My Halloween Plans
I am looking forward to Halloween more than usual. This year there will be a Dark Shadows cast reunion broadcast on YouTube ! Dark Shadows is one of my all time favorite television shows. Like many people who love the creepier side of things, I was instantly drawn to the gothic stylings of this groundbreaking drama.
I have a bond with so many of the characters. Of course Barnabas Collins is the most famous of the colorful folks in Collinsport. The introduction of Barnabas pushed the series into high gear. Maggie Evans is my big crush. She is the young lady every gentleman wants to rescue. Julia Hoffman transitioned from a rather selfish unlikeable know it all, into someone we can all empathize with. Quentin Collins started off as an evil tormentor. After a little time line alteration, Quentin became a head strong protagonist that always seemed to be on the edge of misfortune. Willie Loomis is, perhaps, the most endearing character of all. His transformation is gripping. Of course all fans look to Professor Stokes for scholarly advice regarding unearthly paradoxes.
There are plenty of people with nefarious intent. I don’t think I’ll ever warm up to Jeb Hawkes. I can’t find any redeeming qualities in Gabriel Collins, Nathan Forbes or that conniving slug Bruno. Without a doubt the most twisted, sadistic bad guy in the history of my life is Count Petofi. I have yelled at that man more than any person that has flashed across my television screen. Angelique, well, that’s a whole different kind of complexity right there.
Through 1,225 episodes the actors portrayed multiple roles. This creates quite an emotional ride for someone like me. Dark Shadows included time travel, parallel time, ghosts, werewolves, vampires, leviathans, mystery, betrayal, love, and so much more.
Series creator, Dan Curtis, drew inspiration from many classic stories including; Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Turn of the Screw, as well as the writings of Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. Most of these tales were set against the backdrop of Collinwood.
Dark Shadows is timeless classic. I have had many conversations with folks over the years and the program made a lasting impression on them as well. I have happily introduced the show to various people over the years. It quickly became a favorite of theirs. Let me take a quick second to remind everyone that the Johnny Depp movie of the same name is an abomination. An iconic show such as Dark Shadows deserves so much more in terms of a motion picture adaptation.
I hope you have a fantastic Halloween. I will be enjoying the Dark Shadows cast reunion (broadcast by (The Quarantine Theater Company)and chowing down on some ghost shaped Reese’s peanut butter cups and Hershey’s tombstone candies. If you don’t catch the Dark Shadows Reunion live, I am sure it will still be accessible to rewatch.
Happy Halloween !
You can revisit Dark Shadows on many streaming services such as Tubi and PlutoTV, as well dvd sets, etc. I love the big coffin DVD set because it has tons of interviews that have been compiled over the years.
*One final note of my Dark Shadows fandom. Two of my black cats are named after Dark Shadows. Barnabas Collins and Angelique Bouchard are my two adorable mini panthers from Collinwood.
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