters react to frightening situations is where the comedy shines. For example, Elton always has some vague yet important information related to the spooky thing they are dealing with. He always had worked at some obscure occupation from a veterinary receptionist to a tree surgeon when asked. By the fifth or sixth time Elton does this, there is no reaction from Astrid or Gus. The fact that he was a “cleaner in a war museum” is perfectly normal to them.
The overall cast of characters is another reason Truth Seekers is so effortlessly funny. Frost is perfect as the over-bearing paranormal investigator who, at one point, mistakes needing to drink “tepid wine” with “tepid urine” as part of a ritual. Naturally, he’s informed of his error just seconds after swigging his own “flavor.” Elton’s agoraphobic sister, Helen (Susan Wokoma), brings an eccentric charm to the show as she forms a touching friendship with Richard (McDowell), bonding over one of the most terrifying things there is in life: loneliness.
It’s easy to miss Helen’s triumphs in the series because of the way her character prompts empathetic laughter. She is introduced as someone who can’t even go a few doors down the street for essentials, like a plunger. She is a dedicated cosplay designer and make-up artist (yet another person with a YouTube channel), but for five years straight, she can never bring herself to get out of her van and go inside to the cosplay contest. That changes, in a way, and she finally gets the recognition that she desires without undermining the issue of mental health.
By the end of the season, Helen is risking her life to help those she cares about: Gus, Astrid, Elton, and Richard. It’s nice to see significance placed on how little victories can lead to larger ones, specifically how Truth Seekers presents Helen’s agoraphobia throughout the show.
What Can We Make Of Truth Seekers?
Overall, Truth Seekers presents some big ideas that are brilliantly condensed into eight half-hour episodes. Unlike some other streaming service originals, it’s tight and unburdened, which feel propped up by their big budgets or heavy-handed in their storytelling.
By blending a lighthearted, comedic undertone with horror, Frost and Pegg don’t overstay their welcome but instead, leave you wanting to tag along for more paranormal investigations with the fully formed Truth Seekers. And it looks like they intend to give us that opportunity based on the added twist at the very end. Don’t miss this fun paranormal horror now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.