‘In Search of Darkness’ Doc – An awesome and truly comprehensive Stroll Down Horror Lane (HF Review)

Oct 11
The HorrorFatale

Directed by: David A. Weiner
Runtime: 260 minutes
Our Rating: ★★★★


As the old saying goes they don’t make ‘em like they used to. While watching In Search of Darkness that phrase is exactly how I felt. Dare I say it? Is the 80s the Golden Age of Horror? Or, am I being overly nostalgic?

The epic documentary covers everything from a breakdown of some the greatest most well known and even some of the most obscure horror films of the 80s. Some I hate to admit I had actually forgotten. I’m looking at you The Society. No hockey mask is left unturned. Ok, I’ll stop.

Not only do we stroll down memory lane by simply watching clips, director David A. Weiner, offers four-hours of encyclopedic commentary offered by some serious icons.

The list includes:

John Carpenter (Halloween [1978], The Thing [1982]), Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator, From Beyond), Don Mancini (Child’s Play, Curse of Chucky), Cassandra Peterson (iconic horror host “Elvira, Mistress of the Dark”), Mick Garris (Critters 2, The Stand), Doug Bradley (Pinhead from the Hellraiser series), Sean S. Cunningham (producer, Friday the 13th [1980], the House series), Heather Langenkamp (A Nightmare on Elm Street, New Nightmare), Joe Dante (Gremlins, The Howling), Alex Winter (The Lost Boys, the Bill & Ted series), Bill Moseley (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, The Devil’s Rejects), Larry Cohen (The Stuff, It’s Alive), Caroline Williams (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Stepfather II), Keith David (The Thing [1982], They Live), Tom Atkins (The Fog, Halloween III: Season of the Witch), Kelli Maroney (Night of the Comet, Chopping Mall), Tom Holland (Fright Night, Child’s Play), Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator, Dolls), Kane Hodder (Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th series, the Hatchet franchise), Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator, House on Haunted Hill [1999]), Lori Cardille (Day of the Dead), Lloyd Kaufman (Troma Entertainment founder), Nick Castle (Michael Myers in Halloween [1978] and Halloween [2018]), Robbi Morgan (Friday the 13th [1980]), Andre Gower (The Monster Squad), Harry Manfredini (composer for the Friday the 13th series), Brian Yuzna (Society, Bride of Re-Animator), Ken Sagoes (A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master), and special effects legends Greg Nicotero (Evil Dead II, The Walking Dead), Mark Shostrom (A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, Evil Dead II) and Tom Woodruff, Jr. (The Monster Squad, Pumpkinhead).

Yes, wow.

They discuss every aspect of these films including: the look, the music and hallelujah they even address the over sexualization and exploitation of women in some of these movies. Again, I’m looking at you The Society. Although the film has a running time of four hours, you will never be bored and because the topics are so important to our beloved genre time passes quickly. In fact, I suspect you will be sitting down for a rewatch of Chopping Mall and Dolls after watching this documentary.

In Search of Darkness premiered at Beyond Fest 2019. The documentary was created and executive produced by Robin Block, founder of Creator VC, and produced by David A. Weiner, Jessica Dwyer, and Heather Wixson.

Fans of ‘80s horror can currently pre-order their copies of In Search of Darkness at https://80shorrordoc.com/ through midnight on Thursday, October 31st, and the documentary will be available on both Blu-ray and DVD formats. Everyone who pre-orders their copy of In Search of Darkness will also receive an exclusive poster, enamel pin and a digital download of the documentary, perfect for viewing anywhere! Orders will ship in November 2019, just in time for the holiday season.