On 6 October 2019, I was outside the Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, looking at a queue that went around the cinema.
People had come to watch In Search of Darkness. Our documentary. Something that, just over a year earlier, had been an idea in my notebook.
I was talking to people in the queue, taking pictures and thinking, “This is wild.” I couldn’t believe how many people had turned up. It was incredible and frightening being at the centre of it.
Seven years later, I still look at these photographs with a sense of disbelief. This series changed my life. It changed the lives of people on our team. And it showed me what can happen when you follow through on a creative instinct.
The queue at the Egyptian Theatre, 6 October 2019.
A title in a notebook
In July 2018, I sat down at my desk and wrote the words In Search of Darkness. Then I began writing names. John Carpenter. Robert Englund. Doug Bradley. Barbara Crampton. The people whose work had helped shape the films we grew up loving.
There was a lot of ambition on that page. At that point, it was an idea. There was no queue in Hollywood. No finished documentary. No way of knowing how far it would go.
People sometimes call this manifestation. For me, the lesson was in the follow-through. Writing an idea down gives it a starting point. Making it real means doing the work, asking people to join you, and pushing through the challenges. There were plenty.
The original poster captured something I loved about the idea: that little boy in front of the television, discovering a world of horror. So many of us recognised that feeling.
The original In Search of Darkness poster, with festival laurels.
Meeting David Weiner
In September 2018, a mutual friend introduced me to David Weiner. David first joined as an adviser. His email from 17 September is a reminder of how early we were in the journey. He thought it looked like a fun project and was happy to join our advisory board.
Neither of us knew how much it would change our lives.
David would go on to write and direct the entire In Search of Darkness series. He has absolutely left his mark on it. Without him, it wouldn’t be what it is. He’s a phenomenal talent and a phenomenal writer and director. I’m incredibly grateful for everything he has brought to these films.
David Weiner’s email to me, 17 September 2018.
The people who believed in it
Our first Kickstarter launched in October 2018. It brought together 1,532 backers who gave this idea a chance to become a film.
Crowdfunding is difficult. You have to explain what you want to make, earn people’s trust, and then deliver. That support comes with a responsibility. People are putting their own money behind something that doesn’t exist yet.
It also creates a relationship that lasts well beyond a campaign. From the beginning, this documentary belonged to a community of people who loved these films and wanted to see them celebrated.
The original Kickstarter campaign, launched in October 2018.
One of our early backers was Corey Taylor.
When he emailed to introduce himself as the singer of Slipknot and Stone Sour, I nearly fell off my chair. He told me about his love of horror and his support for the project. That message still makes me smile.
The photograph of us together is another reminder of the people this idea brought into my life.
Corey Taylor’s introduction from April 2019, alongside our photograph together.
From the desk to the Egyptian Theatre
Just over a year after writing the idea down, I was in Hollywood for our Beyond Fest premiere.
The queue was one thing. Seeing everyone inside the cinema was another. All these people had come to sit together and watch something we had made.
There were photographs, a panel, posters to sign and conversations with fans. Looking back at the pictures now, what stays with me is how much shared love there was in that room.
It was the first time in my life that I really understood the power of ideas. You can take something from your notebook and make it happen. You need other people. You need to keep going. But it can become real.
This documentary took CREATORVC to another level. It gave me confidence to trust my creative instincts and push through the challenges of making things happen.
The audience at the Egyptian Theatre.
The screen and panel at our Beyond Fest premiere.
What happened after we released it
We wanted to celebrate the films we grew up with. Then we began hearing something we hadn’t anticipated: people were using the documentaries to build their watchlists.
Fans were rediscovering old favourites. A new generation of horror fans was finding films they hadn’t seen before. Something made to look back was helping people discover what to watch next.
That has become one of the things I’m proudest of. These films, and the people who made them, deserve to keep being talked about. The series gives us a place to remember them, love them again and hear the stories behind them.
We’ve had countless fans write to tell us what the series means to them. Seeing people holding their discs, displaying the artwork and sharing their excitement makes the work feel real in a different way.
Fans sharing their In Search of Darkness discs and collector cases.
And the press response was absolutely amazing. I saved these screenshots at the time. Looking at them again brings back the excitement of seeing other people respond to something we had worked so hard to make.
The press reviews I saved in 2019.
It took all of us
Across the series so far, hundreds of contributors have shared their time, memories and stories. Together, the films run to over 25 hours of horror documentary.
To every contributor: thank you. The series exists because you were willing to sit down and talk about your work, your experiences and your love of horror.
To everyone at CREATORVC, past and present: thank you for helping this become what it has become. Making these documentaries takes an enormous amount of work. This series has changed lives on our team, especially mine. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together.
Most importantly, thank you to each and every backer who has supported us over the years. And to everyone who has written to us, left a positive comment or appreciated the work that goes into these films.
It’s because of you. It’s for you.
A photograph from the Beyond Fest premiere.
Next stop: the 1970s
That first film started a whole series: In Search of Darkness Part II, Part III, 1990–1994 and 1995–1999.
The four films that followed the original In Search of Darkness.
Now we’re working on the sixth edition: In Search of Darkness ’70s, exploring the horror films of the 1970s.
In Search of Darkness ’70s: our sixth edition, now in production.
Seven years after the premiere, I’m incredibly proud of the dent we’ve made in the horror universe. I want this series to continue for years to come.
I couldn’t have imagined all of this when I was writing those names in my notebook. But I’m glad I followed the idea.
We’re just getting started.
What has In Search of Darkness meant to you? I’d love to hear your story in the comments.