House of Dark Shadows (1970)

Vampire Barnabas Collins is accidentally released from his centuries-long confinement at his family's estate in Maine. He targets his clueless descendants who live there now and pursues Maggie, the incarnation of his lost love.

Director:

Dan Curtis

Writers:

Sam Hall (screenplay), Gordon Russell (screenplay)

Stars:

Jonathan Frid, Grayson Hall, Kathryn Leigh Scott

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jonathan Frid	...	Barnabas Collins
Grayson Hall	...	Dr. Julia Hoffman
Kathryn Leigh Scott	...	Maggie Evans
Roger Davis	...	Jeff Clark
Nancy Barrett	...	Carolyn Stoddard
John Karlen	...	Willie Loomis
Thayer David	...	Professor T. Eliot Stokes
Louis Edmonds	...	Roger Collins
Don Briscoe	...	Todd Blake (as Donald Briscoe)
David Henesy	...	David Collins
Dennis Patrick	...	Sheriff George Patterson
Lisa Blake Richards	...	Daphne Budd (as Lisa Richards)
Jerry Lacy	...	Minister
Barbara Cason	...	Mrs. Johnson
Paul Michael	...	Old Man

Storyline

Young David Collins has gone missing from his home on the Collinwood Estate. While others try to find him - he in reality playing a prank in just hiding - incidents occur not only on the estate but in town, where some have been victimized by some unknown creature who has left a pair of puncture wounds in their neck. Those that have not survived have literally been drained of their blood by the creature. Following the start of these incidents, a long lost relative of the Collins from England, Barnabas Collins, arrives at the estate, the rest of the family knowing he being who he says he is by the uncanny resemblance to his namesake, who lived approximately one century ago and whose portrait hangs in the main house. Barnabas decides to stay in fixing up the old house on the estate with the help of Willie Loomis, who had just been fired by the family patriarch, Roger Collins. Barnabas' decision is strengthened when he finds a reason to stay in being able to complete something he was ...

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Plot Keywords:

turning into a vampire | 1970s | psychotronic film | supernatural power | vampire | 

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Taglines:

Barnabas Collins, vampire, takes a bride in a bizarre act of ultimate lust.

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Genres:

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

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was filmed concurrently with Dark Shadows (1966). During the time of filming, actors were written out of the TV series so that they would be available to shoot the movie. Kathryn Leigh Scott was absent from episodes 986 to 1015; Jonathan Frid was absent from episodes 983 to 1010; Grayson Hall was absent from episodes 986 to 1006; John Karlen was absent from episodes 990 to 1010; Nancy Barrett was absent from episodes 991 to 1010; Louis Edmonds was absent from episodes 991 to 1008; Don Briscoe was absent from episodes 986 to 1000; Joan Bennett was absent from episodes 991 to 1006; and David Henesy was absent from episodes 993 to 1001.

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Goofs

[All goofs for this title are spoilers.]

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Quotes

Professor T. Eliot Stokes: Vampirism is not a disease, Julia. Vampires are the living dead.

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Crazy Credits

SPOILER: There is a scene during the closing credits: Barnabas turns into a bat and flies away.

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Alternate Versions

The preview version of the film included a scene where young David Collins pretends to hang himself. No copies of this footage are known to exist.

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Connections

Featured in Cinemacabre TV Trailers (1993)

User Reviews

"I will come for you, Josette. I will come for you soon."

Movie version of the Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows with better production values. It's a great-looking movie that makes effective use of location shooting. Dan Curtis, creator of the series as well as many other horror-related films and shows for television in the '70s, directs his first theatrical release here. I've always been a big admirer of Curtis, who did more for horror (and television in general) than he seems to get credit for.

The plot for the film comes directly from the TV series. Essentially it retells the story of vampire Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid), the show's most popular character, and his quests for a cure and to be with his reincarnated love. I wouldn't call it a scary movie, though some of the outdoors scenes at night do carry a reasonable amount of spooky atmosphere and tension. Also, the old-age makeup used on a character at one point is well-done and creepy. Nice music, as well. Fans of the series will probably find more to like than most but I think there's a lot here to enjoy, even for those unfamiliar with Dark Shadows.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 March 1971 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Dark Shadows

Filming Locations:

Lockwood-Mathews Mansion - 295 West Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$750,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dan Curtis Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1