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Crappy film

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Well, be careful of what you wish for Nancy Barrett (Carolyn). Jonathan Frid (Barnabas) is in town and he's got something on his mind. He's a lot older than you think and he wants to marry Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie) who reminds him of a former bride.This vampire story is actually alright in terms of vampire films. It just doesn't make sense and that ruins it for me. Sometimes, people are bitten and nothing happens, other times they become vampires. It's totally inconsistent and therefore totally dumb. What is going on? It's also pretty confusing at the beginning – who's who? It's not a bloodfest, which scores points for me, it does have its scary moments and it delivers an appropriate setting and atmosphere. I wanted to like it more, though.

There has never been any other single daytime TV program like "Dark Shadows", the creation of producer Dan Curtis, which ran on ABC-TV from 1966 to 1971. What began as a typical soap opera instead evolved into a Gothic melodrama that would involve ghosts, zombies, and, most of all, a vampire named Barnabas Collins. It was the first time that horror had invaded daytime television, and it may have been too unique, since it hasn't been done again in any way, shape, or form on daytime television. Yes, it was a very low budget undertaking; the sets were threadbare; and the acting was what you'd expect for any other soap opera, even one literally full of cobwebs. Nevertheless, it was on for five years, with an astounding 1,225 episodes being aired in the afternoon hours for those five years. And Curtis, realizing how the show was gaining a cult audience unheard of among soap opera fans, decided to make two big-screen films from it. The first of these was HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS, released in 1970.Using many of the characters and actors that regularly appeared in the TV serial itself, HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS sees the 175 year-old vampire Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) being unwisely released from his resting place by a callow undertaker (John Karlen), and he goes to the Collinwood estate to cause all manner of vampiric mayhem on the Collins family. He introduces himself as a cousin from England, but he pretty soon proves to be much more than that, first killing off the secretary (Lisa Blake Richards) to Collinwood matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Joan Bennett). This leads off to many other ghoulish things, as anyone bitten by Frid comes back to life as a vampire as well. A nominally related sequel to the film, NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS, would follow in 1971; but by that time, the series itself had come to an end, awaiting syndication revivals in the 1980s and beyond.The ironic thing is that the release of HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS in the late summer of 1970 may have partially hastened the demise of the TV series itself. Due to the very low budget of the series, and the restrictions placed on television during the late 1960s and early 1970s, much of what went on was largely implied, or given Gothic flourishes (cobwebs; fog; sometimes nourish photography). But even though the budget for HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS wasn't exactly big either, at just $750,000, Curtis, freed from TV censorship restrictions, was able to show a lot more in the way of sex and violence, especially in Frid's bloodthirsty activities. And while nothing in this film even comes remotely close to HOSTEL/SAW-type torture porn, the biting and staking scenes as such were nevertheless quite hair-raising, bloody, and horrific for their time. The series' ratings decline may have been due to the fact that parents discouraged their young kids from seeing it after the film's release, owing to the much more explicit material of the film.Curtis went on to make a number of very solid made-for-TV horror films, notably 1972's THE NIGHT STALKER, 1973's THE NIGHT STRANGLER, 1975's TRILOGY OF TERROR, and a very good 1974 adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula (with Jack Palance as the world's best-known bloodsucker), all of which were scripted by the legendary Richard Matheson. He also went on to do some miniseries work for TV ("The Winds Of War") and the 1976 feature horror film BURNT OFFERINGS. But HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS, despite its low-budget flaws, nevertheless distinguishes itself as a thoroughly unique horror film, especially of the vampire genre, of the early 1970s, much as the series that spawned it remains, again with all its flaws in mind, one of the most unique TV shows ever put on the air.

To be perfectly honest, I liked this film. If you know what to expect from 1970's vampire horror, you would enjoy this. If you don't know, watch an episode of the original show and the movie "The Vampire Lovers" and you'll know EXACTLY what to expect.The plot is actually ripped out of one from the original show, luckily it just so happened to be my favourite plot; the kidnap of Maggie Evans.My only complaint with this film is basically fanboy "this character shouldn't do this!", If you want some examples; Carolyn dies 30 minutes in, Roger becomes a vampire, Victoria is never even mentioned in this one (this is probably my #1 biggest problem). The one that I liked is that Willie Loomis actually kills Barnabus. I'm not even joking. I get tired of Willie on the original show, all he did was worry. He actually took a stand against the Evil Barnabus.I actually also thought this film did have decent horror build up. I mentioned a film called "The Vampire Lovers" earlier but in that film I got the impression to feel sorry for Carmilla. In this, Curtis actually made you not feel any sympathy for Barnabus. Why? His plan is sick.Overall this film is no masterpiece but take it for what its worth, a well made 1970's vampire film (which, no offense, is quite rare).

HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS is my favorite vampire movie of all time. Better than the old black and whites from the early days of the movies, better than the genuinely frightening Hammer movies of the 1960s, and much better than the more recent contemporary takes aimed at the high school set.As a child, and a fan of the DARK SHADOWS daytime drama, one of my happier family memories is one night the whole family packed up the car and went to the drive-in for a crazy quadruple feature. HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS was the main attraction, and therefore the last to play, following a GODZILLA movie and THE GREEN SLIME (plus one more I can't recall). All these years later, I still watch it (on laser disc, as there is not yet a DVD), and I'm happy to say that, for me, it is a movie that remains enjoyable, rather than being better relegated to my childhood memories.Jonathan Frid plays Barnabas Collins with great class, creating a sympathetic vampire eons before such a characterization would become commonplace. Granted, the TV incarnation was portrayed as more guilt-ridden, whereas the film version was, due to the tightened focus of the storyline, more single-minded about his pursuits. Some fans do not care for the graphic blood-letting and viciousness present in the movie, though that pretty much has to be expected. In any case, it is nothing like the gore that is popular with audiences today. It IS more violent, though, and Barnabas' most brutal attack in the movie actually doesn't even involve fangs! The other cast members have honed their characters to perfection after years of playing on the TV soap. You could say they all had the longest rehearsal period in movie history, in a way! Some perform better than others, but seeing so many favorites on the big screen is definitely a treat. The sets are sumptuous, a huge step up from the stage bound look of the TV show, and liberal use of music from the soap works beautifully. There are plenty of exciting and genuinely suspenseful scenes, with many of the best moments contributed by Grayson Hall as the doctor who is certain she can help Barnabas through modern science.The movie may not be perfect, but only in minor ways. It could be argued that there are way too many characters, for example, or that too many bodies start piling up after a certain point in the plot, but I still give the film 10 out of 10 due to the overall brilliance of the acting, atmosphere, and success in bringing Barnabas to the big screen. Furthermore, I'm thrilled that the treatment was not deliberately campy.All in all, we are lucky the movie was not only made, but was successful. It introduces the cult favorite vampire and his brooding family to new generations regularly, by existing outside the original daytime drama. At the same time, it keeps the memory of the 1960s soap opera alive, renewing fervor in the fans who were there at the beginning. I'm not looking forward to the announced DARK SHADOWS movie from Tim Burton, but even that will boost interest in the original series and movie, so let it happen. Long live Barnabas Collins!