La casa dei vampiri

'Dark Shadows' is one of those shows that wholly deserves its popularity and its reputation as a classic. There are a few films based on it, and while they're all watchable in varying ways quality-wise they're mixed.

By far the best of them is this, 'House of Dark Shadows'. To me also, it's the only film to be as good as the show, not quite on the same level but almost as good. Its only real problems are some characters not given enough screen time or development, especially Elizabeth and Maggie, and Joan Bennett being very underused as Elizabeth that she doesn't shine anywhere near as much as in the show.

'House of Dark Shadows' however is visually an improvement over the show's production values, with the exception of a couple of goofs and bloopers which didn't hurt the film at all. The production and costume design are lavish and splendidly Gothic, and it's all photographed stunningly and boasts some surprisingly good special effects. The music is suitably moody, and evokes a real eeriness.

The script has a good balance of the funny and the tense, and the story is never dull, is always fun and has some real nerve-shredding tension and bone-chilling shock. The highlight was the somewhat poetic ending, which is also a masterclass in sheer galvanising horror and incredible Gothic imagery. There is a good deal of gore, but it's used chillingly and is never overused or gratuitous. Dan Curtis directs beautifully and intelligently, never once undermining the tension, suspense or horror and doesn't make the mistakes of not having enough of either or over-crowding the film with them.

Most of the characters are interesting, particularly Barnabas and Julia, and the wonderful chemistry between the actors in the show translates every bit as wonderfully here. The acting is uniformly good, with only Bennett not shining as much as she could have done due to being so underused. Jonathan Frid is terrifyingly magnetic, while Grayson Hall, Thayer David and Nancy Barrett are particularly strong in support.

All in all, by far the best of the 'Dark Shadows' films and the only one to be as good as the show. 8/10 Bethany Cox

HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS (1970) is the movie-house version of the then popular Gothic Soap Opera. The film's plot is a re-tracing of the TV series. Willie Loomis (John Karlen), while robbing a New England crypt, accidently awakens 200 year old vampire Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid's moment of immortality!) Barnabas comes upon his modern descendants as a "long lost relative from England" leaving out the one little detail about being 200 years old. In the meantime, he is secretly feasting on victims. He enjoys a temporary cure, via a local doctor. What makes this film unique is how this murderous vampire is worthy of sympathy, the tender but extremely haunting encounter the pre-teen Collins boy has with his dead sister, and the rather doomsday style climax. This gem came at a time when decent horror films were a rarity. (Relaxed censorship let about 90% of the horror directors depend more on gore and sex).

This is one of the best horror films of the '70's, and certainly the best vampire flick of that decade. Based on the highly successful supernatural soap opera DARK SHADOWS, this feature film version of the ever popular series recounts the resurrection of Barnabas Collins(Jonathan Frid), a 175-year-old vampire who passes himself off as a modern-day descendant of the Collins clan. While staying at the Gothic Collinwood estate, Barnabas becomes entranced by a beautiful governess(Kathryn Leigh Scott) who bears a striking resemblance to his long-lost love, Josette, and determines to make the young woman his new bride. Few films based on Tv shows work, but HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS is an exception to that rule and like the TV series on which it is based, HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS has developed into a cult classic over the years. Like its sequel, 1971's NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS, the film is currently under restoration. There are several sequences from both films missing. Hopefully, the generally unfavorable opinion of NIGHT will change once all of the missing footage has been recovered, and the film will then rank right up there along with its predecessor like it should.

In 1966, the soap opera Dark Shadows debuted with a most unusual villain and heartthrob - Jonathan Frid as Barnabus Collins the vampire, freed from his coffin prison of almost two hundred years by Willy Loomis, the Collins handyman in search of the fabled Collins jewels. This is also how he is introduced in the film.

I watched the television show in reruns when it appeared on afternoon TV in 1976. Frid is a most unconventionally attractive man, but he has class and style, and he is most magnetic. Frid introduces himself to the Collins clan as Barnabus, a distant cousin who has been living in England. He takes up residence in "the old house" - the Collins family home as it existed when Barnabus was "alive" - and fixes it up to restore it to its former glory. This allows Barnabus to have his vampire existence without prying eyes. Here as in the TV show, the main line of the plot is that Barnabus becomes attracted to Maggie, a servant to the Collins family, because she is a body double to Josette, the girl he was to have married until his vampire existence and Josette's death got in the way.

This is mainly going to be of interest to people who remember the TV show or who have spent time watching the TV show in the years since it went off the air, because it is there all of the character development is put in place. The original cast, though, does a terrific job of recreating the atmosphere and the magic in the short feature film time frame that they have. There are a couple of odd casting decisions though. Onr of those is Dennis Patrick playing the sheriff here. In the TV show the same actor played Jason McGuire, a shady character and a very hissable villain who blackmailed Elizabeth Collins.

Standouts are John Karlen as Willy Loomis - he is a great modern Renfield without the appetite for insects - and Thayer David as Professor Stokes. He really does remind me of classic Hollywood actor Sydney Greenstreet. Too bad he died so young. But of course, the centerpiece is Jonathan Frid as Barnabus. I believe him when he erupts into uncontrollable anger and violence and I believe him when he is a romantic, marveling at how beautiful the trees look glistening in the sunlight. How is a vampire able to be outside in the daytime? Watch and find out.

The shining glory of Producer/Director Dan Curtis's career came in 1983 when he transformed Herman Wouk's acclaimed World war 2 novel "The Winds of War" into an epic television miniseries. But it was during the late 60s and 70s that Curtis originally became a known and respected commodity in hollywood. During that time, Curtis was responsible for the creation of several suprisingly effective "B" horror films.

Minor classics like "The Night Stalker"...."The Night Strangler"....."Scream of wolf" are must see nostalgia pieces for true fans of the Genre. His 1971 semi-gothic effort "House of Dark shadows" also ranks high on the list of Curtis's early cinematic achievements.

The film is based on the unquestioned most popular segment of the old daytime TV series, "Dark Shadows". For those that don't know..."Dark Shadows" was a struggling 60s daytime soap opera concerning the dulling exploits of a boorish super rich New England family....the Collin's. After a season of well worn plots about family infighting and powerstruggles the show was on verge of being canceled. That's when series creator....Curtis....came up with a radical idea. Introduce supernatural elements into the show.

Soon the shows focus drifted from standard issue soap opera melodrama into a detailed examination of Collins family's haunted past. Over the next five years, Dan Curtis brought to light virtually every family Skeleton.....often literally. The seemingly eternally cursed clan's estate....Collinwood...was to play host to various unwanted preternatural ghouls who in one way or another were connected to the family. Among the collection of these occult charactors were: Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, Wizards, Demons, Artifically created men and women, Ghosts, Headless entities.....just to name a few.

When Dark Shadows faded from the afternoon scene in 1971....its ever loyal fans cried for more. Curtis responded with with pair of post series movies....and some 20 years later....a prime time sequel series. The first of these films efforts being the aforementioned 'House of Darkshadows'. In the recreation process the noted director quite capably revived and enhanced many of numberous supernatural elements that made the old serial popular....while offering up far superior production values.

In house of Dark Shadows the audience is privy to the scheme of a wily caretaker who happens upon a map he believes leads to an ancient treasure buried on the grounds of Collinwood. The map brings him to the Collins family crypt where rather than treasure, the caretaker accidentally releases something dark from its eternal bondage.

That same night a young woman is attacked at the main gate of the estate. Left comatose from loss of blood caused by mysterious twin puncture wounds on her neck.....the girl can provide no clue to the nature of her attacker. But soon other victims start to pop up...similarly wounded and minus a few pints of plasma.

A pair of learned locals conclude a vampire is responsible for the attacks. The authorities and Collin's family....quite naturally scoff at the notion. They prefer to believe an unknown type of animal or a madman is behind the attacks. However, the doubters soon change their tune when a Collins family member on the intruders menu is killed and eventually returns from the grave as one of the living dead.

The supernatural nature of the killer revealed....the police are soon scurrying about the area with crosses and stakes....while almost the entire Collins family are armed with cross bows and stringing up enough garlic to corner the market.

While terror reigns supreme at Collinwood, the family has no way of knowing the perpetrator of this unspeakable villainy is dwelling unsuspected within their midst.

By todays standard "House of Dark Shadows" might seem somewhat hokey with its max factor fangs and cherry syrup blood. But for its time, it was quality achievement and even now it provides something rarely seen.....a well written horror film with some into classic gothic overtones added into the mix.