Home Entertainment: ‘In Search of Darkness: Part II’ digital review

Last summer documentary maker David A. Weiner’s eighties horror movie A-Z In Search of Darkness arrived on Shudder. The documentary was a four-hour-plus look at all the iconic horror films released during the genre’s most popular decade. Now, less than a year later, Weiner returns with In the Search of Darkness: Part II. Rather than move onto another decade, Weiner’s follow-up remains rooted in the gore and glory of the eighties. It might seem like an odd decision, surely four hours should have been enough to cover off all the important movies the first time around, and yet Weiner manages to find plenty more, with this second instalment running just under the four and a half mark itself. 

With so many of the iconic titles covered off in his first film, Weiner now delves into much more obscure titles. Properties discussed, dissected, and reminisced about include Blood Diner, Humanoids from the Deep, Dressed to Kill, The Entity, Evilspeak and Silent Night, Deadly Night. Many of the interviewees remain the same, a good spread of filmmakers, critics, famous fans, and stars of the movies being discussed, who collectively offer a fully rounded set of opinions and behind the scenes tidbits. New blood includes Nancy Allen, Linnea Quigley, Clancy Brown, and musician and WWE star, Chris Jericho.  

As enjoyable as the first part was, there was something a tad repetitive about it. The format moved through the decade year-by-year, and went through film-by-film, occasionally branching out to highlight common themes and story threads. Four hours of this process made for a hard watch and required rests to break the cycle. In Search of Darkness: Part II improves upon the groundwork laid out and feels more coherent, less bitty, and thankfully less repetitive. There’s less flitting between movies, with the focus shifting to those segments that covered off movements within the genre etc. This clarity makes for an easy viewing experience whilst also giving more screen time to more interesting topics. 

A new addition is a series of spotlights on icons within the genre. These little snapshots offer an intimate and in-depth look into the careers of Tom Savini, Linnea Quigley, Nancy Allen, and Robert Englund, as they impart stories of the impact that working within horror has had on them. Quigley’s showcase is especially illuminating, the sheer breadth of work she did during the decade is intimidating, and yet she’s not as widely known or discussed as some of her peers. Hopefully her inclusion here will inspire a new generation to check out her back catalogue and discover she is much more than the naked punk in Return of the Living Dead.   

Now that there are two of these films in the world, I can’t help but once more feel that the idea might have worked better as a television series. Breaking the information up into episodic chunks that each look at one particular year would help make it more accessible; many will baulk at the runtime and might pass it by altogether which would be a massive shame. As they stand though, the two movies offer an overwhelming amount of genre nostalgia, trivia, and analysis, and make them an absolute must watch for those with an affinity for the decade that made horror truly iconic. 

In the Search of Darkness: Part II corrects some of the sagging found in the first chapter by honing more into the people and the themes instead of racing through as many films as it can. It’s a much more enticing prospect because of the changes, but that lengthy runtime will still daunt many. Nonetheless, the content remains a perfect second edition in Weiner’s encyclopedia of eighties horror.  

In the Search of Darkness: Part II arrives on Shudder from Monday 26th April 2021.