Hulu’s new music docuseries explores the dark side – and humanity – of metal

Making one documentary is always a challenge. Developing and finishing eight of them at once sounds almost impossible, but that’s exactly what the team behind Hulu’s is doing In the Void did. Over two and a half years, showrunners Evan Husney and Jason Eisener, along with executive producer Danny Gabai, managed to produce eight nearly hour-long episodes that all stand alone – with their individual stories, tones and emotional cores – all while maintaining a consistent vision that celebrates the misunderstood world of heavy metal.

“It’s a lot like making eight documentaries, eight films at the same time,” Husney says. “Each episode in itself is its own beast.” Each of the episodes covers a different story in the heavy metal world, from the infamous Judas Priest trial to the onstage murder of Dimebag Darrell. While they all focus on new names – some famous, some lesser known – they all have a truth to share and a darkness to explore.

“There is no formula,” Husney continues. “You could say there’s a loose framework for how the episodes are put together, but they all have their own unique feel.” He added that when it came to stylizing each story, “Whatever the aesthetic of the band is, we try to incorporate that into every episode.”

The enormous scale of the project required a small army of collaborators: producers, editors, cinematographers and archival researchers all working in parallel. “You have to have a lot of different producers working on individual episodes,” Husney says. “Each revival felt true to the world of the band on display, and that’s something we cared about from day one.”

While the logistics were complicated, the creative mission was simple: treat the subjects with humanity, which doesn’t come naturally when it comes to the harder side of rock. Husney and Eisener declined to move forward with any story unless they had the full participation of the people involved. “If we don’t have family support, the show could become sensationalized,” Husney explains. That was a smart move by the team, because many of the stories in the series are about loss, pain and grief. Excluding those who loved the musicians most, or going against their wishes, would have alienated the very audiences that would love these types of programs.

“We’re getting more excited about the interviews with the family members… They paint a better picture than you would get from experts or fans,” Husney said.

That patience came from the lessons we learned later Dark side of the ringtheir previous hit series about professional wrestling. “We learned how important it is to build trust,” says Eisener. “You’re dealing with people’s lives, their memories and sometimes their grief. That’s not something you can rush,” he said. “You have to earn their comfort and respect before you can tell their story well.”

Danny Gabai, who worked with Husney long before that In the Void existed, remembers how that approach developed. “Evan presented me with a version of this show in 2016,” he says. “We then worked together and had drinks before the premiere in New York Lords of chaos. We were talking about how great it would be to make a series about all kinds of real stories like this, where we could reach the real people and try to understand them on a human level.

The project did not get off the ground at the time, but after the success of Dark side of the ringAccording to Gabai, it was clear that the team had proven their storytelling method. “After Dark side When they brought up this idea again, it was clear that this was something they had to create. And I knew they had the team to make it happen.

When Husney and Eisener finally brought the project to Hulu, it found an unlikely champion. The streamer “bought it into the room,” Husney says, recalling their pitch to a senior Disney executive. “There was something about that meeting where it felt like everything clicked immediately,” Eisener adds. “We were all on the same page. We were going to make the show because we cared and because we were passionate about the subject.”

Gabai says that moment was a turning point. “It was great,” he says. “You can’t always pitch to someone who understands your world, but in this case the director we met was a metal fan. He knew the stories, he knew the history, and that made all the difference. He saw that this wasn’t just a niche project – it was something that had real cultural significance.”

Once the show was greenlit, the real work began. “It was a big job to roll up your sleeves and go in,” Husney says. “You’re working on all eight episodes simultaneously, coordinating interviews, chasing archives, managing post-production – all at the same time.” Eisener adds that the scale forced them to work differently than ever before. “Every day was chaos in the best way,” he says. “We were in the middle of finishing one episode while starting production on another. It was like running eight marathons at once.” Few filmmakers or TV producers can understand the precise issues In the Void team faces – even those developing multiple episodes of one show at the same time, as a docuseries, especially one based on a subject that needs to be subtly addressed, is a different kind of monster.

The experience was both exhausting and transformative. “For a lot of the stories I’ve personally worked on,” Husney says, “you anchor yourself in that world and you get to know the people involved. You go to their houses and listen to records with them. You really get to know these people.” Eisener agrees. “It’s not transactional,” he says. “These are relationships you build for life. You can’t tell these stories without connecting with the people you’re telling them about.”

Gabai says dedication makes it In the Void feel different than most music documentaries. “Many documents are created quickly; they are built around existing images or celebrity names,” he explains. “This was a two-and-a-half-year labor of love that required real access and trust. It’s a huge achievement.”

For the filmmakers, it also fulfilled a lifelong dream. “13-year-old me wouldn’t even believe this,” Husney said. “To bring your childhood full circle in this way – it’s a dream.” Eisener notes, “We’ve spent our careers trying to shine a light on subcultures that people misunderstand. Wrestling was one. Metal is another. If people walk away from this show seeing those worlds differently, then we’ve done our job.”

Gabai agrees. “That’s what this series is about: taking something people think they know and showing them the truth behind it,” he says. “It’s not just about the music. It’s about humanity.”