Customer Reviews

Dark Shadows DVD Collection 8

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This cult classic soap opera is best known for vampire Barnabas Collins. But by this point, he's not the only creature in the story. In fact, he's lost his vampire status because he's been transformed, through medical science, into a normal human. Alas, this transformation may be temporary, and the witch Angelique, who cursed him in 1795, has shown up in the present day, in disguise and under the name Cassandra, to reinstate the curse. To escape this dual threat, Barnabas has submitted to an experiment that was supposed to transfer his consciousness into another body. Instead, the experiment has left Barnabas in his own body and brought to life Adam, a modern-day Frankenstein's monster with the mind of a child. There's a link between Barnabas and Adam that nobody knows about yet; Barnabas will stay human only if Adam stays alive. If Adam dies, Barnabas will revert to his vampire state.

The childlike Adam, struggling to deal with the world around him, is a genuinely tragic figure, effectively played by Robert Rodan. At one point, Adam is involved in a modern-day version of the scene with the blind man in BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN. Professor Stokes befriends Adam and begins teaching him. Adam turns out to be a fast learner.

Speaking of classic horror movies, Willie has traded one role for another. When Barnabas was DS's villain, Willie was a modern-day Renfield. Now, as he taunts Adam, Willie has become a modern-day Fritz. Note also that Willie is slipping back into his pre-Barnabas ways as he steals a pair of earrings and tries to get Adam to confess to the theft.

Having failed to escape Cassandra, Barnabas tries his own brand of black magic. Cassandra is somehow dependent upon a portrait of Angelique that showed up at Collinwood shortly before she did. Barnabas hires painter Sam Evans to age the portrait, causing Cassandra to age. It's a wonderfully horrific sequence, including an effective moment when Adam recoils from the portrait, but it doesn't work for me because of implausibility. Writer Mort Castle has said (1) that since speculative fiction is inherently unbelievable, the real-world details have to be completely believable -- meaning characters must behave believably. I can't believe that, even for $500, Sam would accept such a bizarre job with no questions asked, especially given Barnabas's weird instructions and Sam's having to interrupt another important job. I also can't believe Barnabas had no idea he was putting Sam in danger. It also seems needlessly sadistic, even for Cassandra, to blind Sam. She could've reclaimed the portrait by simply rendering him unconscious or hypnotizing him. And we don't see what she does to restore the portrait and herself to normal.

All this time, Cassandra's dream curse is running its course, this being Cassandra's chosen method of turning Barnabas back into a vampire. This curse has the interesting effect of forcing innocent people into complicity, as each has the dream and must tell it to someone else or go insane. Professor Stokes attempts to break the chain, but fails, most because Cassandra outmaneuvers him, but partly, IMHO, because he's too full of himself to leave well enough alone. Granted, Cassandra forces the initial encounter between him and Sam, the next intended dreamer, but Stokes HAS to pay a follow-up visit to Sam to say "Call me if you have any disturbing dreams."

No doubt by design, the person who must tell the dream to Barnabas is Victoria Winters, the last person who wants to hurt Barnabas and the last person Barnabas wants to suffer.

When Stokes realizes he hasn't defeated Cassandra, he summons the ghost of Reverend Trask, the fanatic witch hunter from 1795. Unfortunately, Trask proceeds to take revenge on Barnabas for murdering him. Here is another example of the Reverend failing as a true Christian. His revenge is "an eye for an eye," and Jesus explicitly rejected this philosophy (2). Trask finally accepts Cassandra as the real witch, and I find this very satisfying, since he was so determined, back in 1795, to blame Victoria Winters, not Angelique. I only wish Trask's ghost had apologized to Vicki for his mistake.

Trask's exorcism of Cassandra leads to the introduction of another significant character, Nicholas Blair, a warlock -- bearing a striking resemblance to Satan himself -- to whom Cassandra is somehow accountable. One aspect of the storyline I find frustrating is that the relationship between Nicholas and Cassandra/Angelique is never fully explained. Blair refers to "our bargain," but the terms of that bargain are never specified. I would like to know more about how Cassandra came under Blair's power. Anyway, this redefines Cassandra's role, showing that she isn't all-powerful. But maybe Nicholas isn't either. He appears to have a weakness for Maggie Evans.

Bonus interviews:
Leonard Goldberg, former daytime programming director at ABC, suggests that Barnabas may have not only save DS from cancellation, but may also have saved ABC's daytime programming from extinction.
Producer Jim Pierson discusses DS's appeal, certain aspects of DS's production, and the range of Dan Curtis's output.
John Karlen admits he didn't want to do a soap opera, but ended up enjoying it because it gave him a chance to do exactly what he wanted and indulge in acting that was "way out there," and included "a feast of emotions."
Dan Curtis discusses the beginnings of DS, including the search for Victoria Winters.
Both Pierson and Karlen compare DS to serious, live theater. Both Pierson and Curtis discuss the "live on tape" format.

In the next installment. Adam's story takes a Biblical turn, the link between Barnabas and Adam comes into play, and we meet a few more vampires.

(1) Mort Castle, Reality and the Waking Nightmare: Setting and Chaaracter in Horror Fiction," HOW TO WRITE TALES OF HORROR< FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION, Writers Digest Books, 1987, pp. 28-34.

(2) Matthew 5:38-39.

Eights sets in, and these "Dark Shadows" episodes a still a lot of fun. In addition, they're now fun for all the right reasons, as 85% of the flubbed lines and messed-up camera shots are now gone. There's still the occasional chuckle-inducing missed line or crazy camera shot, but these mostly polished shows (I guess practice makes perfect) now allow you to get truly immersed in the tragic tale of Barnabas and the witch Cassandra, and all the various supporting characters. And we haven't even gotten to Quentin Collins, the "evil hand" storyline, and all the other great stuff I remember seeing as a kid. So, yes, I'm still onboard for the rest of these sets.

I only hope that when all these sets are out, they'll finally release the first 200 or so Barnabas-less episodes of the series. They can package them all in one set and call it "Dark Shadows Collection Zero". That way it'll fit nicely just to the left of Collection One on my shelf.

While I would recommend a newcommer to start with Volume Four, where the complex story line really begins to gain momentum, I would rate this volume as the very best Dark Shadows of all time.

I found Set 8 to be entertaining in many ways. If you enjoy the storyline that is started towards the middle of Set 7, you should definetly get this Set. Watching each character have the Dream Curse was truly great. I do admit there are some boring parts, such as Adam learning how to talk to interact, but if you are a true Dark Shadows fan, you should purchase this Set. Victoria Winter's only has three more Sets until she leaves.

The dream curse continues in this set as it is passed from one character to the next, always increasing with the addition of another door opening to something more terrifying. Julia and gang desperately race to stop it from being passed to Victoria, who will subsequently pass it to Barnabas making him a vampire once more. Adam escapes from from his *cell* and wreaks havoc on the community at large, especially the long suffering Carolyn. Barnabas pays off Sam Evans to paint over Angelique's portrait making her a very very old woman - can it turn Cassandra into an old woman as well? If so, can anyone save her so we can continue to love the one we hate the most? Could it be the delightfully evil Nicholas Blair?

I've really enjoyed this series and watching the actors chew up the screen, but the Adam/Frankenstein story really wore thin and I hope it's over very soon. His little kidnapping of Carolyn was just too much, and his violence (while not always intended) was just too OTT, as is his emotional angst. Angelique's schemes are as fun to watch as ever, and I really enjoyed the addition of warlock Nicholas Blair. No signs of Quentin yet, but I hear it shouldn't be too much longer.

Not the best episodes in the series, but if memory serves there's plenty of good things yet to come.

The heroic journey of Ben Stokes is an indelible part of this laudable saga. If you admire the remarkable actor Thayer David, try the wonderful classic: Journey to the Center of the Earth. Why is "Dark Shadows" so relaxing? Perhaps the reason is that the denizens of the murky environs of Collinsport aren't concerned with the normal things in life, even when they discover missing cows drained of blood. Val Lewton would have understood. Fritz Lang was a fan. These folks have special worries with things that go bump or bite or batty in the night.

The lurking turmoil of "Dark Shadows" is inspired by the classics, not comic books. Which means that there is depth and excellent writing, the narrative carries the show, not special effects. There aren't too many ambiguous shades of grey here, bad usually enjoys its evilness, and good is good, unless you're Barnabas. Or Angelique, or Willie. Or the clueless and unfortunate Roger Collins, whose marriages flop to the lopsided end of the stick. And through it all, Joan Bennett emotes with aplomb and glamour, her dusky self beautiful and classy. Dan Curtis was clearly influenced by the story of the luscious Bennett in Fritz Lang's Secret Beyond the Door [VHS].

Jonathan Frid as Barnabas walks the line, balancing hunger, desperation, and dignity. The expressive Grayson Hall loyally caws at his side; we should all have such doctors on-call. I'm on my second go-around and appreciating "Dark Shadows" all the more. Cobert's superb music adds richness and another layer to the story. As the epic saga unfolds, it's a treat to observe the details in Sy Tomashoff's amazing sets and Ramse Mostoller's costumes. The interview with John Karlen is a delight, he's a character in life and on screen. The next collection, Box #8, contains Alexandra Moltke's gracious interview, where she gives Clarice Blackburn and Thayer David their due (Alert: Box 9 contains episodes very awkwardly directed by Sean Dhu Sullivan). The entire cast of this little horror troupe is theater at its best; they deserve credit for a remarkable achievement that proudly stands the test of time; it's exquisite. Nancy Barrett and ALL the actors are remarkable; Moltke, Scott, Parker, Lacy, Rodan, Karlen, Frid, et al., are pitch perfect. As are future cast members of this repertory theater of Shakespearian depth, like David Selby, etc ... Don Briscoe is one of the best vampires ever. Seems like this cast was ostracized in Hollywood.

Now, if only this portion of "Dark Shadows" contained moments of sitting in the glossy normalcy of Maggie's diner, its cheeriness a momentary reprieve from the dogs howling in the perpetual darkness beyond the diner's frilly curtains. I'm craving some of those 1960s era grilled cheese sandwiches Maggie efficiently made, with white bread and slices of American cheese and a side of tomato soup. Stock up on groceries to sustain yourself during your "Dark Shadows" journey. Professor Stokes can't be the only elegant large man, portly rotundity robed in silk before a cracking fire, to enjoy sherry and cheese.

I HAVE SEEN THE ORIGINAL IN THE 60'S AND ALSO BOUGHT ALL OF THE VHS TAPES. NOW I AM UPGRADING TO DVD AND CAN NOT WAIT TO SEE THE DIFFERENCE AND OR QUALITY OF THIS ON DVD.

This is a great DVD! This show is a lot better than the realty shows they have on today!

This collection introduces Nicholas Blair and his character makes the show. Each episode keeps you glued to your seat with Nicholas Blair being in charge with the power to do almost anything, even restore life. He is the only one who can protect Barnabas from Angelic; and he starts on the show through collection 11 and doesn't reappear until collection 13, but as another character, a lawyer that is totally different and not as interesting as the character, Nicholas Blair.

Product arrived in good condition and in a timely manner. Unfortunately the post card that is normally included in these collections was missing; this is the fault of the manufacturer not the selller.