Dark Shadows gets 7 Rondo nominations!

By WALLACE McBRIDE

The original Dark Shadows phenomenon left the airwaves in 1971, the cast taking its final on-screen bow in the 1971 feature film Night of Dark Shadows. It's intended successor, a prime-time melodrama on NBC, came and went 30 years ago. Almost a decade has passed since the Tim Burton fiasco. Lara Parker's final Dark Shadows novel, "Heiress of Collinwood," hit the stands back in 2016. And no fewer than two epic audio serials from Big Finish have been on hold courtesy of COVID-19.

A glance at this year's Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards nominees suggests that Dark Shadows won't give up the ghost willingly. The series is represented by a stunning six nominations in a variety of categories in 2021. The Rondos are determined by votes from the public (i.e. YOU!) so head over to the website to find out how you can vote. You can read the full list of nominations online at https://rondoaward.com/rondoaward.com/blog/, but here's how Dark Shadows fared:

(Note: A previous version of this post accidentally omitted the "Best Podcast" nomination. My sincerest apologies for the error.)

The Dark Shadows Daybook by our own Patrick McCray is nominated for "Book of the Year" in the non-fiction category. The book is a collection of revised essays published here at the Collinsport Historical Society, featuring contributions from Dana Gould (whose credits could fill a book of their own) and myself. You can get it online pretty much anywhere, but here's an Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3IfIpy2

The Collinsport Historical Society is nominated for "Best Website." This is the 10th year we've been nominated in this category, which we actually won back in 2012!

Child of Dark Shadows by Dark Shadows alumnus Kathryn Leigh Scott from issue #11 of Fangoria is nominated for "Best Article." If you missed it, "Child of Dark Shadows" is a stunning interview with Kathryn's castmate David Henesy. (Disclosure: I consulted on this story and contributed an illustration.) If you missed it, you can read a supporting piece online at Fangoria here: https://www.fangoria.com/original/david-henesy-interview/

Dark Shadows and Beyond: The Jonathan Frid Story, directed by Mary O’Leary, is nominated for "Best Documentary." It's described as "interviews and personal letters trace the story of television’s favorite vampire." Like our book, it's available pretty much everywhere, but you can also find it at Amazon: https://amzn.to/3saLh9R

Terror at Collinwood, the Dark Shadows podcast hosted by the amazing Penny Dreadful, is nominated for "Best Podcast." You can find Penny and her podcast archive at https://www.terroratcollinwood.com/episodes. Check it out!

Dark Shadows: A Christmas Carol is nominated for "Best Event of 2021." The live webcast reunited ten members of the original cast for a special yuletide event presented by Smartphone Theatre last December. You can watch it online here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyHVM2Wl2no

"Storm Clouds Over Collinwood," by Rod Labbe, from issue #219 of The Dark Side. Described as a "fan’s personal encounters with the Dark Shadows phenomenon."

An interview with Lara Parker from issue #17 of Retrofan by Rod Labbe is nominated for "Best Interview."