Morbius Fitzgerald The genre of supernatural TV has grown and expanded to new heights over the past 20 years. Buffy The Vampire Slayer has become a cult icon as has Angel and Supernatural and other shows such as Blade The Series, Witchblade & Lost Girl were not exactly as well received but they have been entertaining to watch. With all these shows about Vampires, Werewolves and even Succubus' it's important to remember the show that jump-started the genre; Dark Shadows.When viewing this show it is important to remember the times of TV back then. Things usually were so cheap that an actor back then couldn't redo his or her line unless the biggest stuff up imaginable happened. Lets say if they were delivering a monologue when walking down a set of stairs. The ONLY situation where the director would ask for a "take two" is if the actor tumbled down the stairs and broke their neck. Its because of this that you might hear "Its an old music boc-box". Also, even though the sets may look cheap by today's standards it was heavily expensive for a daytime soap of that time and you might see microphones in the corner of the frame or a shadow of one. The whole concept of this was not unheard of for TV back then, when Alfred Hitchcock entered TV with "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" Hollywood pretty much put him on the Oscar Blacklist - he would never win an Oscar because he made one little TV show. However it was because of this show - and a few others made around the time; best example I can think of is Star Trek - that TV is now on the same technical level as a normal movie.The above paragraph may seem pointless to some but I'm only 16 years old and consider the above paragraph "selling it to my peers" because with all those technical problems aside, this is a great show.The acting is as good as it can be. Surprisingly there are a few good performances from Jonathan Frid (how could any fan NOT say he was great?), Joan Bennett, Nancy Barrett, John Karlen (at times) and Alexandra Moltke. They are all good but the ones above have little to no stuff ups and the others I've seen either overact or fumble their lines more than the others.You'll see a couple of famous faces such as David Selby, Joan Bennett, Mitch Ryan and Denise Nickerson (Violet Beauregard from Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory).The main part of the show to get you interested is the deep and complex character of Barnabus Collins. That character is the only reason that this show is even famous because he was a villain yet somehow relatable. If you watch the series of episodes where he tries to turn Maggie Evans into Josette Collins you'll want Maggie to escape Barnabus yes but you will also be worried that they'll discover his little secret of being a vampire and if you are properly engaged in the show you wont want that.Overall this show is at times corny. I admit that this show will make you laugh unintentionally at times but it will also be engaging enough to watch and if you like you can throw it on the back-burner because technical faults gone wrong aside, this is a great show.

Scarecrow-88 I picked up the special edition Dark Shadows disc commemorating the Gothic soap featuring episodes celebrating the immortal (pun intended) Barnabas Collins, chosen by popularity. Because IMDb doesn't have an episode listing (boo!), I will have to edit this review with the episodes featured.The first is Episode 221 where Barnabas eyes waitress Maggie, striking up a conversation after the diner has closed. This has dialogue about his wolfshead cane, as the two become acquainted. It is obvious even here Barnabas's intentions, his infatuation with the innocent and sweet Maggie, and how whiny, weak servant Willie expresses his concern for her as his master becomes irritated at his accusations. Barnabas tells her that he is a cousin of Elizabeth Stoddard and will be staying at the decrepit "Old House" near Collins' master house. Maggie's boyfriend, Joe, mentions a near-attack on a local girl and we hear the cries of restless dogs, not to mention, the ominous nature surrounding Barnabas, that palpable menace is established excellently in this great episode. Remember that this is a soap opera so dialogue and performance, as well as, staging, are of particular importance so Dark Shadows won't be for everyone. The inspiration of Dracula is obvious during this period of Dark Shadows, but to the soap's credit, it would eventually evolve beyond this source of vampire lore.Watching Episode 349 just has me yearning for the entire series of Dark Shadows. It concerns an aged Barnabas (the horrifying results of Dr. Julia Hoffman's failed experiments to cure his vampirism) aching from the wrinkled body he now has and how Hoffman tries to convince him to feed from the blood of Victoria Winters in order to regain his youthful appearance. Meanwhile Carolyn Stoddard speaks with both Victoria and Joe about her concerns regarding boy cousin David's fear of Barnabas. Lots of story is covered in this episode but I felt you long to have seen these events covered in conversations. Carolyn is the device who fills us into what has been missed; in particular, David's seeing Sarah, a girl considered fictional, and the complex relationship between Hoffman and Barnabas is noticeable. Willie is in prison, and Carolyn will soon be Barnabas victim, herself to be a vampire. Also, Hoffman's in love with Barnabas so her motivations regarding his using Victoria for a meal has ulterior motives, at the forefront jealousy. It is hard not to envy what is missing while watching this set as huge leaps are taken per episode featured.

babyfir77 I flip flop between Lost in Space and Dark Shadows as my favorite show. Both quite different, but the enjoyment value of viewing the shows is what counts.Dark Shadows is so popular on Facebook. A few of the cast members are found there, as are many role players. There are a few groups dedicated to the show. Awesome!As a child, I began watching the show after the introduction of Barnabas Collins. Of course the ratings went up dramatically after he was written into the show. I got caught up with that and watched the show religiously until the end of the series in April 1971.Those of you reading this and familiar with the show know what I'm talking about. Memorable characters such as Julia Hoffman, Angelique, Nicholas Blair, Adam, Quentin, Willie Loomis, Carolyn, Roger, Elizabeth, Maggie, David, Count Petofi, etc etc.... That's why we watch it. Of course, some ghosts, some other vampires, werewolves.The music.....Robert Cobert, you are a genius.The sets.....likewise, Seymour Tomashoff. Incredible!!Why try to update the show? I couldn't handle the NBC version after maybe 30 minutes. Thank goodness it has arrived on DVD (I do have plenty of VHS tapes....)!!!!!

JustJennings This has to be one of my all time favourite shows! It is true that it is somewhat dated in production, but when one considers that it was produced in the same manner of the soaps of the day, it is outstanding. There are some flaws such as the microphone appearing, the sets shaking, or a missed line, but they do little to detract from the total effect. Many of the lines have become memorable quotes, and I even found some tee shirts with some on them at Zazzle.com! The characters were great, and the writing was excellent. I would love to see a truly great remake of the series without the limitations of the previous filming era, but I doubt it will ever happen.