Dark Shadows

[Nostalgiascape]

Dark Shadows is a gothic soap opera from the late 60s/early 70s. If you enjoy classic horror and want to engage in a series with long lasting binge value, I highly recommend. The hint of the supernatural is slight but present and manifests even more so as the series goes on. I'd suggest that you not make a judgement on Dark Shadows if you have only seen the movie alone. I'd rather see this than many horror series out today.

[Murfreesboro]

Oh, I was one of those jr high kids who was racing home for Dark Shadows! I still believe that Barnabas Collins was the original conflicted vampire, and he was better than the subsequent ones because he had a genuinely scary edge. Also the whole story line about him, Josette, and Angelique, the quest for his lost love from another century, was very romantic. Production values back then were laughable, but man, did the writers come up with an inventive story line! Barnabas is my all-time favorite vampire.

[Nostalgiascape]

I'm in the 66th episode where they're trying to solve the death of Bill Maloy.

[Pumpkin_Head]

I remember racing home from school on my bike to catch "Dark Shadows." That show was one of the highlights of my childhood. Low budget daytime soap opera that it was, Dan Curtis did a fabulous job of putting together his own rendition of the old monster classics that got me into the Halloween spirit. In fact, is wasn't Count Dracula or Larry Tolbat who introduced me to vampires and werewolves. It was Barnabass Collins and Chris Jennings. "Dark Shadows" was my very first exposure to the horror fil genre. Later on when I was about 11 or so, I started watching "Creature Features" on WGN tv in Chicago which is where I viewed all the Universal monster classics for the first time.

I have the entire original series in DVD. I found them, of all places, at a used CD store in Joliet. The whole thing cost me less then 40 bucks. I looked it up on line and if you buy it directly from Dan Curtis Productions brand new it will run you over 300 bucks. I also really REALLY loved the 1991 Revival Series, but it was cancelled after one season.

The tall and short of it is I got into "Dark Shadows" because I had a huge crush (even at the tender age of on Victoria Winters and Angelique, and I stayed for all the supernatural mayhem, hauntings, and the like.

"Dark Shadows" was truly one of a kind. I also had "House of Dark Shadows" and "Night of Dark Shadows," and several CDs of "Dark Shadows" music which I purchased at the "Dark Shadows" convention in New York city in the Summer of 93, but they were destroyed in the fire of 2015. At least I have the original series, and I can find the movies on Blue Ray.

Mike

[Murfreesboro]

You really lucked into that DVD set of the series!

[Pumpkin_Head]

That's a little story in and of itself. The guy who ran the store didn't even recognize what he had. He was told it was a 'day time soap opera,' and shrugged it off as 'hard sell' put it in with the 'bargain' dvds. Right after I paid for it, 3 people cam into the store who wanted that collection and one woman offered 200 bucks for it. I already had it. She offered me 200 bucks for it, but when it comes to the original "Dark Shadows," the 'trick' out weighs the 'treat,' so I said 'no.'

There were also two others who wanted it. I suppose if I wanted to be a Ferengi about it, I could have had my own little auction at my car, but when it came down to where the vampire sleeps in the coffin, I wanted those DVDs more then I wanted the money.

Mike

[Murfreesboro]

Oh, man, I bet that store owner felt dumb!

[Pumpkin_Head]

He probably did feel dumb, but one must consider that A, the original "Dark Shadows" went on the air in 1966, and this guy was probably not even born until the mid 80s. Too old to be a "millennial," but too young to remember the old classic tv shows which we knew and loved back when we actually had to walk up to the tv and turn a dial to tune in a program and then adjust the 'rabbit ears' to clear up picture and sound.

Mike