Customer Reviews

The Dark Shadows Almanac: Millennium Edition

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

The original edition of the "Dark Shadows Almanac" proved extremely popular with fans, and for many of them contemplating purchasing this update, there will be concern that the new edition fails to offer sufficient new material. However, in spite of my general dislike of rehashed titles, I find the "Dark Shadows Almanac: Millenium Edition" to be an exemplary title, which will doubtless be treasured by enthusiasts of the series.

If the previous book felt somewhat uncohesive, with its broad mixture of facts, trivia and tributes, this book succeeds in feeling genuinely more authoritative, with a much heavier leaning towards the factual. While the book has smaller dimensions than its parent, its hugely increased word and page count helps make it far more substantial than the original. The typesetting and design is also a great improvement.

Of the original fan and alumni tributes, only those of David Selby and scenic designer Sy Tomashoff remain. In their place are new chapters from Kathryn Leigh Scott, Chris Pennock, Denise Nickerson, cameraman Stuart Goodman and Lara Parker, who provides an enthusiastic commentary on her 1998 "Dark Shadows" novel "Angelique's Descent". Bringing the show's story to the present day is a genuinely compelling chapter from Darren Gross, detailing his recent recovery of the lost director's cut of the spin-off film "Night of Dark Shadows".

Photographically, this is easily the strongest series guide ever published, with only a handful of its photographs having seen print previously. Unlike the original "Almanac", which relied heavily on amateur snapshots to provide illustration, the new book boasts a genuine wealth of quality photographic content. Aided by excellent reproduction, particularly in the vibrant colour section, the pictorial element alone is worth the purchase price, and will not leave even the most seasoned of fans disappointed.

Ultimately, though a few minor errors have crept across from the original, this book manages to genuinely justify its new edition, drawing and building upon the parent book's strengths and in both style and content. Entering a library which could be accused of being dangerously close to satuaration, it is heartening that the "Dark Shadows Almanac: Millennium Edition" allays these fears by proving itself a definitive guide to a classic series.

When I was a young lad, I used to run home from school to watch Dark Shadows, that most excellent Gothic horror television program that ran from 1966-1971. Though the show has been off the air for many years, I never forgot my fondness for the show. Now that it is available on tape and DVD, I am back into it. My pleasure was made complete when I got a hold of a copy of this book.

This book contains everything I could want: interviews, pictures of the cast and settings, a list of characters, a list of actors, a list of storylines, a timeline of the story, a timeline of the show itself, and so much more! I would love to list everything that is in this book, but it would take me far too long! Suffice it to say, this is a great book, and a Must-Have for any fan of Dark Shadows!

Most revised books have only superficial changes--not so with DARK SHADOWS ALMANAC: MILLENIUM EDITION. Filled with new articles and photos even the most diehard DARK SHADOWS fan has NEVER seen, this revised edition of the ALMANAC is a must-have for the DARK SHADOWS fan, the serious soap opera scholar, and a serious fan of popular culture (with an emphasis on cult television). DARK SHADOWS is indeed the series that will not die. Still shown on SCI-FI television, it maintains a loyal following--one that grows annually with new, younger, equally loyal viewers. The Millenium Edition of the DARK SHADOWS ALMANAC is a trove of information for new fans. It is cross-referenced with information about the show, related merchandise, behind-the-camera information, profiles of actors and actresses (some penned by the actors and actresses themselves; for example, a piece by Lara "Angelique" Parker as to how she approached writing the first in Harper Collins new series of DARK SHADOWS novels, ANGELIQUE'S DESCENT). What the buyer will NOT find in this books is simply a rehash of the first version of the DARK SHADOWS ALMANAC. Instead, the reader will find new, updated information and never-before-seen pictures. Words are inadequate when it comes to describing the exceptional level of information--both written and pictoral--in this millenium edition. Just buy it.

I'm relatively a newcomer to "Dark Shadows," fell in love with it from the start, and have been catching the episodes on the Sci-Fi Channel ever since. It was wonderful to learn about the history of the show from these two books. The technical aspects of the show fascinate me, and much info is supplied on how the show was made, etc. There are character/actor lists and descriptions, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, tons of interesting trivia, bloopers list (it's fun to see the mishaps that happen on camera - the show was done live-on-tape...), some great photos, and all kinds of interesting info on the show...

Any "Dark Shadows" fan would enjoy this book, as well as "Dark Shadows Memories" which provides a complete episode list and lots more memories from several members of the cast.

It's awesome that original actors from the show, such as Kathryn Leigh Scott and Lara Parker, put together these books on "Dark Shadows" - it makes them that much better! :)

This is not just an update--it's almost an entirely new book! Plenty of new photos and articles, plus many facts about the series that were not in the previous edition.

A must-buy for DARK SHADOW fans!

The Dark Shadows Almanac : Millennium Edition is a must have for all fans of Dark Shadows. This edition contains new information and photographs that were not in the 30th Anniversary Edition.

Reading about how the lost footage from Dan Curtis' "Directors Cut" from Night of Dark Shadows was discovered (and how they plan to go about restoring the film) alone is worth the purchase price!

I bought this book over a year ago and still find myself going back to it again and again,uncovering an interesting tidbit I hadn't noticed before.You'll find a lot of things in here.If you consider DS to be the coolest,this book will knock you out!

I found this book to be very interesting with lots of trivia and tid bits about the show, its creator and its actors. It also contains many pictures of its cast over the years. I highly recommend this book to any Dark Shadows fan!

The do it yourself nature of Dark Shadows was a big inspiration for low budget independent filmmakers.
The fact that it reached millions and broke all the rules of daytime television was an historic achievement.
It's equally paradoxical that it was budgeted at $70,000 a week by a corporation like ABC television yet the effects are frequently underground and amateur looking which I love. One should keep in mind that all the other network soaps at the time utilized an in-house organ for cheesy music while Dark Shadows featured pre-recorded orchestral music composed by Robert Cobert. This music was integral to the success of the series.
Superb acting, set design, writing, makeup and music mixed with awful acting, clumsy camerawork, terrible fight choreography and bizarre mistakes made the series unpredictable and exciting. It was at times accidentally avant garde especially during the Adam and Eve creation of life plotline. Viewing old episodes can be addictive.
The fact that it entered people's living rooms 5 days a week enabled an audience identification and intimacy that was powerful.
The book has good photos. Behind the scenes commentary and writing by Sam Hall and his son made the Dark Shadows Companion book a better read. The writers of the series deserve alot of respect for the inventiveness and ingenuity they showed. This Almanac book could have used more in depth analysis. It was a quick read.It's mostly minutea for hard core geeks. Alot of obscure factoids that don't particularly enlighten or matter. I wanted more, but that's the nature of Dark Shadows.

I can't say enough about this thoroughly written and researched almanac. As a young child, I watched Dark Shadows and became a fan, although I didn't always follow the plot. It left such a deep impression on me that when our local PBS station aired episodes in the mid to late 1980's, I became an avid viewer. After PBS stopped airing the serial, I thought all was lost. I've been renting the DVD's and this Almanac has been invaluable to me. It's filled with the history of the show and it's many actors. I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of this series!!! It's a must buy!