House of Dark Shadows (1970)

'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

When a mysterious stranger arrives at a family castle in a secluded countryside acting as a boardinghouse for girls, the owners come to suspect something might be behind the man's appearance and race to stop his nefarious plans.A Gothic soap opera that's actually pretty decent, if not entirely flawed to some extent. The setting and situations play right into the grandiose Hammer stylings, with basements, crypts, coffins and such, allowing for some pretty chilling situations and scenes that come off rather well, from his attack on the headmaster and the little boy's encounter in the crypt, leaving this one with some rather fun times when it wants to be a horror film. The flaws come about when it's not being a horror film, namely the scenes with the family or their growing distrust of each other, the scenes of him mingling with the family during the dinner or the costume ball and his relationship with his turned servant-girl that make the human drama feel exactly like that, a drama that comes off far too much like a Soap Opera which are just boring and don't really go anywhere. There's also the fact that that the lead vampire is supposed to be sexually desirable but is anything but, and looks quite silly when as a vampire really stretches the film's credibility. Otherwise, this was a pretty good time.Today's Rating-Unrated/PG-13: Violence and Language.

HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS is my favorite vampire movie of all time. Better than the old black and whites from the early days of the movies, better than the genuinely frightening Hammer movies of the 1960s, and much better than the more recent contemporary takes aimed at the high school set.As a child, and a fan of the DARK SHADOWS daytime drama, one of my happier family memories is one night the whole family packed up the car and went to the drive-in for a crazy quadruple feature. HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS was the main attraction, and therefore the last to play, following a GODZILLA movie and THE GREEN SLIME (plus one more I can't recall). All these years later, I still watch it (on laser disc, as there is not yet a DVD), and I'm happy to say that, for me, it is a movie that remains enjoyable, rather than being better relegated to my childhood memories.Jonathan Frid plays Barnabas Collins with great class, creating a sympathetic vampire eons before such a characterization would become commonplace. Granted, the TV incarnation was portrayed as more guilt-ridden, whereas the film version was, due to the tightened focus of the storyline, more single-minded about his pursuits. Some fans do not care for the graphic blood-letting and viciousness present in the movie, though that pretty much has to be expected. In any case, it is nothing like the gore that is popular with audiences today. It IS more violent, though, and Barnabas' most brutal attack in the movie actually doesn't even involve fangs! The other cast members have honed their characters to perfection after years of playing on the TV soap. You could say they all had the longest rehearsal period in movie history, in a way! Some perform better than others, but seeing so many favorites on the big screen is definitely a treat. The sets are sumptuous, a huge step up from the stage bound look of the TV show, and liberal use of music from the soap works beautifully. There are plenty of exciting and genuinely suspenseful scenes, with many of the best moments contributed by Grayson Hall as the doctor who is certain she can help Barnabas through modern science.The movie may not be perfect, but only in minor ways. It could be argued that there are way too many characters, for example, or that too many bodies start piling up after a certain point in the plot, but I still give the film 10 out of 10 due to the overall brilliance of the acting, atmosphere, and success in bringing Barnabas to the big screen. Furthermore, I'm thrilled that the treatment was not deliberately campy.All in all, we are lucky the movie was not only made, but was successful. It introduces the cult favorite vampire and his brooding family to new generations regularly, by existing outside the original daytime drama. At the same time, it keeps the memory of the 1960s soap opera alive, renewing fervor in the fans who were there at the beginning. I'm not looking forward to the announced DARK SHADOWS movie from Tim Burton, but even that will boost interest in the original series and movie, so let it happen. Long live Barnabas Collins!

Does any one know if House of Dark Shadows will be on TV this October? I really hated/love the movie. It was graphic. Much blood. Barnabas, who has always been the hero on the TV soap opera, becomes a very evil Barnabas. My stomach was in knots when I saw the end. That is why Jonathan Frid refused to do the other movies. I thought the set was very good. Different than the TV series. I always wanted to know what the rest of the house looked like in real life. The movie is somewhat like the TV series but made drastically changes in characters. Jonathan Frid did a remarkable job on his acting that I hadn't seen him in the TV show. You either hate him or love him. The choice is yours.