After years of wandering, Quentin Collins is coming home.. But the Collinwood that awaits him is no longer the sanctuary he remembers. As the inhabitants of the town of Collinsport hide in fear from other worldly powers. Quentin vows to unite old friends and reclaim the Collins family stronghold.. The Dark Shadows legend continues in this all-new hour-long audio drama, reuniting the cast of the classic ABC-TV series.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dark Shadows: The House of Despair is excellent!,
By
This review is from: Dark Shadows: The House of Despair 1.1 (Audio CD)
Dark Shadows: The House of Despair REVIEW
I put the CD in with some trepidation. After all, I was rather disappointed by the highly anticipated `Return to Collinwood.' The characters and situations in that particular audio production didn't, in my opinion, accurately capture the characters and feel of Dark Shadows. I worried these new dramas might suffer from similar problems. There was no need for worry because the new Dark Shadows audio drama, `The House of Despair' is excellent. The writing is very good. The classic Dark Shadows characters are spot on, and are accurately depicted through well-written dialogue and first-rate acting. Quentin here is world-wise but still sarcastic and stubborn. He is not the full blown hero as in `Return to Collinwood', but a man searching for answers who is still haunted by his past sins and by his poor choices. Whereas Willie served as comic relief in `Return to Collinwood,' here he is an anxious, troubled man who has seen too many horrible things in his lifetime. Maggie now owns the Collinsport Diner, which was bought with help from Roger Collins in an effort to keep her quiet about the things she had seen at Collinwood. Maggie is weary and very insistent on staying far away from the Collins family. Angelique, ever untrustworthy, is very aware of her power and has some of the most frightening moments in the audio play. Her disturbing outburst when Barnabas is discussed offers dark insights into the witch's heart. She is still utterly obsessed with Barnabas Collins. The script offers characterizations which are very much in keeping with those of the classic series. It is easy to imagine the characters progressing in the manner depicted in `The House of Despair.' The writer, Stuart Manning, has a clear understanding of the subject matter, and has a firm grasp on the various nuances of Dark Shadows. The audio drama also succeeds in evoking the atmosphere of mystery, dread and impending doom which was a hallmark of classic Dark Shadows. Big Finish got it right, even down to the cliffhangers at the end of each episode. The sound effects, music (some of which is Bob Cobert's) and acting offer an ominous, Gothic picture of modern Collinsport. Collinwood, which has been taken over by evil forces, looms alone on the hill - presumably abandoned long ago by the missing present-day Collins family. Quentin, trying to unravel the mystery of his missing family, seeks aid from both Willie and Angelique. The actors do an amazing job of once again inhabiting their original roles. John Karlen especially brings the neurotic, troubled Willie to vivid life once again. Indeed, all of the actors really shine in `The House of Despair.' David Selby, Lara Parker and Kathryn Leigh Scott all succeed marvelously in recreating their original series roles, and portray the characters as if several unpleasant years have gone by in Collinsport. New characters also fare well. The Collinsport residents are appropriately suspicious and frightened when Quentin strolls into the Blue Whale. Quentin, in turn, is appropriately flippant in response. In Mr Strix , the audio drama gives us a supernatural being hitherto unseen in the `Dark Shadows' mythos - a strix or striga, which is a mythical Roman being often depicted as an evil flesh eating bird. The final confrontation with this character leads to revelations about the whereabouts of Barnabas Collins. The role of Barnabas has been recast in the audio drama. While many might not approve of this, the change is explained nicely in the story. Barnabas has been given a new body in `The House of Despair.' I admit to wishing I could have heard Jonathan Frid deliver Barnabas' lines. However, Andrew Collins does an admirable job of filling some very large and very important shoes in the Dark Shadows universe. The explanation given for the different voice in the story makes it much easier to digest and accept a new actor as Barnabas. Giving Barnabas a new body almost seems appropriate since Big Finish helped to keep Doctor Who alive. Doctor Who, of course, is well known for periodically changing bodies. The final scene in `The House of Despair' is perfect. We end with Barnabas, Quentin and Angelique, the original series' three most well-known and immortal characters standing together in Collinwood. They are all that is left of the Collins family, and none of them really trust each other. Each of these characters is unpredictable and capable of being quite dangerous. The very fact that the writer kept this in mind shows that he knows and understands the source material quite well. I do wish we could have had Jonathan Frid in this final scene. I can't help that. Selby and Parker are great here, and it just seems right that Frid would be there with them. However, I can accept the change, especially since there is a legitimate reason for it within the context of the story. I should also add that the reworking of Robert Cobert's opening title theme is wonderfully eerie. The combination of Cobert's themes with original music by Joseph Fox gives `The House of Despair' a newness, while still allowing listeners to keep one foot firmly planted in the classic mythos. `The House of Despair' succeeds where other Dark Shadows updates, remakes and continuations did not. It truly captures the elusive, peculiar feel of the original Dark Shadows. I recommend that all Dark Shadows fans pick up a copy of this audio drama. I think this is the best thing to happen to Dark Shadows in a long time. I hope that the rest of the audio dramas are as excellent as this one.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
DARK SHADOWS IS BACK!,
By
This review is from: Dark Shadows: The House of Despair 1.1 (Audio CD)
Big Finish scores huge with their continuation of the "Dark Shadows" mythos. David Selby, Lara Parker, John Karlen, and Kathryn Leigh Scott reprise their famiiliar roles in this all new audio drama. The opening parallels the first episode of the TV show as Quentin returns home (listen for a surprise cameo by another DS actor in the opening scene). He returns to find his ancestral home of Collinwood deserted, the property of a demonic presence. He decides to join forces with Angelique to fight it.
The plot moves briskly through the 3 episodes. Each character is adeptly but succinctly re-introduced. The stories were designed to be accessible to the unitiated; newcomers to the town of Collinsport should have no trouble keeping track of who is who. The mood is enhanced by a mixture of familiar and new music. The new pieces graft themselves seamlessly to the Robert Cobert classics. Fans will no doubt remember "I'll be With You Always", the Blue Whale music, and of course, "Quentin Theme". The sound effects are also chilling. Most effective are the flock of birds that attack Willie and Quentin. Of course, the acting is top-notch. The play opens with the hauntingly familiar "Angelique laugh". The actors step into their roles as if no time had passed since the show wrapped. I thought I knew what to expect from this play. The ending throws a curve that I would never have anticipated. In the end, I wound up enjoying the series more than I would have thought possible when I opened the wrapper. Believe me, I was eagerly anticipating the release of this story all summer long. If you are a fan of the original show, you must own this disk. If you love gothic horror, you'll probably find many thrills and chills. Look for the next three stories in this series. The second, "Book of Temptation is immediately available.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
House of Despair offers a Satisfying return visit to Collinwood,
By JMW "JMW" (NY NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Dark Shadows: The House of Despair 1.1 (Audio CD)
A lone traveler is taking a train to Collinsport, and receives dire warnings from other passengers against getting off the train there. With these echoes of the arrival of Victoria Winters begins the first of the Big Finish Dark Shadows audio dramas: The House of Despair.
The action of this drama picks up at some unnamed time in the future. This is apparently a good many years after we last saw the Collins family; close enough in time that Quentin Collins is known of, yet his unchanging appearance doesn't trigger comments. A comment is made that the house has seen two hundred years of torment, which may or may not have been meant to place this drama in the late 1990s. Quentin, drawn to return to the town by feelings he can't explain -- even to himself -- finds a Collinsport much changed. In a set up which will make the audience think of the 1995 storyline - or the Fall of the House of Usher, its probable inspiration -- Collinwood is abandoned and the family gone, having fled some unknown danger. The townspeople -- including a Maggie Evans more like her cynical beginnings than the sweet governess of the later storylines -- are openly hostile both to Quentin and to any mention of the Collins family. Apparently the only remote chance of any answers lies with finding a traumatized and half mad Willie Loomis. When this avenue is less than successful, Quentin decides he has nothing to lose, and calls up a very familiar and powerful spirit, gambling that she can be convinced to help them fight the entity that has claimed Collinwood for its own. Without going into more detail and spoiling the plot for those yet to hear it, this story was a good choice to lead off the series. The tone and mood as well as the supernatural creature introduced are perfectly in synch with the television original. Stuart Manning does an excellent job of balancing the tragedy, melodrama, irony and self-mocking humor that characterized the original Dark Shadows. Even in hopeless situations there are injections of snarky gallows humor, and there are in-joke references to things that happened on the original series. One good example of this was the disembodied voice that ordered Quentin and Willie from Collinwood, declaring, "This house is MINE!" then backing up that statement with a supernatural attack. To me this brought to mind the haunting of Quentin's ghost, who took ownership of the house in a similar fashion before history was changed. There are also extremely poignant scenes that give depth to the characters and bring forward the tragic side of their immortality. I was particularly struck by the one between Angelique and Quentin, reminiscing (shades of Ashley Wilkes!) on the slow grace of their original eras, now all gone to dust except for them, immortal anachronisms trapped in times not their own. With Quentin, especially, this puts him in his proper time and place in the "real world" of his birth. Particularly evocative of the late Victorian era is his quote about Europe, presumably on his "Grand Tour" as a young man "...oh, to relive that fleeting beauty I saw through opium, absinthe...". I have seen fans on some mailing lists express shock at this reference, but apparently it's been forgotten that this was a rich, spoiled and hedonistic young man of the Gilded Age. Even in the original show, he was implied to have practiced all the dissipations common to a young man of his wealth and social status. In the 1890's even the most innocuous sounding patent medicines contained what are now controlled substances if not poisons, what are now known as dangerous drugs were considered mildly scandalous indulgences, and the addictive qualities of many compounds would not be discovered until after the First World War. I found the characterizations of the original characters quite plausible. Some may quibble that they are not what they were in the series, but then again, what INTERESTING and three dimensional characters wouldn't grow and change over a period of so many years, and who knows what experiences? The most extreme example of this will probably be Quentin; the rascal and self-centered reprobate now lecturing new character Ed Griffin about taking care of his wife IF he really loves her. The coward who in 1897 ran, both physically and emotionally, from the consequences of his actions is shown here as a man who seems to fear nothing. The feeling I get is that over time since 1897 he had faced the worst that he felt could happen to him so all else paled in comparison. Then again, I have always held that after the unending series of tragedies in 1897 played out, Quentin would have had a massive case of PTSD and survivor guilt, with all the psychological foibles that implies. This in some ways gives Selby the most difficult balancing act within this cast, and he carries it off marvelously. He is playing a character strongly remembered, but who is now over a hundred years of life experience away from the rascal of 1897. This is no longer the spoilt,selfcentered, bored and impetuous 28 year old man dragging trouble behind him like a kite tail, but a sadder, more resigned man with a strong fatalistic streak. He knows that the light at the end of the tunnel will always be another oncoming freight train, but he still allows himself to hope that, just this once, it won't be. Quentin seems to have come to terms with who and what he is, and what he considers important - yet the intense curiosity and pigheaded stubbornness that got his younger self in so much trouble are still very much there. Selby's skilled voice work and the well-drawn character on the pages combine to help us believe without question that this Quentin is a logical maturation of the one we remember. John Karlen dives into his role with great glee, giving us a Willie suffering guilt and remorse, but with the addition of abject terror. This Willie doesn't resemble the one we last saw so much as he does the Willie who was first enslaved by Barnabas, the one afraid of his own shadow and cringing at every move. And in an amusing note, he gives Willie a strong southern accent, which I don't recall his ever having on the series. (While in an amusing contrast Selby's natural WV accent is very muted in this work.) Angelique, as always, is inscrutable. Brought back against her wishes, she works her own agenda, which may or may not coincide with the best interest of everyone else. Or, when it does, can result in a far different conclusion than anyone else expects. Lara Parker slides right back into her role as if it was a pair of well broken in shoes. She picks up with Angelique and runs with her as if no time has passed since she last played the role. She did the same, if I recall, in the earlier Return to Collinwood and Vengeance at Collinwood. Kathryn Leigh Scott's Maggie is not much more than a supporting character in this work, but she does a fine job. As mentioned earlier, her Maggie has some bite (no pun intended!) again - and A BACKBONE AGAIN! She is more than a bit cynical and suspicious, but still cares what happens to Quentin and Willie. The rest of the supporting cast is also quite good, especially the actor who played the new character "Strix" - and actor Andrew Collins, who plays a character who enters the action near the end of the work. The characters of Ed and Susan Griffin are not in the action enough to really form an opinion of the work of Jamison Selby and Ursula Burton, but I understand that they will be recurring characters, and may be featured more prominently in future installments. In short, RUN do not WALK to buy this CD. This first installment is an excellent start. Based on this and the quality of the Big Finish productions done for Dr. Who, subsequent Dark Shadows dramas should offer just as good a value for money. (Note: This is a modified version of a review originally posted on Jeannie's David Selby site, reprinted here by the original author.)
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