In Search of Darkness

UK | 2019 | 260 minutes | Director: David A. Weiner

Compelling critical takes and insider tales of the Hollywood filmmaking experience drive ​In Search of Darkness​, a four-plus-hour documentary that delivers a unique perspective on the decade that gave rise to some of the horror genre’s greatest films and franchises — told by experts and the icons who influenced the modern landscape of genre cinema.

Tracking major theatrical releases, obscure titles and straight-to-video gems, ​In Search Of Darkness explores a multitude of ‘80s horror films in a year-by-year timeline alongside topics including groundbreaking practical effects; the home-video revolution; poster art and project marketing; creative and budgetary challenges; sound design and musical scores; the 3-D resurgence; heroes and villains; sex, nudity and “the final girl” controversy; and the pop-culture context of what fueled the genre and the ways it responded to the times. Filled with countless clips and entertaining moments, ​In Search Of Darkness​ is a nostalgia trip through a game-changing decade that that made a generation of horror fans believe in the impossible and features interviews with Tom Atkins, Doug Bradley, Joe Bob Briggs, Darcy the Mail Girl, Lori Cardille, John Carpenter, Nick Castle, Larry Cohen, Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Sean S. Cunningham, Joe Dante, Keith David, Katie Featherston, Mick Garris, Michael Gingold, Stuart Gordon, Andre Gower, Spencer Hickman, Kane Hodder, Tom Holland, Graham Humphreys, Brian Yuzna and many many more.

David A. Weiner is an American filmmaker, magazine editor, and journalist. He is a regular contributor to The Hollywood Reporter and LA Weekly, and is a former senior editor for Entertainment Tonight Online. He was the executive editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland from 2015 to 2016, which resulted in him winning the Rondo Hatton Award for Best Interview of the Year in 2015 (for his interview with Mel Brooks for the 40th anniversary of Young Frankenstein), as well as winning the award for Best Classic Magazine (for Famous Monsters of Filmland) two years in a row.