Dark Shadows

It's very rare for a show to cause me so much anguish due to the fact of its abrupt cancellation. Sure most other cases I might get a little sad if a show I liked didn't make it but in time I learn to move on. 1991's revival of "Dark Shadows" is one of those few cases where I just can't. Airing on NBC, it was produced and written by the late, great Dan Curtis himself, the creator of the original "Dark Shadows". It begins with the opening monologue of Victoria Winters (the lovely Joanna Going), who is on her way to Collin's Port, Maine to be the school mistress to young Daniel Collins (a very young Joseph Gordon-Levitt!) at the Collins estate. Little does she realize of course, her life is about to take a very unexpected turn! Not long after she arrives, kind hearted but not so bright Willie Loomis (the gifted Jim Fyfe) opens the crypt of Barnabas Collins because he seems to think there are long forgotten jewels secretly buried in it. Well he does find something but it's not jewels. Instead he unleashes long trapped vampire Barnabas Collins (the always impressive Ben Cross) who claims to be a distant cousin of the Collins from England for his cover.

But when he sees Ms. Winters, he is captivated by her, for she is his reincarnated long lost love, Josette. Soon enough though, mysterious murders and occurrences on the account of Barnabas' blood lust begin occurring and in comes Dr. Julia Hoffman, played to the hilt by horror legend and (even at the age of 53 or 4 at the time) stunning Barbara Steele. Things only get more complicated when the good doctor discovers Baranbas' secret and tries to cure his vampirism but ends up falling in love with him! But there are other supernatural forces at work besides Barnabas, such as vengeful and powerful spirit Angelique (the beautiful Lysette Anthony) who will do everything in her power to destroy Barnabas' attempts at a better life. All of this means Victoria must discover the secrets of Collin's Port more than ever, for her life depends on it!

The show was and is nothing short of captivating to watch through its twelve episodes because of its grand and Gothic look and its opening creepy music theme. The Collins' mansion in particular is both beautiful and imposing at the same time with its Gothic architecture. The Pilot (directed by Dan Curtis himself) has the look and feel of theatrical movie and is probably one of the best productions made for TV I've ever seen. But above all it is the caliber of the actors and characters that makes the show enjoyable to watch. Ben Cross more than fills the shoes of the late Jonathan Frid as Barnabas Collins, being able to play him as a monster but one with a soul. Despite being a reprehensible creature at times, Cross is able to make you feel Barnabas' agony and anguish over being what he is and what made him that way. Joanna Going is stunning in her looks but more importantly her acting. She's able to convey a certain sense of innocence throughout the show, which only makes the viewer all the more wishing to jump in and protect her from the danger she has no idea she's in. But Barnabas and Victoria are not the only characters in town. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the young, arrogant and slightly disturbed Daniel perfectly, so much so you'll wonder how he turned out to be such a stud (It's implied that his mother is a witch locked up in a mental institution but due to the show's short life we never get to meet her). Jim Fyfe adds a little comical touch as Barnabas' servant and eventual friend Willie. Lysette Anthony adds tension in her role as the revenge seeking Angelique. And who can forget the stunning and talented Ms. Barbara Steele as Dr. Hoffman. Like I said, she may have been in her fifties by then but don't let that fool you; she still had it!

Then there are the supporting actors and characters, such as legendary leading lady Jean Simmons as matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, "The Invaders" star Roy Thinnes as Roger Collins, Juliana McCarthy as housekeeper Mrs. Johnson, Ely Pouget as town psyche Maggie Evans, Barbara Blackburn as Carolyn Stoddard, and Michael Cavanaugh who, as town sheriff Patterson, does a particularly good job of playing someone who would probably never dream of believing in the things he now confronts! Yet despite all of this, the show was canceled by NBC after only twelve episodes. Why you ask? Well, in '91 the Gulf War happened and because the news wanted to cover it day and night, "Dark Shadows" kept getting pushed around to different nights, which meant people didn't know what night it would be on and as a result, ratings declined (Damn you Saddam!). NBC did receive something like 7,000 letters and had its headquarters picketed by fans, all to no avail. It's all very sad. Even a two hour special to properly end the series would be better than what we got. But that's unlikely now that everyone has aged and moved on and with Curtis' death in 2006. Perhaps if Curtis and co. had focused more on the present setting of the story rather than having half the season devoted to the time traveling story arch the show wouldn't have had so many unresolved elements. Then again, they probably didn't realize that their time would be so short. For what it is though, if you can bear having your heart broken, I recommend "Dark Shadows" (1991) to anyone who wishes to see a beautiful, Gothic series done well. And while I'm at it, here's hoping that maybe, in another time, another place or some parallel universe, "Dark Shadows" (1991) became the hit it should have been. One can dream, can't he?

This series is AMAZING. Ben Cross and Joanna Going are both superb. I remember this on TV when I was 10 years old. I never saw the ending and all these years I never forgot about it and always wanted to see the outcome of the show. Now, 16 years later, remembering how good it was, I found the 3 disc series on my online rental database and watched it all over again. I wish this show would have been bigger and gotten more awards. It certainly deserves it and the story hooks you from the first second to the last episode. My only complaint is the last episode doesn't really leave you with closure but instead leaves questions unanswered and the outcome of the story very vague. But still, it's so worth watching.

As far as one of the actors, after watching her performance, Joanna Going should be a Hollywood Leading Lady on the big screen. She's so beautiful and talented and has an amazing presence on film.

I disagree with the poster above. I thought this revival was a wonderfully imaginative and compelling show. Quite familiar with the original series, I was a bit skeptical when this premiered as to what could they do and how they would update. This revival takes the original story of Barnabas Collins and company which took a year of the daytime show and compacts it into 12 episodes. I have also read the "Dark Shadows Companion" book that they put out when this show originally aired and they were basically using the first season as a springboard to get into different stories. What I liked about this version is that they took the familiar story but added twists and turns not in the original to keep it fresh. Both purists of the original show and new fans will find this very faithful, right down to the creepy original music that Bob Cobert used on the daytime show. I gave the VHS set to a young friend of mine awhile ago and he immediately was captivated as well and he became interested in the original series, which is quite easy to get on DVD. The casting was remarkable because each actor put a great new spin on the material. I also liked the fact that they rolled in other plots from the daytime show to fit into the main plot of Barnabas, Victoria and Dr. Hoffman. I never thought they could replicate what everyone liked about the original series but they managed to do it. This is a great treat for new and old fans alike and a must for any serious collector. My only quibble with the DVD is that there are no extras and that they did not restore the original print, using what looks like an inferior transfer copy from VHS. Not to be missed for the standout performances of Ben Cross, Jim Fife, Joanna Going, Jean Simmons and Barbara Steele.

I will certainly join the critics who complain that there wasn't enough about this show that was original. I will forever wonder why Dan Curtis keeps thinking that telling the same story over again will satisfy the audience that couldn't get enough of the original series; we were hoping for some new stories.

That having been said, the revisions made to the original character relationships were a definite improvement and the program was very well cast. Jonathan Frid is a tough act to follow as Barnabas, but Ben Cross did an excellent job. As for Adrian Paul, the moment I laid eyes on him I knew he was star material. I will admit to having been disappointed that certain female characters, especially Angelique, were inadequately developed.

Another thing about this program that could have been adjusted was allowing the Collins family to have had some earlier generations in the U.S. I suspect that one of the reasons the original series ran out of ideas was the need to keep the time-traveling to discrete generations of the family and, with Barnabas having been born in the second half of the 18th century, they ran out of those rather quickly. This, of course, assumes that he could only go back as far as his original mortal life...

If you enjoyed this show anyway, check out HIGHLANDER [the series, that is]. It gives us Adrian Paul at his best with lots of historical flashbacks.

DARK SHADOWS is a definite "must" for any horror fans to view. I enjoyed every episode and looked forward to each one. The cast is filled with excellent performances, especially from Barbara Steele and Ben Cross. I never did see the old series, but can only say that according to my taste this was really enjoyable horror made with much style. It does not happen very often nowadays that there are given so much attention to style over gore. DARK SHADOWS has a definite "old fashion" look and some would perhaps think this outdated. I realized watching this TV-series that I was pulled into the story line and the characters as each actors pulled off the story with much believability. Vampires, demons, ghosts....they are all here....each driven by the love and passion that made them what they became. That I liked very much about this series. The set designs and customs are very detailed and atmospheric,excellent lighting. If you see all the episodes in one day, there will be definite repeats in sounds effects, dark shadows and thunder/lightning, but this is so typical of the horror genre. Too bad the series did not continue. In my view...and I have seen thousands of horror films, old and new, this is a definite 8 out of 10 stars in my book.