Customer Reviews

The Dark Shadows Companion: 25th Anniversary Collection

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The book explains how the show got it's start. You read about how the actors were choosen and about them personally. There is a section about what each actor has done since the show ended. An episode guide gives a brief summary about all 1245 shows. There are several pictures throughout the book. Stories are told about the writing, set designs,and funny things that happened during the run of the show. This is a very interesting book.

This is an excellent book for fans, having both information about the series as well as sources for further information such as fan clubs and where to look for videos. I highly recommend it for fans of Dark Shadows. It also has an episode guide, which comes in handy for viewing and taping favorite episodes. This book has turned me on to some of the many Dark Shadows sites that are accessible on the internet.

I thought this book gave tons of interesting information and i enjoyed it. I read it over and over because I have DS club online and give my members trivia information. Great book! I would recommend it to any Dark Shadows fan.

Exellent Book.If your wanting to know anything about Dark Shadows or are a fan this is the book for you.I have had mine since its first printing.I still take it out and read it.Wonderful pictures,and a complete episode guide.A Must Have!!!

Kathryn Leigh Scott's "Dark Shadows Companion: 25th Anniversary Collection" is a pleasant journey back in time. Just as the show was fond of moving back and forth between the past and present, this book carries me back to the late 1960's, where I tuned in for 30 minutes for my daily fix of vampires, werewolves, witches, demons, etc.

The book is a charming look back at the most extraordinary soap opera of its time, and captures the mood of the series in a manner only an insider could achieve. It describes in great detail the seminal events of the show and the behind-the-scenes circumstances leading up to them, from the arrival by train of Victoria Winters in the small village of Collinsport (inspired by Dan Curtis' dream of a girl on a train) to the the final episode in 1971, with the Collins family wondering if a vampire might be lurking at Collinwood. We were assured there was no vampire, and the endless array of fantastic happenings at the great house were a thing of the past. The book also describes the bold decision to introduce the supernatural into its story lines and eventually roll the dice with the introduction of Barnabas Collins, the 176 year-old vampire who became the star and hero of the series. It describes the creation of Barnabas' portrait, which was created without a face because they didn't yet know who would fill the role Jonathan Frid played with such dignity.

Kathryn Lee Scott's book offers an episode synopsis, describing in a sentence or two what happened each day. It offers a telling if perhaps unintentionally amusing glimpse at how slowly soap opera stories developed; for example, episode 41 reveals that "Liz is concerned that Carolyn might prefer Burke over Joe." I chuckled at the notion that such a mundane plot development could captivate me for an entire half-hour, but when we learn in episode 963 that "Jeb summons an army of zombies to kidnap Julia" and "Megan rises from the dead as a vampire", we understand that Dark Shadows knew how to pick up the pace and fill a half-hour with action when it needed to.

The book also freely admits to the literary inspirations for their plot lines, from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to Count St. Germaine, from the "Turn of the Screw" to H. P. Lovecraft's "Cthulhu Mythos". In parallel time we found Cyrus Longworth and John Yaeger as a counterpart to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and, finally, Shirley Jackson's story "the Lottery".

There also exists in this book a sampling of photos from the series, reminding us of the gorgeous sets, costumes, and (most of all) actors and actresses that stirred our imaginations. It was easy to see why Jonathan Frid, David Selby, Chris Pennock and the rest set teenaged girls' hearts to pounding, and frankly, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Lara Parker and Nancy Barrett were flat-out beautiful. I remember being foolishly unimpressed by the first appearance of a young Kate Jackson on the series, thinking her beauty paled next to the established female cast members. Ten years later she starred in a show that made her name synonymous with beauty, but the photographs in this book will show you why I felt this way about Maggie, Carolyn, and Angelique.

The book is a delightful peek into a show that made the supernatural cool, and I recommend it for anyone seeking to reconnect with the joy Dark Shadows held for them. Ms. Scott has published several books on Dark Shadows since this one was released, but it is still in many ways my favorite. I encourage anyone who ever watched Dark Shadows to pick up this wonderful book. In an era of resurgent interest in vampires due to the success of the "Twilight" book and movie, I invite you to take a look at the show that got there ahead of them all.

This book brought back so many memories and the review of each episode was brilliant. I learned so much about the actors that I never knew. I felt like I was watching all over again. I know this will be one of those books I look over again and again. The pictures were fantastic. I highly recommend this book.