PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Brace yourselves, I have a confession to make. You might want to sit down for this one. Are you ready? Okay, here goes: I was not always the insatiable fan of horror that I am today. Once you’ve taken a few moments to properly collect yourselves up off the floor, we’ll move along. As a child, I always felt drawn to and fascinated by matters of the macabre, but I was easily frightened, and I didn’t have the stomach for the blood, guts, and gore. I wasn’t quite ready to take a stroll down Elm Street with Freddy, or brave the woods of Crystal Lake with Jason, but I was enraptured by classic horror and science fiction television, shows like The Twilight Zone (read our retro review here) and Lost in Space.
Before rebranding as SyFy in 2009 and bombarding us with movies about shark-infused tornadoes, the channel began in 1992 as The Sci-Fi Channel, and they specialized in beloved classic horror and science fiction programming. The aforementioned The Twilight Zone and Lost in Space, plus Night Gallery, Tales From the Darkside, The Bionic Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man, even Star Trek. It was here as a youngster just starting junior high (yeah, yeah, I’m old) that I fell head over heels in love with a show that would forever change my life … a show called Dark Shadows.
The show premiered in June of 1966 as a gothic soap opera. Dark Shadows the series was always shrouded in an ominous air of mystery and intrigue, but it never originally set out to be horror. Unfortunately, it was initially met with very poor reaction, and was on the verge of cancellation. But all that massively changed with the introduction of a new resident to the house of Collinwood: the reluctant vampire, Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid). Barnabas completely shattered the mold for Hollywood vampires at that time, showing genuine remorse for the lives he hurt. He could be sinister and devious, but almost purely out of self-preservation, he fed to survive. A vampire with a sensitive side, and audiences couldn’t get enough. The success of Barnabas turned the show in a whole different direction, bringing all manner of supernatural to the table. Dark Shadows became a cult phenomenon, with children literally rushing home after school to never miss an episode. The show was groundbreaking, bringing what would normally be considered more adult appropriate spooky subject matter to daytime television, and both grownups and children alike were lapping it up with glee.
It was no surprise with the show’s monster success that MGM came courting Director Dan Curtis (Burnt Offerings 1976) for a feature film, and thus House of Dark Shadows (1970) was born. With Curtis assuming the director’s chair, the film adaptation borrowed heavily from the show, featuring some of the more memorable storylines and iconic scenes being recreated, but with much more polish.
In the film, groundskeeper Willie Loomis (Dark Shadows’ John Karlen) makes the grave mistake of opening Barnabas’ chained coffin. Able to walk freely amongst the living once again, Barnabas begins a new reign of terror on the Collins estate. However, he’s taken aback when he meets the family’s governess, Maggie Evans (Kathryn Leigh Scott: The Last Days Of Patton 1986). Bearing a striking resemblance to his long lost love, Josette, Barnabas becomes absolutely smitten.
Desperate to win Maggie’s heart, he enlists the aid of Dr. Julia Hoffman (Grayson Hall: The Darn Cat! 1965). Having studied the bite marks inflicted on his victims, Julia has produced a serum she believes could cure Barnabas and make him human again. But when the serum backfires and causes him to age at an accelerated rate, an incensed Barnabas attacks Julia, before deciding to turn Maggie into a vampire so she can spend eternity with him as the new Josette. It becomes a race against time for the family to save Maggie and themselves, and stop Barnabas at any cost.
A ton of other characters from the show are prominently featured as well: Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Joan Bennett: Suspiria 1977 – read our retro review here), Carolyn Stoddard (Nancy Barrett: The Doctors TV series), Roger Collins (Louis Edmonds: All My Children TV series), Professor Stokes (Thayer David: Rocky 1976), Jeff Clark (Roger Davis: Alias Smith and Jones TV series), David Collins (David Henesy: The Waltons TV series), and more.
House of Dark Shadows proved to be a massive hit. MGM almost immediately tapped Curtis for a followup film. However, not everyone was so keen on the idea of a sequel. Disappointed in the direction of House Of Dark Shadows, Jonathan Frid refused to reprise the role of Barnabas again on the big screen, a move that infuriated the filmmaker. Without his fanged frontman, Dan used Night of Dark Shadows (1971) to showcase two of the other most popular characters from the show: Quentin Collins (David Selby: Falcon Crest TV series), and the witch, Angelique (Lara Parker: Race with the Devil – 1975). While I personally preferred Night of Dark Shadows to its predecessor—largely due to its completely original storyline—it was considerably less successful.
That’s not to say I don’t massively enjoy House of Dark Shadows. Initially, I was baffled at the decision to rehash scenes and stories from the show. But the major selling point of the film is in the change in attitude of Barnabas. House of Dark Shadows dares to explore how different the show might have played out if Barnabas embraced his vampirism instead of reviling it. This turn for the darker side makes the film a separate entity all its own.
While it was certainly geared towards fans of the show, who would recognize the names and faces, a person who had never seen the series could watch House of Dark Shadows and wouldn’t feel completely lost. The characters aren’t quite as fleshed out as in the show, and the film’s rather brisk runtime of only an hour and 37 minutes doesn’t allow much time for character development. Still, it captures all the intoxicating magic, romance, and mysticism that made the show so utterly mesmerizing, while allowing for more blood and a higher body count than daytime television would allow.
While the doors of Collinwood in the original series sealed shut for the final time on April 2, 1971, after a nearly 5 year run and 1,245 episodes, much like its most beloved blood-sucking character, the story of Dark Shadows simply refused to stay buried. In addition to the series’ two film spinoffs, the show would also inspire a surprisingly solid one season revival series in 1991, and a 2012 film adaptation directed by Tim Burton, featuring an all-star cast fronted by Johnny Depp in the role as Barnabas. However, the film completely missed the mark, indulging in campy comedy rather than seriousness. But one poetically beautiful aspect of the film I truly adore; Burton cast Jonathan Frid for a small cameo role. It would be his final onscreen appearance ever, as he would pass away on April 14 of 2012 at the age of 87.
Even after all these years, the tale of Barnabas and his Dark Shadows continues to hold a near and dear place in the hearts of millions around the world. In the same way it became a staple for young people when it first aired, it held me captivated as a youngster nearly 3 decades later. As I’m now approaching 40, I can emphatically say that it’s still my absolute favorite television show of all time. The foreboding atmosphere, the richness of the characters, and enthralling storyline cast a seductive spell that was completely irresistible. House of Dark Shadows, now celebrating its 50th anniversary, perfectly captured the essence of the show, while dragging audiences on a menacing descent into madness.
If you’ve never experienced the enchanting magic of House Of Dark Shadows, I would urge you to seek it out any way that you can. But be forewarned … once you step foot inside this house, you just might never want to leave.
