BARNABAS COLLINS by Aaron Campbell

More from my sketchbook: BARNABAS COLLINS by Aaron Campbell, the illustrator of the first three issues of Dynamite's DARK SHADOWS comicbook series. This was drawn at the 2013 HeroesCon in Charlotte, N.C., for those of you keeping score at home.

Deleted scenes from 1991 DARK SHADOWS pilot

Back in the days before DVD came along, the home video market was fairly unwelcoming to television shows. While DARK SHADOWS and STAR TREK managed to find an audience on VHS, too many shows were relegated to "subscription service" plans from distributors that obliged customers to sign up for expensive video tapes that rarely contained more than two episodes.

The home video release of the 1990 DARK SHADOWS "revival" series contained only a single episode per tape, and each tape probably cost more than $20. The video at the top of this post allegedly came from one of those VHS tapes: It's a compilation of more than 10 minutes of footage from the pilot for the revival series. Not surprisingly, these scenes do nothing to move the story forward, though they provide a lot more insight into the show's various relationships. There's some good stuff here, even if these scenes (and the decision to excise them) underscore the many problems with the revival series.

Strangely, it doesn't appear that these scenes were provided with the DVD release of the series. Amazon's listings show only the word "NONE" in it's list of special features, so my thanks to whoever uploaded this video to Youtube.

Eve returns in BENEATH THE VEIL

Well, THIS certainly got my attention.

When Big Finish announced the next slate of DARK SHADOWS audio dramas, it appeared they were setting off into uncharted waters. A handful of original cast members were attached to these episodes, but there were also many new names and faces involved. If BF wanted to experiment with the formula by creating new heroes and heroines -- characters free from the shackles of existing continuity -- I was willing to go with them. It would have been a risky venture, for sure, but the company has earned the benefit of the doubt.

That being said, I was relieved to see the return in this episode of DARK SHADOWS stalwarts KATHRYN LEIGH SCOTT and NANCY BARRETT, not to mention MARIE WALLACE in one of my favorite roles: Eve. The early details of the upcoming episode, BENEATH THE VEIL, simply mentioned that a serial killer had arrived in Collinsport. Eve's past life as French maniac Danielle Roget almost gaurantees she's somehow involved.  Here's the official summary: 

Alfie Chapman and Emma Finney, a young English couple, are on a road trip, travelling across America. When their car breaks down, they find themselves having to stay overnight in the small town of Collinsport.

And on that night, people start dying.

As Alfie and Emma become acquainted with the residents, they discover that there's more to the sleepy little town of Collinsport than they first thought.

But will they discover the truth behind the murders before they become the next victims?

BENEATH THE VEIL is scheduled to arrive in July. You can listen to an audio trailer for the story at the company's website, and look for an interview here with the episode's author, KYMBERLY ASHMAN, in the coming weeks.

Collinsport News Bulletins

Today marks the 47th anniversary of DARK SHADOWS' first episode, which was shot June 13, 1966. According to the website We Love Soaps, the "pilot" was filmed twice, with the second taping being the one to actually air.

KATHRYN LEIGH SCOTT is scheduled to appear at this year's Crypticon Minneapolis in September, joining the likes of Billy Dee Williams, Don Coscarelli and Ted Raimi for the weekend horror convention.

Collinsport Historical Society contributor DAVID-ELIJAH NAHMOD has landed a regular column at Fangoria Online about DARK SHADOWS. Expect to read his first entry June 15.

BARNABAS COLLINS by John Febonio

Artist JOHN FEBONIO is auctioning an 11x13 oil painting of JONATHAN FRID as Barnabas Collins. Had I not just blown my budget for art at last weekend's HeroesCon in Charlotte, N.C., I'd be competing for this piece. Sadly, I'm out of the running. If you're looking to add some original art to your collection, though, Febonio's portrait currently stands at $22 on Ebay. The auction ends June 13, 2013.

Good luck!

Dark Shadows Diary, Episode 90

Episode 90: "Psychopathy 101"
Oct. 27, 1966

Part of me is beginning to resent how David Collins softened as DARK SHADOWS progressed. I'm not sure there was a future for a character as amoral and damaged as he's depicted in these early episodes, but David presented the kind of lingering conflict rarely seen on television. Having a child that's a psychopath/sociopath is a tragedy that keeps on giving, and this version of David offered an endless opportunity for drama ... even after vampires became common visitors to Collinwood. I'd like to have seen this version of the character grow up and eventually take the reigns of the estate.

While he's not actually in this episode, David even makes Roger a more sympathetic, dynamic character. Roger's not wrong in his assessment of the child's menace, even if his lack of compassion for his son is distasteful. In a way, he's to be admired for surviving putting up with the boy's deadly shenanigans for as long as he has. I mean, David Collins is legitimately dangerous. Consider this gem of dialogue, which shows him limply struggling with his own lack of conscience.

VICTORIA: "You said, and I think I'm quoting you pretty closely, you said 'I hate you.' You said 'If you die, I won't even come to my funeral.' You said 'I hope you stay in that locked room for the rest of your life.'"

DAVID: "Did I say that?"

VICTORIA: "You certainly did."

DAVID: "I didn't mean it. Not all of it."

VICTORIA: "Really? Which part didn't you mean, David?"

DAVID: "Well ... if you died, I would come to your funeral."

VICTORIA: "I suppose that's something. Why would you come to my funeral?"

DAVID: "Because I like funerals."

This kid would have spooked Wednesday Addams. And he's just getting warmed up.

Victoria Winters has wisely decided that her best course of action is to leave Collinwood. Usually, most of the town would have turned out to help her pack. So many people have told her to leave that it would bust the budget to have them all on the same episode: David, Roger, Maggie, Burke, Carolyn ... Bill Malloy actually came back from the dead to tell her to piss off.

Just to make things more confusing, many of those same characters lined up in this episode to now ask her to stay.  I'm not sure if I admire or pity Victoria's gumption, but both her patience and my own got stretched to the breaking point in this episode.

This feature was actually written last Thursday. Just as it was finished, the platform used to create this website momentarily went offline. When it righted itself, this post reverted to the last time I'd saved it, which was less than half-way finished. Now, almost a week later, I've forgotten some of the episode's finer points. Here are the significant plot beats: For reasons I didn't understand, Carolyn and Victoria went snooping around the West Wing for clues to Victoria's ghostly visitor. Victoria found a ledger with the name "B. Hanscombe" on it, I made some snarky comments about the show's Scooby Doo-esque habit of running the characters around dead-end plot points and asked the question, "Who would want to steal a clump of old seaweed?" It was brilliant, I assure you.

But none of that really compares to the episode-ending revelation about David. Expecting some sort of reward for NOT locking the door to the West Wing while Victoria and Carolyn were away, he makes a desperate plea for the governess to stay. He admits he loves Victoria and storms off, leaving Carolyn more shaken than Victoria. Carolyn says she's only ever heard David admit to loving anything once, and that was a kitten he used to have. A kitten he later drowned.

BARNABAS COLLINS by Francesco Francavilla

Francesco Francavilla.

I spent the weekend at the annual HeroesCon in Charlotte, N.C., most of which was devoted to the pursuit of sketches and signatures from the creators in attendance. By the end of the weekend, I managed to add a few more DARK SHADOWS themed drawings to my sketchbook, and plan to share them here over the next few weeks.

It seemed only proper, though, that I lead off with this beauty: BARNABAS COLLINS by artist Francesco Francavilla. Francavilla won the 2012 Eisner Award for "Best Cover Artist" for his work on DARK SHADOWS, THE LONE RANGER, THE BLACK PANTER and others, and created this sketch of Jonathan Frid for me from memory.

While I've been a little hard on Dynamite's various DARK SHADOWS comics, Francavilla has certainly not been part of those books' various problems. He's a terrific artist, one who manages to evoke influences as diverse as Jack Kirby, Eduardo Barreto and Frank Miller without looking very much like any of those guys (if that makes sense.)

You can see more of Francesco Francavilla's work at his official website, www.francescofrancavilla.com.

Sharon Lentz sells SUGAR CRISP

Man, I miss the days when cereal companies didn't even TRY to hide their product's empty, tooth-rotting tendencies. This might as well be a commercial for crystal meth. While the product's history is fuzzy, Sugar Crisp was eventually renamed "Super Sugar Crisp" before settling on the more benign "Golden Crisp." Not to be outdone, Kellogg's sold pretty much the same product under the William S. Burroughs sounding name of "Sugar Smacks."

Now the phrase "Naked Lunchables" has appeared in my head and I'm trying to not imagine what that product might be like. But I digress.

Those of you with sharp eyes will recognize a very young SHARON SMYTH LENTZ in the commercial above. This was a few years before her stint on DARK SHADOWS as Sarah Collins. There's some speculation on Youtube about the identity of the actor playing "Big Kid" in the commercial, but it's possible it might be the late JEFF CONAWAY of TAXI.