NYX offers Dark Shadows-inspired makeup palette

Hot on the heels of Orly's Dark Shadows-inspired nail polish comes a collection of makeup colors from NYX also "inspired" by the film.

Called "The Crimson Amulet," the limited edition collection features an eyeshadow palette comprising "hot seasonal colors" (whatever than means.) I'm all for the idea of getting more young women into theaters (and Dark Shadows has a variety of female characters rarely seen outside of tragedy porn like Terms of Endearment, Steel Magnolias, etc.) but  Dark Shadows-inspired makeup? Really?
From a business perspective, I'm happy to see a movie exploring marketing opportunities beyond the action figure aisle, but I'm ready for this movie to give me a sign that it wants me in the theater. So far it appears the movie's target audience is "Young women ages 13-21 who don't know the original series exists, so please don't tell them."

Via.

Orly producing Dark Shadows-themed nail polish

I was expecting the usual action-figures-and-happy-meal-toys merchandise for Dark Shadows. As far as I know, there's been NO Dark Shadows movie-related product solicited yet ... until now. Orly is producing a series of nail polishes inspired by the film. Here's the press release:

ORLY International announced today a limited-time nail color collection partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures in conjunction with the release of Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows,” starring Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer and Helena Bonham Carter, set to open on May 11, 2012.

“ORLY strives to deliver innovative products and trend-focused nail shades,” said Jeff Pink, President and CEO of ORLY International. “The adventurous theme of ‘Dark Shadows’ was a perfect fit with our brand and the fashion colors we created for this collection.”

The collection will include four lacquers, with names and shades that reflect the dark humor conveyed in the film.

In support of the limited-time collection, ORLY will launch a “Dark Shadows” sweepstakes on their Facebook page April 1 - May 12, 2012 where the winner will receive a private screening at a movie theater near the their home for up to 50 guests.

The ORLY Color Collection inspired by the movie, Dark Shadows will be available in May 2012 for $8.50 each at orlybeauty.com and Sally Beauty and Ulta.

Building Barnabas Collins

The Barnabas Collins model kit is one of the best-known pieces of Dark Shadows merchandise. Recently re-released by MPC, it's a nifty little throw-back to the original '60s show that's easy to find. Unfortunately, putting together a model requires a certain kind of skill that most of us never acquire. After mulling my own dubious model-building skills for a few weeks I decided to take a more practical route and hire a Model Mercenary.

And not just any Model Mercenary, but THE Model Merc: Lyn Powell. I've see his work for sale on the shelves of Heroes and Dragons in Columbia, S.C., and asked him if he was game to build a Barnabas Collins model. Even though he admitted he didn't know much about Dark Shadows he was aware of the model kit and had heard it had ... issues.

And because I have a hungry blog to feed, he also agreed to take a few photos of the process and provided me with a detailed journal of the ordeal. Here's what he had to say:

Barnabas Collins, disassembled.

Lyn Powell Vs. Barnabas Collins

Oh the world of plastic model kits! Those retro nightmares reissued for a new generation to throw against the wall in rage! Ha ha ha. I'm not a huge fan of plastic kits. Can you tell? They're usually overpriced and small, and aren't known for their attention to details.
So, when given the MPC Barnabas Collins it, I expected the worst. The kit promised glow-in-the-dark parts and extra arms made of PVC. Let the madness begin!

The "glowing" parts, in white.

The glow-in-the-dark parts were just silly. If left unpainted they looked horrible. If painted, they don't glow. Sigh. On to the PVC parts.

The PVC parts were another failed attempt by MPC and included a metal rod that was to be used on one half of the arm, then the other half would "sandwich"  the rod so the arm could be bent. The problem is when PVC isn't warm it can't be bent. When warm, the arms split open. Epic fail, MPC! Bring me the basic parts.

Blocking the sunlight.

At first appearance Mr Collins' pose looked like he had a stroke, but when playing with the kit I settled on an OK idea. When the left arm is raised and has the hand titled, he was shielding his face. With a small modification to his neck he seemed to be blocking out the sunlight! Presto! Not a bad pose after all.

I glued all of the parts and primed Mr. B. with black sandible auto primer. I decided on a dark grey color for the jacket and a grey/black suit. I used a drybrushing technique for the coat using a lighter shade of grey on the raised edges to get the desired highlights. I decided on a light grey for the shirt with a dark burgundy tie, just to give him some needed contrast. He's not  in the FBI!

His shoes were done in a high gloss black. As with most plastic model kits the head comes in two pieces. This kit was not too bad ... sanding and a little putty and he was ready for paint.

Happy vampire is happy.

I chose a medium flesh tone to start. I then drybrushed lighter shades of fleshtone, hitting all the highlights to the face (nose, cheeks, etc.) I decided on a red fleshtone around his eyes. I wanted a "vamp" look, not the undead look. I was happy with the overall look so I moved on to his hair.

The kit had a decent sculpt of hair. Nice details made painting fun! I studied more reference pics and decided on the hair color. I started with a black, working from darkest to lightest, making my way up to a natural brown. I enjoyed the fact that, even if very small, they added his ring to the hand sculpt. Little details are what the fans love.

The base was just a tiny plastic "cobblestone" surface. This just wouldn't do for Mr. Barnabas Collins. I added a round wooden base painted black marble. I added grass and small wildflowers to give the look of an early morning stroll. "Ah, the sun's coming up!"

I think this was a nice little build. It had annoying moments but that's part of building model kits. Hope you guys enjoy Barnabas Collins!

The final product.

So, do you think you've got what it takes to build the Barnabas Collins model? If so, visit Amazon HERE and order yours today. If you do, feel free to send me photos of the final product. I'm sure everyone would like to see your work!

Barnabas Collins mask on Ebay!

Here's something you don't see every day: an original Ben Cooper costume mask of Barnabas Collins! These items are fairly rare, though not as rare as the flimsy plastic costume that accompanied it. Many a child's heart was broken when one of these costumes ripped while Trick-or-Treating.

Anyhoo, this mask is up for auction on Ebay. For those of you finding this post in the future, the auction ends at Feb. 20, 2012. You can find the mask HERE.

Surprisingly incisive criticism of Dark Shadows found in an unlikely place

I was on my way out the door to go see The Phantom Menace today (don't judge me) when I found a package waiting outside on my porch. It was the Barnabas Collins MPC model, a re-release of the popular kit from the 1960s. I've got my doubts about being able to build this model and have it resemble anything human, but I thought I'd take a shot at it. If you never see it  mentioned on this site again you can probably assume the worst.

While the box uses the classic artwork from the original release, a modern flier is attached to the back of the package. Whoever wrote the copy for this insert not only knows their Dark Shadows lore, but also managed to sneak in a little  criticism of the show, as well. Here's a sample:

"Cursed by a vindictive with, the romantic protagonist would spend the rest of eternity (or at least five seasons and a feature film) searching for his heart's desire, Josette... and Maggie and Victoria and Roxanne and maybe Julia."

Rare advert for Dark Shadows trading cards

I think my love of the '60s Dark Shadows trading cards should be obvious by now, and here's something I've never seen before: an in-store poster advertising the first set of cards. This poster was available at one time or other at Conway's Vintage Collectibles but is currently sold out. The front of the poster can be seen above, the reverse is pictured below.

Spectre Toys giveth, and Spectre Toys taketh way

You might remember the Mego-style Dark Shadows toys created not too long ago by Spectre Toys. Then again, they came and went so quickly that you might not.

The line included three figures in the first assortment and appeared to sell well, with the Barnabas Collins figure selling out at Entertainment Earth and other online stores. The figures sold for $20 retail but today the Barnabas figure goes for about $50 or more on Ebay. In fact, one OPENED figure recently sold for $80.99.

Spectre also created figures for Angelique and the Chris Jennings werewolf (but you could probably pretend it's Quentin if that's more your thing.) The company had an open poll on it website asking customers which characters should be featured in the next assortment. I believe Julia Hoffman was in the lead when the site went down and the company mysteriously vanished. Spectre had unveiled prototypes for several new figures in the line, some of which can be seen in the photo above, but they never materialized on shelves. You can see more photos of the Prototypes at the Mego Museum.

If that story bummed you out, allow me to cheer you up with a photo of Barnabas Collins fighting Darth Vader.

"Angelique's killed me three times this week, Vader. Do you really think that lightsaber will do you any good?"

UPDATE: It looks like Entertainment Earth is taking preorders for the Barnabas Collins figure, which is due out "July 2012."

Dark Shadows Viewmaster Reels

 I gave some thought to scanning and posting my Dark Shadows Viewmaster reels and booklets, but what do you know? Viewmaster 3-D Spectacular beat me to the punch  (by almost two years.)

Rather than waste my time duplicating efforts, I decided to share a few images from the genuinely spectacular website. These are some of the clearest, cleanest Dark Shadows images you're ever going to see. While a lot of  photos you'll find online are magazine scans, DVD screen caps or copied in some other way, these images were taken off film. Even as low-resolution JPEG files these images are amazing. (And while you're there, make sure you check out the Batman Viewmaster reels, too!)

The Viewmaster set was produced at a strange time in the show, even by the standards of Dark Shadows. Angelique is a vampire, Diabolos is revealed as the real Big Bad (in the modern parlance) of the series, and poor Joe Haskell is given the Willie Loomis treatment before landing in the nuthouse.

What are you waiting for? Go see them!

Win a Date with "Vampire" Jonathan Frid

Toward the end of 1968 TV Radio Talk held a contest that allowed one person to spend the day with Jonathan Frid during a taping of Dark Shadows. Contestants had 25 words or less to make their case, and I'd love to read some of those entries.