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 / ... 425 episodes, 1966-1968
Nancy Barrett	...	Carolyn Stoddard / ... 402 episodes, 1966-1971
Joan Bennett	...	Elizabeth Collins Stoddard / ... 391 episodes, 1966-1971
Louis Edmonds	...	Roger Collins / ... 323 episodes, 1966-1971
David Selby	...	Quentin Collins / ... 312 episodes, 1968-1971
Kathryn Leigh Scott	...	Maggie Evans / ... 309 episodes, 1966-1970
David Henesy	...	David Collins / ... 278 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.

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Plot Keywords:

seductive behavior | maine | vampire | death | shot on video | 

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Genres:

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

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Certificate:

TV-PG

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

Early publicity materials referred to the mansion as "Collins House", but the name was changed to "Collinwood" by the time filming began.

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Goofs

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

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Quotes

Quentin Collins: On your way to grandmothers house and low and behold who should you meet but the big bad wolf.

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Connections

Referenced in The Chronic Rift: The Herbie J Pilato Affair (2018)

User Reviews

A Masterpiece

I was a big fan of this gothic horror soap opera as a young lad, and was delighted to find out that MPI had released the episodes on DVD.

If I were to complain, I would have to say that it is a bit disappointing that the DVD's start rather late in the series (episode 210 to be exact), with the appearance of Barnabas Collins. This is fitting, however, since he brought the show such popularity, but it is a bit remiss that MPI didn't include the prior episodes on DVD.

That being said though, the show still is great, with terrific acting. Considering the fact that the actors filmed the episodes live, so a flub or two can be overlooked. It makes actors today seem a bit untalented, because they are allowed 20 takes (which we have to see in the end .. like in Home Improvements).

But actors like Jonathan Frid, John Karlen, David Selby, etc. make this show truly memorable (and made me join the DVD club, where I am now the proud owner of my own Barnabas Collins bobblehead) :)

I never did watch the remake of the Dark Shadows series when it came out, because I personally thought that no one could replace Jonathan Frid as Barnabas Collins. However, I might have to see it just to satisfy my own personal curiousity.

This is one of my all time favorites and I am glad that it is now on DVD.