Out of the Dark Shadows - Part 2

In the second part of my "appreciation" of all things Dark Shadows on DownrightCreepy, I discuss how much I love the 1970 movie version, House of Dark Shadows:

In order to successfully consolidate what occurred over the course of 154 TV episodes into a 97-minute movie, Curtis and screenwriters Sam Hall and Gordon Russell, also Dark Shadows veterans, had to take some liberties with the story. They did a remarkable job of honoring the original series while at the same time producing a stand-alone movie experience. In essence, they eliminated the character of Victoria Winters (actress Alexandra Moltke had left the series by then) and turned the character Maggie Evans into both the Collins family governess and the possible reincarnation of Josette DuPres.

I have dissected House of Dark Shadows scene-by-scene while comparing it to the source material, the story arc first broadcast between 4-17-67 and 10-27-67.  Without getting too detailed, I'm going to attempt to summarize the comparison below.

House of Dark Shadows begins running right out of the gate, not letting opening credits delay the action.  They are superimposed over the first few minutes of the movie.  As it starts, Maggie Evans is looking for David Collins.  In only two to three minutes, this scene accomplishes several things:

·         Establishes that David is a troubled young lad

·         Introduces a new character to the story, Daphne Budd, a secretary working for Elizabeth Collins Stoddard

·         Introduces Willie Loomis, his uncomfortable relationship with Maggie and the clues and motivation he has for treasure-hunting on the Collins estate

·         Introduces Roger Collins and his questionable parenting skills

In the movie, Willie is an employee of the Collins family, not the drifter friend of Jason Maguire, who is not a character in the movie.  However, this does not change Willie's motivations for finding the buried jewels.  He still removes the chains from the coffin and opens it.  At approximately eight minutes into House of Dark Shadows, a hand with a black ring on its index finger reaches up from the coffin and grab's Willie's neck, much like it did in Dark Shadows, the original series.

We soon learn the real reason for the character of Daphne: victim.  On the way to her car, which seems very far away, dogs howl and crows crow.  A first-person shot from the woods tells us that someone is watching her.  She drops her purse and runs to her car.  As she gets in, the passenger door opens and a hand with a black ring on its index finger grabs her neck.  Later, at The Blue Whale, Todd Blake (erroneously listed as Todd Jennings in the credits) hears from a policeman that another woman was found dead and that she was bitten, just like Daphne.  On the TV show, there were no vampire attacks before Barnabas arrived at Collinwood.

The family core is introduced in House of Dark Shadows with similar dynamics as those on Dark Shadows.  However, several characters are introduced in the movie that did not appear until later on TV.  Jeff Clark first appears by discovering Daphne lying bloodless on the road and Professor Elliott Stokes first appears with the family when they meet Barnabas.

Besides the character of Daphne Budd, Todd Blake never appeared on the TV show.  (He most likely takes the place of Joe Haskell.)

In the movie, Julia Hoffman appears earlier than she did in the TV show, as caregiver for Daphne at Collinwood rather than Maggie at Windcliff sanitarium.  She's also acknowledged to be both a doctor and an historian, whereas on TV she masqueraded as an historian to investigate Maggie's condition.

At just over 17 minutes into House of Dark Shadows, a man approaches the Great House.  In a first-person shot that will continue for about two minutes, a hand with a black ring on its index finger pushes the doorbell.  Mrs. Johnson answers the door and lets him in.  While she leaves to tell Elizabeth that he's there, he looks around the drawing room.  His hand presses a key on the organ.  Roger approaches, seen through the curve of a cane handle, "If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it."

"It's an extraordinary likeness," says Elizabeth, "like a portrait come to life."  The camera pans from the painting of Barnabas Collins to the man standing before it: Barnabas Collins.

Click here to watch a compilation of scenes showing the introduction of Barnabas Collins.

Then click here to watch the same introduction as depicted on the original daytime drama.

As told by Barnabas Collins, his backstory is similar in both versions of Dark Shadows:

·         The family has no idea they still had relatives living in England

·         They do know that the original Barnabas Collins went to England in the late-1700s

·         Naomi Collins was the original Barnabas' mother

In House of Dark Shadows, Carolyn becomes Barnabas first vampire “slave” due to her curiosity and skepticism about Barnabas’ arrival.  In Dark Shadows, she is not bitten until after Julia’s cure for Barnabas fails.  Using Carolyn as a jealous “lover” provides an expeditious way to introduce Maggie as the reincarnation of Josette and Barnabas’ infatuation with her.  While this is ultimately bad news for Carolyn because Barnabas must eventually turn her, it is good news for the movie because it provides a vampire that can scare David, bite Todd and then be destroyed in a gruesome staking scene.

The story of Josette DuPres is similar in both versions of Dark Shadows.  Barnabas tells Willie:

I gave her this music box 180 years ago.  This was her room, exactly as it was the night we were to be married.  This was her wedding gown; she never got to wear it.  When we fell in love, Josette and I, I was as you are.  When they put this curse upon me, there was only one way I could have her.  I went to her that night and offered her eternal life, eternal love.  Then she found out what our marriage was to be.  She went to the cliff at Widow’s Hill.  I couldn’t stop her.  I found her body on the rocks below.  And they found me.  My father couldn’t bring himself to destroy me, so he chained me in that coffin for what he thought would be eternity.  Willie, I never thought I’d see her again.  But now I’ve been given a second chance, because tonight I have found her again, Willie.  I have found my Josette and this time there will be that wedding.

Click here to watch a compilation of scenes telling the story of Josette DuPres.

Then click here to watch the same story as depicted on the original daytime drama.

After Carolyn is killed, about 55 minutes into the movie, Julia discovers Barnabas’ secret and convinces him that she can cure him.  As in the series, when Barnabas get impatient about completing his treatment and Julia becomes jealous over his feelings for another woman, the cure backfires and Barnabas is transformed into a withering old man.  To reverse the effect, Barnabas feeds on Maggie.  (Remember, in the TV show, he fed on Carolyn.)  In House of Dark Shadows, the cure sequence is wrapped up in about 25 minutes; in Dark Shadows, it occurred over the course of 61 episodes (288-349).

Click here to watch a compilation of scenes summarizing the cure storyline.

Then click here to watch the same storyline as depicted on the original daytime drama.

In both versions of the cure storyline, Willie at some point warns Maggie to stay away from Barnabas.  This results in Barnabas beating him with his cane.  It is interesting to compare the two examples of Barnabas’ brutality.  Besides the flexibility a movie allows, its sequence demonstrates how Barnabas is portrayed less sympathetically and more as a being of true evil.

It is at this point that comparisons between House of Dark Shadows and its predecessor must end.  That is primarily because in a movie, there must be a conclusion with everything wrapped up tidily.  On the TV show, the characters and stories would continue for years.  The last 15 minutes of House of Dark Shadows is thrilling.  I won’t spoil the ending for those who take my recommendation to watch it; however, I will reiterate how well it brings multiple characters and stories from the television series to a satisfying theatrical conclusion.

Out of the Dark Shadows - Part 1

Leading to the release of the new Dark Shadows movie on May 11, I am writing a series of “appreciations” for Downright Creepy.  The first one discusses the original series, which ran on ABC for approximately five years beginning on June 27, 1966.  While those essays are general overviews of the show with a lot of personal opinions, I’d like to use this forum to dig into the details of its characters and stories in a more factual way.

Pre-Barnabas Collins (Episodes 1-210)

I imagine most people believe the character of vampire Barnabas Collins is synonymous with Dark Shadows.  However, he was not even mentioned until episode 202 and did not physically appear until episode 211.  What happened for almost a year before he appeared?

During the summer of 1966, young Victoria Winters travels by train to the small fishing village of Collinsport, Maine.  She has been hired by the wealthy Collins family to be governess to troubled 9-year old, David Collins.  He and his father, Roger Collins, and 18-year old cousin, Carolyn Stoddard, live in the Great House at Collinwood with Roger’s sister, Elizabeth Collins-Stoddard, the matriarch of the Collins family.  Elizabeth has not left the estate since the disappearance of her husband, Paul Stoddard, 18-years ago. 

Victoria grew up in a New York foundling home and hopes in Collinsport to find some clues to her real identity.  Handsome mystery man Burke Devlin and waitress Maggie Evans warn her to stay away from the Collins family.  It’s no wonder:

·       David, resentful of Roger’s plans to send him away, attempts to kill him by sabotaging his car.

·       Matthew Morgan kidnaps Victoria when she learns that he killed Bill Malloy, the manager of the Collins fishing fleet.  Locked in the Old House at Collinwood, the ghost of Josette DuPres protects her from harm and Morgan ultimately dies from fright after seeing the ghost of Bill Malloy.

·       David’s mother, Laura, unexpectedly arrives at Collinwood.  She is a Phoenix who has returned to claim her son and lure him into the flames.

·       Burke Devlin finds evidence from Sam Evans (Maggie’s father) that Roger was responsible for the car accident that sent him to prison for five years.  Roger had paid Sam to keep quiet about it.

·       Jason Maguire, the unscrupulous friend of Elizabeth’s missing husband, appears at Collinwood and blackmails Elizabeth into letting him stay at Collinwood.  He apparently knows something about Paul Stoddard’s disappearance.

·       Willie Loomis, the drifter friend of Jason Maguire, arrives in Collinsport, causing trouble at every turn.  Joining Maguire as another unwelcome guest at Collinwood, he becomes obsessed with the jewelry in a portrait of Barnabas Collins.  Believing that Collins ancestors were buried with their treasures, he goes to the Collins mausoleum at Eagle’s Hill cemetery to rob their graves…

The Introduction of Barnabas Collins (Episodes 211-220)

Willie Loomis discovers a hidden room in the Collins mausoleum.  When he removes the chains from a coffin inside the room, a hand reaches out and grabs him by the neck.

Barnabas Collins arrives at Collinwood, introducing himself as a cousin from England.  The family notices a striking resemblance to the portrait of the original Barnabas Collins and gives him permission to move into the Old House with Willie as his servant.  Speaking to the portrait of Josette in the Old House, Barnabas declares that he has come home to stay.

Click here to watch a compilation of scenes showing the introduction of Barnabas Collins.

The Story of Josette DuPres  (Episodes 221-261)

Barnabas Collins meets Maggie Evans at the Collinsport Inn and believes she is the reincarnation of his long-lost love, Josette DuPres.  After drinking her blood on several occasions, he takes her to the Old House and tells her that she will become Josette.  This continues for several episodes, with Maggie escaping, being found by Barnabas and then being locked in a cell in the basement of the Old House.  At one point, she pretends to be Josette in an attempt to save her life, but ends up at Windcliff Sanitarium with only her father and Dr. Woodard knowing that she’s alive.

Click here to watch a compilation of scenes telling the story of Josette DuPres, including Barnabas’ stormy night tale of her fate nearly 200 years ago.

If at once you don’t succeed… (Episodes 277-365)

Believing Maggie Evans to be dead, Barnabas Collins now turns his attention to governess Victoria Winters and becomes the romantic rival of Burke Devlin.  At a costume party, Burke dresses as Jeremiah Collins, who was Barnabas’ rival for Josette DuPres nearly 200 years ago.  Barnabas makes various attempts to woo Vicky and transform her into Josette.

The Arrival of Dr. Julia Hoffman (Episodes 265-287)

Dr. Julia Hoffman is introduced at Windcliff Sanitarium where she is caring for Maggie Evans after her ordeal with vampire Barnabas Collins.  Posing as a family historian, she insinuates herself into Collinwood to search for clues about what happened to Maggie.  Over the course of the series, she will become close friend and confidant of Barnabas Collins.  However, in her early episodes, she is forced to spend most of her time doing the dirty work required to protect his secret.  There’s a LOT of hypnosis involved.

The Cure (Episodes 288-350)

At the Old House, Julia Hoffman discovers that Barnabas Collins casts no reflection.  When he finds out that she has learned his secret, he tries to kill her; however, she convinces him that she can cure him.  At some point, she becomes extremely jealous of Victoria Winters and frequently tries to sabotage her relationship with Barnabas.  When Barnabas pressures her to give him a massive treatment to cure his vampirism, she does so, but it backfires and he is transformed into a withering old man.  It lasts only for a couple episodes, however, as he soon drinks from Carolyn Stoddard and his condition is reversed.

Click here to watch acompilation of scenes depicting the cure storyline.

The Ghost of Sarah Collins (Episodes 255-365)

While imprisoned in a cell in the basement of the Old House, Maggie is frequently visited by the ghost of Sarah Collins.  She eventually helps Maggie escape her prison, and, later, from Windcliff Sanitarium.  Young David Collins’ repeated attempts to find Sarah result in him being trapped in the secret room of the Collins mausoleum.  But she saves his life when Barnabas, believing David knows his secret, tries to kill him.

The entire arc of Dark Shadows that began with the introduction of Barnabas Collins ends 154 episodes later with a séance in episode 365.  The ghost of Sarah Collins has become such a mystery for many members of the Collins family, that they attempt to contact her spirit.  During the séance, there is a blackout and Victoria Winters disappears…

And that, dear friends, is only the beginning.  Over time, I hope to gradually share more of the saga and make more compilation videos for you to enjoy.

What about everyone else?!?

While the adventures of Barnabas Collins were the focus of much of Dark Shadows, he was not present in every episode.  There were concurrent storylines affecting other characters:

Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Episodes 210-273).  Maintaining his hold over her, Jason Maguire informs Elizabeth that they will be married.  This drives a wedge between her and her daughter, Carolyn.  Elizabeth confesses to governess Victoria Winters that she killed her husband, Paul Stoddard, and is twice driven to commit suicide by jumping from Widow’s Hill.  It turns out that Elizabeth did not kill her husband; instead, Jason helped him escape.  Elizabeth ultimately insists that Jason be allowed to leave Collinwood without prosecution, never to return???

Carolyn Stoddard (210-273).  Spends many episodes trying to learn what hold Jason Maguire has over her mother, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard.  When a marriage is announced, she threatens to marry a hippie motorcyclist and then plans to shoot Jason at the wedding.  When that storyline is resolved (see above), she spends the rest of the overall arc as slave to vampire Barnabas Collins.

Burke Devlin (293-345).  The romance between Burke Devlin and governess Victoria Winters heats up as they discuss marriage and Burke participates in a public competition with Barnabas Collins.  Burke eventually suspects Barnabas and becomes young David Collins’ confidant.  In episode 345, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard receives word that Burke’s plane has crashed, but Victoria refuses to believe he is dead.