Dark Shadows

The rich Collins family of Collinsport, Maine is tormented by strange occurrences.

Creator:

Dan Curtis

Stars:

Jonathan Frid, Grayson Hall, Alexandra Isles

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Jonathan Frid	...	Barnabas Collins / ... (594 episodes, 1967-1971)
Grayson Hall	...	Dr. Julia Hoffman / ... (475 episodes, 1967-1971)
Alexandra Isles	...	Victoria Winters / ... (423 episodes, 1966-1968)
Nancy Barrett	...	Carolyn Stoddard / ... (401 episodes, 1966-1971)
Joan Bennett	...	Elizabeth Collins Stoddard / ... (389 episodes, 1966-1971)
Louis Edmonds	...	Roger Collins / ... (321 episodes, 1966-1971)
Kathryn Leigh Scott	...	Maggie Evans / ... (311 episodes, 1966-1970)
David Selby	...	Quentin Collins / ... (307 episodes, 1968-1971)
David Henesy	...	David Collins / ... (277 episodes, 1966-1970)
Lara Parker	...	Angelique / ... (269 episodes, 1967-1971)

Storyline

The story of Dark Shadows begins with newly hired governess Victoria Winters arriving at Collinwood, the Collins' estate in Collinsport, Maine in search of her mysterious origins. She soon is caught up in the strange events and mysteries that seem to surround the Collins family. Eventually, the Collins' "cousin from England", Barnabas Collins, arrives and takes the show in a new direction; his vampire curse introduces a new history of the Collins family. Part of this revised history is the popular character of the witch Angelique whose jealously led to the tragic death of Barnabas' great love Josette and who placed the curse upon Barnabas.

---

Plot Keywords:

maine | death | 1970s | 1960s | surrealism | 

---

Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

---

Details

Official Sites:

Dark Shadows Festival

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 June 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

Shadows on the Wall

Filming Locations:

USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dan Curtis Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min (1225 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White (1966-1967) Color (1967-1971)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The role of Dr. Julia Hoffman was actually originally supposed to be "Julian" Hoffman, and portrayed by a man. In the first episode in which this character is mentioned (before she appeared on-screen), Dr. Hoffman is specifically referred to as a "he" and "one of the finest men I know." Before the role was cast however, a character description was typed up and the name "Julian" became "Julia" because of a typo. Producer Dan Curtis decided to change the gender on a whim, only after he noticed the typo.

---

Goofs

Jeremiah Collins's headstone is misspelled "Jerimiah Collins."

---

Quotes

Willie Loomis: I never knew how awful it was to be alone, till I wasn't.

---

Connections

Referenced in Gray Matter (2010)

User Reviews

It's STILL good

Like many people I used to rush home from grammar school to see this Gothic soap opera. I distinctly remember being petrified of the werewolf and running out of the room when Barnabas bit somebody.

Seeing it now it's still sort of creepy. It moves very slow (of course) and the black & white seasons are extremely dull with really pathetic special effects and threadbare settings. But when the series switched to color and started to really be popular (in 1967) it really got going. The special effects improved, the settings and costumes got more elaborate and the plot lines went barreling out of control. Also they had a good cast who played all their roles seriously. That's good, because if they had camped it up or winked at the audience it would have fallen apart.

A good, fun horror soap. It's a good thing it's available on video and DVD now.