In Search of Darkness: A Journey Into Iconic ’80s Horror
Written and Directed by David Weiner
Featuring Cassandra Peterson, John Carpenter, Heather Langenkamp, Keith David, Alex Winter, Tom Holland, Joe Dante, Mick Garris, Don Mancini, Larry Cohen
Documentary
Runtime: 4 hours, 20 minutes
Release date: October 6, 2019 (Beyond Fest)

The ’70s were a time of shocking and visceral thrills for horror audiences, giving us era-defining classics like The Exorcist, Jaws, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Alien. The 1980s, however, was a decade of excess and that went for horror films as well. The normal expression is “less is more,” but in ’80s horror MORE was more. More blood, more nudity, more controversy, more slasher icons, more films to choose from, and more sequels. David Weiner‘s phenomenal new documentary, In Search of Darkness: A Journey Into Iconic ’80s Horror, gives the decade a comprehensive overview. As someone who grew up in the late 1980s and was eased into the genre by my love of the video store horror aisles and Freddy Krueger in 1987’s A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3: Dream Warriors, this documentary hit me in all the feels. It works both as a passionate nostalgia project and a genuine look at film history.

Though San Diego Comic-Con is reserved for mostly geeky things and nostalgia, sometimes, they like to throw a curveball or two. Take for instance, the Russo Brothers panel. Now, their panel could have been the two just reminiscing about their days toiling and perfecting the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While that was the case for a good portion of the panel, they also talked about some of the other projects they are working on, which includes a gritty police crime drama called 21 Bridges.

The film stars Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther) as a NY detective who comes across a crime between two drug dealers and dirty cops. What will he do to get to the truth of it all? Shut down all exits and entrances, even if that means bridges, subways, and more? Check out the trailer for 21 Bridges below.

The Nice Guys
Director: Shane Black
Screenwriter: Shane Black, Anthony Bagarozzi
Cast: Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, Matt Bomer, Margaret Qualley, Keith David, Kim Basinger
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Rated R |116 Minutes
Release Date: May 20, 2016

“Before we deal with the crime of the century, let’s get rid of the fucking rotting corpse.”

30 years ago, Shane Black sold his first screenplay to producer Joel Silver. An action flick about a strait-laced detective forced to team with an unhinged cop, Lethal Weapon was a huge success, spawning multiple sequels. Black’s storytelling set a new standard for action comedies and redefined the “buddy film” genre. He was one of the highest paid screenwriters in Hollywood, writing movies like The Last Boy Scout, Last Action Hero, and The Long Kiss Goodnight before disappearing in the late ’90s.

Black resurfaced in 2005 with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, his directorial debut. A neo-noir buddy comedy, the film follows a thief impersonating an actor and a private eye as they attempt to solve a murder. In 2013, he returned with Iron Man 3, a Marvel comic book movie that doubles as one of Black’s signature action-comedies. A snarky superhero and his by-the-books sidekick have to rescue the President of the United States from a terrorist who isn’t a terrorist at all, but rather an actor portraying one. Oh, and it’s set at Christmastime, too. It’s the most Shane Black thing ever, until The Nice Guys that is.

A new trailer has been released by Warner Brothers Pictures for The Nice Guys, the new movie from Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Iron Man 3 director Shane Black starring Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe.

The movie is set in Los Angeles in the ’70s, and follows a private eye and an enforcer working together to find a missing girl. Also starring is Kim Basinger, Matt Bomer, Margaret Qualley, Keith David, and Ty Simpkins.

You can check out the new trailer and read a synopsis below.

If someone penned a biography of me, it would be called “Pro Wrestling and Horror Movies.” Okay, maybe it would have a more clever title, but you get the idea. Someone who linked those two geek subgenres was “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. I was 5 years old when I watched Piper defeated Adrian Adonis at Wrestlemania III in what was billed as his last match. So a year later, when I saw Piper was the star of a movie, I needed to see it. The film was John Carpenter‘s They Live, a sci-fi action thriller that to a young kid, was about ugly aliens and CURSING! As I’ve gotten older, They Live has grown into an outright cult classic, with themes much deeper than my 6-year old brain could understand. And with the unfortunate and untimely passing of Roddy Piper on Friday, at the age of 61 from cardiac arrest, it assures They Live will live on forever, for both pro-wrestling and horror movie fans.

Rather than write a review of a near 20-year old film, let me simply point out some of the reasons They Live earned its cult status: