The Stuff |

Back in June of last year, I posted about this upcoming title from AM Ink Publishing, the book version, so-to-speak of the popular series, In Search of Darkness: A Journey Into Iconic ’80s Horror. This is based on the 3-part documentary of the same name that was written, directed, and produced by David A. Weiner that had part one come out in 2019, part 2 in 2020, and the final part 3 in 2022. These are epic is scope, giving fans a ton of insight from those that worked in the films themselves, from names like Robert England, Doug Bradley, John Carpenter, Mick Garris, Jeffrey Combs, Joe Dante, and so many more.

Now this huge coffee-table size book that is the literary overview of those documentaries, packed from cover to cover with information and trivia about these films we love is due out very soon. To help give a little insight to not only the book, but also to the two authors that took on this massive undertaking to create a book version of this popular 3-title series, we reached out to Heather Wixson and Patrick Bromley to pose a few questions for them.

Kitley’s Krypt: What was it about the horror genre that made you have the desire to “spread the gospel”?

Heather Wixson: I think it’s because I grew up with everyone thinking I was the “weird one” because I loved horror so much, so I wanted to find a way to celebrate everything I love about it in any way that I could. That led to me embarking on a writing career that was centered around the horror genre (after spending a few years writing about local news and being bored out of my mind). I just wanted to use my writing abilities in any way that I could to highlight why horror is so awesome, and also put the spotlight on those who helped shape the landscape of the genre over the years and made me fall in love with it in the first place.

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Larry Cohen - RIP Two weeks in a row now, the world has lost another talented person from the movie industry. And it’s really starting to suck.

Larry Cohen passed away yesterday at the age of 77. He was a writer, director, producer who made movies his way. It didn’t mean he wasn’t successful. Just the opposite since a lot of his films, whether they were ones he directed or just wrote, did well at the box office. But Cohen was one of the kings of B-Movies, and that is meant as a huge compliment to this very talented craftsmen. Or as writer/director Edgar Wright called him, “an independent freewheeling movie legend.”

The recent documentary King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen (2017) is a perfect example of not only his work, but of Cohen himself. When you have someone as talented as he was, but wanting to work on the outside of Hollywood, you have to give the man credit. “You’ve gotta make the picture your way and no other way, because it can’t be made otherwise.” Because of statements like that, he was a hero to independent filmmakers.

He started writing for mainly episodic television shows before he moved into the film world. In 1972, he wrote, produced, and directed his first feature film, Bone, starring Yaphet Kotto. He then made two blaxploitation movies in 1973, Black Caesar and Hell Up in Harlem, both starring Fred Williamson. He then moved into the horror genre with the widely successful It’s Alive (1974), which would then spawn two sequels.

Even though we have lost this incredible talent, his movies and attitude will always be there for the next generation of filmmakers to watch and realize that you don’t have to go to Hollywood to make the film you want to.

Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time.

Tag Archives: The Stuff

In Search of Darkness: The Authors!

Larry Cohen – Rest in Peace