What We’re Watching – In Search of Darkness

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

With most of us are stuck at home these days (and for the unforeseeable future) and many of our staff watching movies and binging shows like they're going out of business (and sadly, many businesses may be done after all this has passed), we thought it might be a cool idea to provide you our JoBlo.com audience with 'out of the box' shows/series that we are following these days, if only because some of us are "running out of movies" to watch at this point. Different members of our staff will offer their 2 cents in this column, and we ask that you share with others if you dig and feel free to offer us some of your suggestions in the COMMENTS section below.

Our next recommendation is a must-watch for any fan of 80s horror! The retrospective documentary IN SEARCH OF DARKNESS is 4-hour look the world of horror in the 80s and a fiendishly entertaining reminder of just how much that decade shaped the genre, with entries that would become instant classics and even lesser fare that have found a life of their own as a product of such a defining era. There are many familiar and beloved faces who formed so many of our nostalgic horror memories, plus a few of today's prominent horror journalists and mainstays. Together, they break down each glorious year of the decade, covering as many of your favorites as they possibly can. The documentary is more than a revolving door of talking heads discussing the decade, especially since there are a number of people who actually worked on the films in question participating. Ultimately, what you learn is that the 80s was a make or break decade for the horror genre and as you watch this documentary in 2020, you kind of long for the creativity and minimalistic approach it took to making these films classics. Smaller budgets and a drive to create is what gave 80s horror its backbone and IN SEARCH OF DARKNESS is a celebration of the creative minds that gave us the films and the fans that have continued to give them life. IN SEARCH OF DARKNESS is currently only available as a 'Lockdown Edition' (digital streaming product) that can be viewed HERE. The documentary runs for $27.99, which seems steep, but if you're a fan it's well worth the purchase. I got my copy and watched it with friends who went on to buy a copy as well so it's certainly a good collector's item. Also, if you like what you see with IN SEARCH OF DARKNESS, the creative team behind the project is working on another documentary called IN SEARCH OF TOMORROW which will be a retrospective look at sci-fi films of the 80s.