In Search of Darkness Review (Film, 2019) #31DaysOfHorror
content warning: foul language, blood, gore
In Search of Darkness is a massive documentary film about horror films in the 1980s. This is the decade that redefined horror’s role in mainstream pop culture. The massive success of the genre onscreen and on video turned the genre of the drive-in double feature into mainstream pop culture.
David A Weiner’s documentary is overwhelming in the best way possible. The film is over four hours of actors, directors, writers, critics, researchers, producers, etc. talking you year by year through the history of the horror genre. It goes into the cultural aspect, artistic aspect, and entertainment aspect of the genre.
It is a standard talking head documentary. The narrative is told through interviews, reference images, and excerpts of films. They talk about their own experience working in horror, good and bad.
The greatest strength is its greatest weakness. This film is filled with information. You will learn something new from this. However, this film jumps from topic to topic constantly. They talk about one film, then the next, then the next, then the next, a seemingly unending conveyor belt of horror films. Even someone like me, who has seen thousands of horror films in my life, is surprised by the sheer quantity of films discussed in such great detail.
This does make it quite noticeable when a film does not get the same level of attention in the documentary. From my perspective, if it’s a film I hadn’t heard of don’t remember a lot about, the segment won’t last long. These films are acknowledged, but not focused on like the titles you’d expect in a documentary about 1980s horror. They break up the rhythm before the next big dive into a film.
In Search of Darkness is an education in a specific point and time in horror history. The 1980s are so packed with new horror films that had a massive influence on the genre. The interview subjects speak with authority and enthusiasm for the genre.
Let me put it this way. If I was teaching a course on horror, I’d screen excerpts of this film as part of the curriculum. The information is great. It’s well-researched and flows together nicely. The biggest strike against it is the running time, but that’s not a bad thing if you have the time to watch it. Horror fans won’t be disappointed.
In Search of Darkness is streaming on Shudder.
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