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The 1980’s exploded onto our screens in a veritable feast of blood, sweat, and chills. Madmen, killers, and evil spirits mingled with aliens, demons and cursed dolls; horrific images burnt directly onto our retinas and etched permanently into our brains.
And we loved it.
Hearts pounding, palms sweaty, muscles tense; that thrill of creeping dread was matched only by the satisfaction of knowing the person in the next seat was even more terrified.
It showed us how to confront the times we live in through a skewed mirror – all twisted angles and razor edges; ideas and visions so sharp they could almost cut you, twisting our everyday fears and giving them a face.
This was a time when greed was good and our bodies were no longer our friend. Cronenberg, Yuzna, Carpenter, Craven – all gave us the chance to see the horror within society and within ourselves.
Hysteria over AIDS transplanted body horror from the hospital onto our screens, while “Gordon Gecko” levels of excess and fears over rising violent crime met their match in increasingly over-the-top Slasher flics.
But this was a genre with more to offer than cheap scares, from Steven Miner’s comedy horror of ‘House’ to the daunting practical effects of Wes Craven’s ‘Serpent and the Rainbow’ one of the defining characteristics of 1980’s horror cinema was its sheer range and imagination when it came to examining our mortality.
For the first time, technology became the tool through which these ghouls could invade our homes, staring out at us from eye-popping VHS tapes, ready to scare us again and again at the touch of a button.
For many of us, this was our only option. The 1980’s saw many new releases banned from our local rental stores amidst protests and public outcry – but that didn’t stop us from sharing copies; grainy 3rd generation bootlegs that lost none of their ability to scare.
Gloved killers stared out at us from cool t-shirts, Fangoria reviews kept us hooked, and entire weekends were spent chasing our next scare through the dusty aisles of the local mom-and-pop VHS rental store – the '80s gave us exactly what we craved.
Join us as we descend once again to explore how an industry that grew from the minds of outsiders, punks, and rebellious teenagers became a cultural leviathan that left the rest of society SCREAMING foul murder.
For the first time in Horror history, “In Search of Darkness” will bring together '80s icons, modern horror greats, popular Youtubers and Social Media Influencers to create the most complete retrospective documentary of the genre ever made. Together, they will bring their unique perspectives as we take a nostalgic journey back to revisit the unforgettable heroes, monsters, and movies that thrilled and chilled us.
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Learn about the era from the perspective of the masters who frightened us, the directors of today who were inspired by them, and the new generation of social media influencers who have fallen in love with the genre.
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Hear from the actors, writers, directors, producers and composers who brought horror icons such as Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers and Pinhead to the screen as they discuss their work with the new breed of Horror cinema and some of their biggest fans.
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Delve into the imagery: the garish VHS covers and posters that seduced us and came to define the '80s aesthetic.
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Journey back to the socio/political context that inspired our favourite movies – fears of nuclear war, violent crime, and deadly diseases.
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Explore the rise of the B-Movie superstar: Bruce Campbell, Jeffrey Combs, and Robert Englund; stars that could guarantee success for what were otherwise overlooked direct-to-VHS movies.
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Investigate how the explosion of VHS enabled these icons of horror to take the leap from the movie screen into our homes and created new opportunities for low-budget filmmakers.
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Examine the role practical in-camera effects, animatronics and prosthetics played in scaring us in a time before CGI.
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Discuss the importance of the '80s horror genre and its impact on society, including how its violent and explicit imagery opened-up new political, sociological, and cultural discussion.
Turn the lights down, lock your doors, check behind your curtain and under your bed... We are going to see some
old friends tonight.
PRESS
"Aims to be The Definitive Documentary about 1980s Horror"
"Horror Doc Takes A Bloody Nostalgic Romp Through the 1980s"
"Take "A Journey Into Iconic '80s Horror" in Upcoming Doc In Search of Darkness"
"Take a Walk Down Memory Lane with the Teaser Trailer for 1980s Horror Documentary"
"In Search of Darkness is a Love Letter
to 1980s Horror Movies"
"Documentary Teaser Dives Deep
Into 80s Horror Movies"
"Shaping Up To Be The Ultimate '80s Horror Documentary"
"'80s Horror Documentary Teases a Deep Dive Into Horror’s Hayday"
"In Search of Darkness: trailer e poster del documentario sui film horror anni '80"
"Documentary Aims to Be a Love Letter
to '80s Horror and Its Fans"
CONFIRMED
CONTRIBUTORS
(This list is being updated)
'80s Horror Icons
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Mick Garris
Filmmaker & Screenwriter
STUART GORDON
Director (Re-Animator,
From Beyond)
Joe Dante
Director (The Howling, Gremlins)
BRIAN YUZNA
Director (Society,
Bride Of Re-Animator)
LISA WILCOX
Actress (Nightmare On Elm St 4)
Kelli Maroney
Actress (Chopping Mall,
Night Of The Comet)
ADRIENNE BARBEAU
Actress (The Fog, Swamp Thing, Escape From New York)
DEE WALLACE
Actress (The Howling,
Cujo, Critters)
ROBBI MORGAN
Actress (Friday the 13th)
Tom Holland
Director (Fright Night,
Child’s Play)
JEFFREY COMBS
Actor (Re-Animator,
The Beyond)
SEAN S. CUNNINGHAM
Director/Producer
(Friday The 13th, House)
Modern Horror Cinema Greats
RYAN TUREK
VP of Film Development at Blumhouse Productions and Producer of Halloween (2018)
GRAHAM SKIPPER
Actor/Writer
(Sequence Break,
Almost Human, Space Clown)
Influencers
(Social Media, Industry, Merchandisers, Journalists)
Scott Weinberg
Film Writer
GRAHAM HUMPHREYS
Celebrated Horror artist
MICHAEL GINGOLD
Former Editor of Fangoria
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SOUNDTRACK
NewRetroWave is a network dedicated to promoting the BEST in the emerging Retrowave scene. For those who are not familiar, Retrowave is a growing culture that harnesses and creates many aspects, inspirations and feelings from 80's and 90's music, art and film for today's generation. It is a rebirth of the passion we have lost during those retro days. Since the EST. in Nov 2011, NewRetroWave has grown and evolved into a prominent musical hub and online presence where the Retrowave scene is given its due exposure.
OUR TEAM
EVRIM ERSOY
Producer
Journalist, festival programmer, and filmmaker. Ersoy was born in Istanbul but has spent most of his life in London. His study of criminal psychology had a marked influence on his decision to work in film. After first earning a living as a journalist, he moved on to festival programming.
He is currently the creative director of the largest festival of genre movies in the United States, Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, but is also a programmer for Beyond Fest, MotelX, the Boston Underground FF, and more. He has written and directed a number of award-winning shorts, including Abdullah, and he is currently working on his first feature.
TI SINGH
Producer
Timon Singh is a film writer, who has previously written for a number of film websites including Den of Geek. He has just finished his first book - Born To Be Bad: Interviews with the greatest villains in action cinema, where he interviewed the likes of Ronny Cox (Robocop, Total Recall), Martin Kove (The Karate Kid), Vernon Wells (Commando, Mad Max 2), David Patrick Kelly (The Warriors, Commando) and many others about their infamous cinematic roles. The book will be out in late summer 2018 from Bear Manor Media.
PHILLIP ESCOTT
Associate Producer
Phillip Escott is a writer/director and the co-founder of Independent production company 441 Films and the co-writer/director of the acclaimed British horror film Cruel Summer, which premiered at FrightFest in London 2016 and the producer of Omega Rising: Remembering Joe D'Amato, a feature-length documentary on the notorious Italian filmmaker which premiered at the Sitges International Film Festival in 2017.
He is an avid fan of genre cinema and has produced a number of documentaries for some of the world's leading independent distribution companies, including Arrow Video, Eureka Entertainment, 101 Films, Severin Films and 88 Films.
PAUL KONSCHAKE
Motion Graphics
A motion graphics design and post-production expert, Paul has been fascinated by Horror ever since he first encountered Tim Curry’s Pennywise as a young child.
A keen collector of VHS and old video rental store memorabilia, Paul is passionate about using his talents to help others relive and enjoy that same feeling of nostalgia he feels for the '80s Horror scene.
Jim Kunz
Director of Phototgraphy
Independent filmmaker, photographer, VFX artist and pixel scientist specializing in the horror genre and the restoration/distribution of cult cinema for DVD/Blu-ray. Jim's Showreel - https://vimeo.com/136250426
Jessica Dwyer
Head of PR/Publicist
Jessica has been the creator and editor of the Fangirl Magazine website for over the last 12 years. In that time she has covered numerous film, TV, and literature projects. She expanded the site to a radio broadcast six years ago. The broadcast continues to grow in listeners and fans. Some of the guests the broadcast has showcased include Vincent D’Onofrio, Cillian Murphy, various members of the cast of The Walking Dead as well as Doctor Who. She's also been a main contributing writer for HorrorHound Magazine since issue 2 where she's been nominated for the Rondo Award for her articles and interviews with icons like Sir Anthony Hopkins, Wes Craven, and Kurt Russell.
A lifelong horror fan and geek, Jessica has had short fiction and non-fiction published in different collections and continues to work in the genre she loves. She counts her heroes as Joe Bob Briggs, Mary Shelley, and Clive Barker. Her idea of heaven would be drinking wine with Vincent Price while chatting about Edgar Allan Poe.
ROBIN BLOCK
Executive Producer (CreatorVC)
“I’ve been working in media and content creation for my entire career. Before founding CreatorVC, I ran an award-winning production company and a thriving thought-leadership business. I’ve also produced long-form documentaries for major broadcasters including BBC, Channel 4 and Discovery, as well as having my own DVD label. I started CreatorVC because I saw an opportunity to serve special interest audiences and bring together the right people to make great ideas happen.”
CLAYTON BENGE
Art Director
Horror movie and metal music enthusiast, Clayton is the freelance graphic designer responsible for creating web graphics and branding for "In Search of Darkness". Having previously proven his talents working on the upcoming documentary "In Search of the Last Action Heroes," he is now a part of CreatorVC's team. Clayton is also the co-founder of The Nerd Collaborative Podcast and a regular co-host on the Casting Metal Podcast.
DAVID WEINER
Content Producer & Entertainment Journalist
David Weiner is a content producer, a magazine and online editor, and an award-winning journalist. He was executive editor of the iconic Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine from 2015 to 2016. Prior to that, he logged 13 years in the trenches at Entertainment Tonight writing about/interviewing celebrities and filmmakers as senior editor of ETonline. Creator of the It Came From… retro pop-culture site, David also writes for The Hollywood Reporter and L.A. Weekly’s Film Section and considers himself to be a “nostalgia curator.”
GET INVOLVED
INFLUENCERS
Do you have a channel or audience in the Horror niche? Your contribution is important to us. Acting as a bridge between the audience and the era, you represent a distinct third voice - alongside the 80’s Icons and Modern Horror Greats - that will help contextualize the era and identify the elements that made it so iconic.
We are seeking partnerships with individuals and companies with Facebook,
Instagram and YouTube followings of all sizes for the purposes of co-promotion
and other mutual benefits.
This is an opportunity to contribute to a project that already includes Modern Cinema Greats Ryan Turek (VP of Feature Film Development at Blumhouse Productions/Producer Halloween) & Graham Skipper (Almost Human); 80’s Horror Icons Mick Garris (Critters 2/ Sleepwalkers) & Lisa Wilcox (Nightmare On Elm Street 4); and popular Influencers Cecil Trachenburg (GoodBadFlicks), Graham Humphreys (renowned Horror artist), Ben Scrivens (Fright-Rags), and Oliver Harper (Oliver Harper’s Retrospectives).
Our #firstfright social media campaign needs passionate Horror influencers to submit videos of themselves sharing their favourite 80’s Horror film, the first time they were scared by a film, and other interesting pieces of information. This video will be used in
our social media campaign and included on the bonus featurette that accompanies
our documentary.
In exchange for contributing to our social media campaign and helping us promote
our documentary, we are offering to:
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Help you grow your following by including you in co-promotional content
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with other Horror influencers that will be shared on some big platforms,
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including 80shorror.net (141k Facebook followers).
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Attach you to the film and name you in the credits alongside many
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80’s Horror Icons and Modern Horror Greats.
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Share and publicize your products and companies.
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Add you to our affiliate program which will enable you to benefit financially
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when a member of your audiences supports our campaign via your channel.
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Collaborate with you to create unique branded content for your channel during
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our campaign (4th October – 3rd November)
INVESTORS
In addition to our Kickstarter fundraising, we are seeking partnerships with select individual investors in return for Associate Producer and Producer-level credit on IMDB and relevant marketing collateral.
This is an exciting opportunity to have your name attached to the first Horror doc to bring together 80’s Horror Icons, Modern Horror Heroes, and Horror Youtubers - see your name in the credits alongside your Horror heroes.
CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP
We are currently in conversation with select businesses in the Horror niche regarding corporate sponsorship and co-promotion. This is a unique opportunity to expose your business to new customers through both our documentary and our associated social media reach.
Creatives/CONTENT CREATORS
This is an ambitious and exciting project with plenty of opportunities for Horror fanatics to contribute. If you’d like to get involved, we’d like to speak to you, especially if you are a writer, video editor, or social media expert.
EVERYONE ELSE
We want to engage with the community as much as possible. By spreading the word on social media, you can help us reach more fans & increase interest in our project. The more excitement there is about this project, the easier it will be for us to get access to the Icons you want to see in the documentary.