Holy Trinity of '80s Horror Docs!
That’s right! CreatorVC up and made the holy trinity of '80s horror documentaries, starting with their 2019 release of In Search of Darkness: A Journey Into Iconic '80s Horror, and ending with their 2022 release of In Search of Darkness III: The Final Journey Into '80s Horror.
Boasting an impressive runtime of 4 hours and 24 minutes, the first installment, written and directed by David Weiner, began as a crowdfunding campaign in 2018. Thanks to a dedicated horror community, the campaign reached its goal within mere days, and excitement grew as horror fans anticipated the film’s release. From its genesis, this project was carefully constructed with viewers in mind, and Weiner’s freshman horror doc delivered far more than fans had hoped for. The film was even made available in a variety of unique editions, with a few very cool personal narrators. I chose the Elvira edition, with special narrations from Cassandra Peterson. As a child of the 80s and a lifelong horror fan, I was hooked.
The second installment, In Search of Darkness II: The Journey Into '80s Horror Continues, was released in 2020. Again, it puffed its chest and flexed its quads, sporting a runtime of 4 hours and 23 minutes. I’m tellin’ you, people—these documentaries came to play, and where others cut corners and sleep on the job, this trio goes twelve rounds without calling “Uncle”.
Not to be outdone, In Search of Darkness III—the company’s last '80s installment—told its predecessor to hold its beer while it bench-pressed 5 hours and 41 minutes of pure, unadulterated horror. That’s right. Nearly six hours of bloody, '80s goodness. And for those not doing the math, this thunderous trio weighs in at a whopping 14 hours and 18 minutes of collective runtime. Thorough? I’d say so. Definitive? You bet your ass!
To say these documentaries are merely expansive would be an understatement. You’d be hard-pressed to think of a film not featured in the first and second installments. But for good measure, the third and final installment goes beyond the limits of commercial releases and dedicates itself to underrated, relatively unknown horror films of the '80s, providing the most well-versed fans with an educational and wildly entertaining lesson in straight-to-video horror releases of the decade. And if that’s not enough bloody fun for you, we contributing producers and fans had ample say in what films were featured in In Search of Darkness III. For many of us, we were the latchkey kids of broken homes and single mothers, and many hours home alone were spent in front of the boob tube, watching horror rentals we picked up from one of the various mom & pop video stores littered on every street corner. Several of those straight-to-video horror films found their way into our dark, twisted hearts. When it came time to vote, we spoke up.
One of this trilogy’s greatest attributes is its willingness to dissect America’s relationship with horror, and how deeply seeded stigma and fundamentalist teachings shaped not only the genre, but those who championed for its legitimacy within the entertainment industry. Horror has a fascinating place in history, and establishing its significance within society is paramount to understanding the human condition. Might sound like a bunch of gobbledygook for films featuring so much blood & guts, but horror is a reflection and representation of how human beings traverse and process fear, pain, and trauma. At its heart, horror proves cathartic—and at the very least, it’s a shit-ton of fun!
The '80s did something magical for filmmaking, and horror might have been its most fortunate recipient. The decade spawned radical, out-of-the-box practical effects that both amplified storytelling and blew the tube socks off every audience member. Where our parents were aghast at Hitchcock’s use of chocolate syrup and Romero’s slow-moving zombies, we were delighted by Carpenter’s stomach-gnashing jaws and Freddy’s dazzling use of television sets. Practical effects opened doors that had previously been shut, and innovation brought nightmares to fruition. We’re talking tangible, real-life monsters! We might laugh at many of the effects now, but movies were once made with tools-in-hand techniques, and horror was given life by way of animatronics, prosthetics, latex, food coloring, and lots of corn syrup. When our heroin ran from a monster, it wasn’t a man in a green suit, dotted with sensors and converted to film using million-dollar software. Our heroin was really running from a monster, and we ate it up like flies in a Porta-John. If you weren’t buying latex skin, fake blood, and pretending to be Tom Savini, what the hell were you doing with your life?
Don’t get me wrong. I’m a huge fan of our grandfathers of horror. Frank's Monster, Drac, Creature, and the Bride herself hold a very special place in my heart (and on the walls of my home). They were romantic and charming, oozing charisma in every frame. Most importantly, they broke our hearts and opened our minds to the idea that the monster wasn’t always the villain of the story. But despite my fondness for these beloved characters, they enchanted us more than they terrified us. It wasn’t until the breakdown of the nuclear family and the dismantling of the church that Americans demanded grit from their horror. We wanted our pain reflected in our films, portrayed in such a way that we might find a bit of catharsis. After all, if our heroine could overcome her villain, maybe we stood a chance, too. Leave it to Beaver left the building, and The Brady Bunch was for suckers. It was the 80s. Families were broken, society was further unravelling, and youth wanted representation. MTV put in a valiant effort, but it was horror that came in a held our hair back while we puked up our frustrations.
'80s horror holds a special place in the hearts of every hardcore horror fan. Its more than a collection of films released in a specific decade. It marked a change in cinema and a radical change in the way we consumed entertainment. We did it on our own terms, in our own homes, and with no regard for previously instituted societal norms. It was a great fucking time in the history of horror, and it’s the era that launched the genre into stratospheric heights. The 70s and 80s lit a fire under my little ass, as well, and with Michael, Damien, and Chucky came a love and fascination with horror that would define my life and career.
In Search of Darkness is more than just a collection of documentaries. Sure, they’re super well made, and they certainly feature some of the '80s most beloved horror icons, but fans adore this trilogy because of the content of its character. Weiner wrote a nostalgic love letter to every fan of the genre and every member of the horror community, and we’ve responded in the way only children of the '80s can: with gratitude, appreciation, and a sea of hand-horns held high.
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