By WILLIAM J. WRIGHT
The ultimate ’80s horror documentary series, IN SEARCH OF DARKNESS, is coming to a close in epic fashion with IN SEARCH OF DARKNESS: PART III, a five-plus-hour exploration of the undiscovered treasures of the VHS era. Featuring interviews with 70 horror luminaries, including such icons as John Carpenter, Robert Englund, Caroline Munro, and Cassandra Peterson, IN SEARCH OF DARKNESS: PART III is presented in a compelling year-by-year format that examines horror in the context of the decade’s touchstone moments and movements such as the rise of indie horror during the home video boom, the backlash of the Satanic panic, the genre’s relationship with heavy metal music, horror’s marginalization by the mainstream, the influence of Mexican, European, Canadian and Asian horror, and more.
IN SEARCH OF DARKNESS director David Weiner.
“The ‘80s marked a radical change in filmmaking as a result of the home video revolution. The horror genre exploded as crafty filmmakers saw dollar signs and sidestepped Hollywood gatekeepers to land their movies directly on the shelves of local mom-and-pop video stores,” writer-director David Weiner explains. “As an ‘80s teen, I was the target audience for these bottom-shelf VHS scares that lured me with shocking exploitation box art. IN SEARCH OF DARKNESS: PART III celebrates these highly entertaining, direct-to-video genre entries alongside forgotten theatrical and late-night cable favorites … PART III is the perfect cap to the IN SEARCH OF DARKNESS trilogy and our longest installment yet, with over five clip-filled hours of ‘80s horror goodness.”
Although IN SEARCH OF DARKNESS: PART III will have its digital release in November, fans still have some time to order the film in a choice of two exclusive Blu-ray packages and get their name in the credits: the IN SEARCH OF DARKNESS: PART III Blu-ray package, which includes Blu-ray with slipcase, three posters, an enamel pin, a membership card with exclusive horror merchant deals, name in credits, a digital copy of the film, digital soundtrack and four hours of bonus digital content or the three-disc Trilogy Collection, which includes all three IN SEARCH OF DARKNESS films on Blu-ray with an exclusive trilogy slipcase, all the goodies included with the single-disc IN SEARCH OF DARKNESS: PART III Blu-ray package as well as onscreen credit. Hurry, these offers end at midnight Halloween (Pacific Time), October 31.
For full details and purchasing options, visit 80shorrordoc.com. Check out the official IN SEARCH OF DARKNESS: PART III trailer below for a sample of ’80s thrills and chills.
