It's a DARK SHADOWS Halloween!

 
When compared to any other day of the week, my Halloween was pretty good. When stacked against prior Halloweens, though, this year's holiday pretty much sucked. And the bar had been set pretty low, too. Sara and I had intended to dress like zoo keepers (to match our baby's money costume, which you can see if you follow me on Instagram) and attend the Riverbanks Zoo's annual "Boo at the Zoo" event. The joke was on us, though: Thanks to a lack of attention on our part, we failed to notice the Halloween event ended on Oct. 30. Boo.

Our revised plan involved turning out the lights, hiding in the nursery to avoid trick-or-treaters (we hadn't bought candy, thinking we'd be out of the house) and watching DRACULA'S DAUGHTER. As it turns out, my DVD has developed a flaw that prevented it from playing. Plan C was a success, though: Put the baby to bed at his regular time, drink beer and catch up on THE DAILY SHOW.

Luckily, other people's Halloween was considerably spookier. Above, you can see some of the DARK SHADOWS-themed costumes from this year's holiday. While the Johnny Depp interpretation appears to have dominated, there were some terrific nods to the original Jonathan Frid incarnation.

You can see a few more Barnabas Collins costumes HERE.

Halloween in Collinsport

http://brennan-hartke.tumblr.com

 A handful of DARK SHADOWS-themed Halloween costumes popped up in my various feeds late last week, some of them incredibly offbeat. When I dressed as Barnabas Collins a few years back (the costume was the traditional Frid-era vampire) I got recognized by a total of two people. I wonder how these folks fared with the public? Especially our own Marie Maginity as "Buzz Hackett," a character so obscure that the costume would probably stump most DARK SHADOWS fans. My favorite of the bunch, though, is Brennan Harke as "vampire victim" Maggie Evans, top.

https://twitter.com/MediaOkra

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UPDATED!

Kathryn Leigh Scott just posted a photo of herself dressed as Maggie Evans during the recent DARK SHADOWS cruise that took place during Halloween. WIN!

DARK SHADOWS cosplay with Chad & Cassidy

Cosplayer/costume designer Chad Edward Evett is back as BARNABAS COLLINS, joined by Cassidy Kahler as JOSETTE DuPRES. Chad has become a mascot of sorts for this website (and I mean that in the best possible sense) and even won the Warner Bros DARK SHADOWS give away hosted here late last year. Chad and Cassidy created the costumes they're wearing in these photos, which were taken Paul Arellano.)

Putting the "Con" in "DragonCon"

I was planning to attend DragonCon this year. The Georgia-based convention is the biggest of its kind in my part of the country, and gives those of us too far away from Los Angeles some of our only opportunities to meet folks like Leonard Nimoy or Bruce Campbell.

But there's an ugly side to the convention that doesn't get much press. From the ground, I'm sure it looks just like any other convention, cluttered with fanboys, geekgirls and a legion of cosplayers. But the money raised from the event has been going to help pay the legal expenses of an accused sexual predator. Here's what writer NANCY A. COLLINS has to say about it:

"DragonCon has had over 12 years to sever ties with this man, but has failed to do so. Although the convention’s chairman has bought enough shares from Ed Kramer to qualify as the controlling shareholder, Kramer refuses to be bought out. No matter what DragonCon does or says, funds from the convention will continue to go to Edward Kramer until either he dies or the corporation that runs the convention dissolves and reincorporates under another name. DragonCon knows what needs to be done, but has been dragging its feet on this matter, and has gone to great trouble over the last 12 years to hide the fact that they continue to fund Edward Kramer’s lifestyle. But now the cat’s out of the bag (in large part due to Kramer’s own decision to sue them for a larger share of the convention’s profits) and there’s no putting it back in."

 There's lots of documentation out there concerning Kramer's charges, which aren't difficult to find. Artist STEVEN BISSETTE had this to say about Collins' effort to educate people on how their money was being spent:

"Her struggle to get the word out has cost her dearly: personally, professionally, and those consequences have been very real and lasting, too.Now that there are public confirmations and articles vindicating Nancy and everything Nancy has been battling to warn folks about, the worm(s) are turning—though she has yet to receive a single public (or private) apology from the many professionals who maligned her and her work while they were busily defending DragonCon and its association with Kramer. Thus, Nancy has been pre-emptively “punished” for years now for speaking up and speaking out about what she perceived as a dangerous situation that continued to put children in harm’s way."

I mention this not in an effort to convince you stay away from the event, but you should know how your money is being spent. The Kramer case will definitely play a role in my decision on whether or not I'll be attending this year. It would have been the first trip for both my wife and myself, and we'd planned to go cosplay crazy (she's been itching to try out her ideas for a Snake Plissken costume.) Considering all of the unfinished business concerning DragonCon's finances, though, the whole thing just feels gross. While the convention isn't engineered to intentionally protect or shelter an potential sexual predator, the organizers could do more to distance themselves from the case. Instead, it seems doing nothing has proven easier ... and more lucrative.

Cosplay is Serious Business

From the outside, cosplay might look like a child's game. If you've been paying attention to the phenomenon in recent years, though, you'll see that cosplay has been highlighting the occasional discriminatory nature of popular media, especially in regard to race and sex. Cosplay has provoked more discussions on these issues that the stories that actually inspired many of the costumes. So, if you're new to the concept, I'd suggest not looking on this hobby (which is actually a full-time job for some) as though it's quaint or foolish.

Let me put my soapbox aside for a moment to share some photos from DARK SHADOWS fan Stephen Haydon, who had this to say:

"Back in May, I attended the Dark Shadows movie premiere party at the Vista in Los Angeles where I dressed as Barnabas and my friend dressed as Quentin. He’s wearing a wig BUT that’s my real hair. We had the privilege to pose for photos with Kathryn Leigh Scott and Lara Parker and had an all around good time."

 While I'm not prone to dressing up on days that aren't Halloween (I've got plans for DragonCon next year, though) I've been fascinated to watch this hobby evolve over the last decade. It's OK for women to dress as male characters, yet it's still taboo for men to dress as female characters (when it's done it's often in jest, which offends me for reasons I can't quite explain.)

It also shines a bright spotlight on the weird sexuality of fantasy entertainment. There have been tons of female characters spunoff from superheroes (Supergirl, Batgirl, etc.) but outside of the KINGDOM COME series in 1996, I can't think of a single male "franchise" character created from female characters. Factor in America's own confused sexuality (men who dress up as women are assumed to be gay, a value judgement that isn't applied to women who dress as male characters) and the angry, baffling responses from men unaccustomed to women wandering into their He Man Woman Haters Club and you'll see that cosplay is a hobby worth discussing. (I'm going to post this link again because you need to read it to believe it.)

I'm not suggesting the San Diego ComicCon is Selma, Ala., or anything. But there's definitely something happening at conventions that's worth keeping an eye on.

What are your thoughts?

Sylvester Sparrow Jack Majoor as Barnabas Collins

Above is Sylvester Sparrow Jack Majoor, a Johnny Depp impersonator who added Barnabas Collins to his bag of tricks earlier this year. You can find him on Facebook HERE.

Johnny Depp threw cosplayers a curveball with his interpretation of Barnabas Collins, which relied heavily on prosthetics to make him look more like Jonathan Frid. In a sense, Depp was doing his own cosplay in DARK SHADOWS, which means fans are doing third-generation tributes to Jonathan Frid ... whether they know it or not.

Dr. Hoffman performs Nights in White Satin

Rachel as Helena Bonham Carter as Grayson Hall as Dr. Julia Hoffman, performing Nights on White Satin by The Moody Blues, from the 2012 soundtrack to DARK SHADOWS. Got it? Good.

Make your own Barnabas Collins costume

The Haunted Dead recently spotted a BARNABAS COLLINS costume pattern for sale at Hobby Lobby. It's a basic pattern for a traditional Inverness cape, but among the illustrations for the different things you can create from this one pattern are illustrated on the back of the package ... ideas that include Sherlock Holmes and Barnabas Collins.

You can purchase the pattern online HERE.

Crisis on Infinite Josettes

It's been a while since I've had the chance to post a "Close Encounters" entry, but this one made it worth the wait: Chad Edward Evett and Cassidy Kahler dressed as Barnabas and Josette for the San Diego Comic-Con in July, and bumped into Kathryn Leigh Scott during her visit to DARK SHADOWS booth. It was just one of Evett's costumes this year. Evett also took home "Best in Show" during the Comic-Con Masquerade for another Tim Burton-inspired costume, The Mad Hatter.

Barnabas Collins: Cosplay of the Day

An unnamed fan was the Cosplayer of the Day at the approproately named website "Cosplay of the Day." I had some notable issues with the movie, but it's costume design was not among them. And I've been delighted to see so many "new" Barnabas Collinses running around in recent months, both male and female.

Dark Shadows: Cosplay

UPDATE: Chad sent me a new photo of him in character as Barnabas Collins.There's a link to his Facebook page in the post below. Head over there and compliment him on his craftsmanship (as well as his bangs!)

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I have a feeling the words "Dark Shadows" and "Cosplay" will be appearing here quite frequently as we near the release of the Johnny Depp film. Yesterday, we brought you a video of a woman offering make-up advice to help you achieve the new Barnabas Collins look, and today Cosplayer Extraordinaire Chad Edward Evett has posted one of his fine costume pieces for sale on Ebay.

You can see an example of his work to your left, and can bid on the item at this link.

Presenting ... Lady Barnabas

LadyduLac has created an interesting Lady Barnabas costume, and has shared some photos of it via her Tumblr and DeviantArt accounts. I'm a big fan of cosplay but have rarely ventured too far into it, save for that time I dressed as Wolverine as part of a Warrior Dash even at Jellystone Park. Tip: Don't wear jeans for any activity that requires you to crawl through mud before jumping over a wall of fire.

In the meantime, visit LadyduLac and let her know what you think about her work. I've posted only one pic above; more are available at her personal sites.