How to Start Watching Dark Shadows

Horror television fans have almost certainly heard of the kitschy 1966-71 soap opera Dark Shadows. In this early television tape-over era that saw the loss of classic Doctor Who and The Avengers episodes, it’s unique that Dark Shadows’ 1,225 episodes have survived, thanks mostly to black and white Kinescope copies or other audio and home recordings. However, those poor production values and today’s short attention span can make Dark Shadows a daunting series to marathon for newcomers curious about the vampires, werewolves, witches, seances, bemusing same day tape errors, and rubber bats on a stick. Looking for some help? Here are five options on how viewers can jump into ABC’s perennial gothic soap.

Start at the Beginning

Dark Shadows’ DVD collections and streaming seasons begin with the introduction of Jonathan Frid’s vampire Barnabas Collins in Episode 210 – almost a year into the series. To save the soap from cancellation, Barnabas is unleashed from his coffin to terrorize the local ladies. The storylines alternate between his kidnapping of waitress Maggie Evans (Kathryn Leigh Scott) to be his vampire bride and more soap style plots with governess Victoria Winters (Alexandra Moltke) searching for her parentage and matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard’s (Joan Bennett) blackmail before the surprising frights and vampire cures became a daytime phenomenon.

Or start at the actual Beginning

Completists can “Begin the Beguine” with the Dark Shadows: The Beginning sets and Episode Numero Uno, witnessing the more traditional soap opera mysteries and original gothic focus from creator Dan Curtis. Instead of later fantastical fly by night special effects, this early year has on location footage and outdoor filming. Granted, the what’s in the basement secrets and rival Collinsport fishing enterprises can be slow. Little David Collins (David Henesy) loses an incriminating pen and tampers with a brake valve to kill his father Roger Collins (Louis Edmunds) and everyone spends ten more episodes talking about said drama. There is, however already a supernatural undercurrent thanks to helpful ghosts, wailing widows on the cliff, and even a phoenix – a fiery immortal mother come to collect her son.

Party like it’s 1795!

After a séance gone wrong, Victoria Winters travels through time to 1795 for ill fated marriages, duels, witches, fanatics, and curses. Her unaware point of view in lovelorn Barnabas’ vampire origin story works for new viewers as the ensemble resets in playing their lookalike ancestors. Witches turning people into humorously uncooperative cats is probably silly. Some of the fortune hunter plots away from the witch trials late in this 94 episode flashback lose steam, too. Fortunately, surprisingly good period panache accents Barnabas’ sympathetic turn from vampire villain to Dark Shadows hero. This storyline is also consolidated in the three hour omnibus Dark Shadows: The Vampire Curse.

Collection 11 – not a Typo

My favorite part of Dark Shadows is the 1897 flashback height featuring David Selby’s Quentin Collins first as a possessive ghost a la The Taming of The Shrew – also collected in the Dark Shadows: The Haunting of Collingwood compilation – and then as a Victorian werewolf with a Dorian Gray portrait. Starting here avoids the messy Frankenstein’s Monster homage as well as the cumulative Dream Curse merry-go-round – getting right to the who’s got the will suspense, zombies, evil boarding schools, psychics, and doppelgangers. This the series’ longest time jump at 183 episodes remains an action-packed period piece melodrama with something wild in every 22 minute episode thanks to body swapping warlocks and silver bullet shootouts.

Try House of Dark Shadows

For audiences apprehensive of Dark Shadows’ reputation for falling down sets and dialogue flubs, this 1970 film directed by Dan Curtis redoes the Barnabas introduction with much more Hammer Horror-esque style, blood, and gore. The local cops are ready to battle victim turned vampire Carolyn Stoddard (Nancy Barrett) with crosses and stakes, and on location filming at Lyndhurst Castle provides sublime gothic atmosphere to the lavish costume ball, undead weddings, crossbows, and bats. A second 1971 film, Night of Dark Shadows, falters due to recut editing creating confusion amid the dreamy ghosts and reincarnation perils. Nonetheless, this ethereal tale is also a fun late night watch similar to the series’ lesser seen Parallel Time plot.

Diving full price into the complete Dark Shadows coffin box set can certainly hurt one’s wallet if they aren’t fully invested in the series. However, these days, free streaming options make it easy to see Dark Shadows. It’s fascinating to have a daily soap opera that was meant to air once and never again to be so readily available on free apps like Tubi, Pluto TV, and Freevee. Truly, there’s no reason for any fan of gothic horror and any manner of monster to not watch Dark Shadows!

stills courtesy of American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)

Featured image credit: Bob Wands / AP Photo

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Kristin Battestella

Kristin Battestella writes articles, editorials, and reviews for several websites, magazines, and print publications including I Think, Therefore I Review and Search Magazine. Previously a traditionally published author of speculative fiction and the Fate and Fangs vampire novels, Kristin’s DIY Halloween how-tos and Kbatz Krafts articles have been featured at http://HorrorAddicts.net and in two Horror Addicts Guide to Life anthologies. In addition to sewing and @KbatzReviews Youtube vlogs; Kristin can be heard on the Women InSession podcast at http://InSessionFilm.com alongside her written classic film discourse. Kristin is also active in the local author community, having chaired writing events and conferences with the South Jersey Women Authors.

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