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Showing posts with label Dan Curtis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dan Curtis. Show all posts

Friday, April 19, 2019

So, where's my review of Master of Dark Shadows?



The Dan Curtis documentary Master of Dark Shadows was released on DVD and Blu-ray earlier this week. Even though I've spent the last few months promoting the release, there's been no review of the film here at the CHS. Why? MPI Home Video didn't offer me a screener. But that's OK ... the folks at That's My Entertainment still love me and sent an advance copy, so they got my review.

I enjoyed the special features more than the actual movie, and the way Jonathan Frid managed to upstage the movie's subject warmed the cold, cold cockles of my heart.

You can read my review HERE.

Also, if you're thinking about purchasing the movie be forewarned: The digital version does not include the bonus features. You can get the Blu-ray or DVD at Amazon HERE.

Saturday, March 2, 2019

Here's the trailer for Master of Dark Shadows



Via MPI Home Video:

In 1966, a phenomenon was launched when Dark Shadows debuted on ABC-TV as a daily Gothic suspense series. Airing in the late afternoon, the show attracted a massive youth audience as it shifted to the supernatural with the introduction of vulnerable vampire Barnabas Collins. Witches, ghosts and scary storylines turned Dark Shadows into a TV classic that led to motion pictures, remakes, reunions and legions of devoted fans who have kept the legend alive for five decades.

The feature-length documentary MASTER OF DARK SHADOWS reveals the fascinating, far-reaching impact and appeal of Dark Shadows with a compelling blend of rare footage, historical images and behind-the-scenes stories while also exploring the dramatic talents of creator-producer-director Dan Curtis. Known as the "King of TV Horror," the Emmy-winning filmmaker followed Dark Shadows with other iconic genre favorites including The Night Stalker, Trilogy of Terror and Burnt Offerings before earning accolades for the epic mini-series The Winds of War and War & Remembrance.

Narrated by Ian McShane (Deadwood), MASTER OF DARK SHADOWS offers insights from Curtis himself in addition to Oscar-winning writer-producer Alan Ball (True Blood), screenwriter William F. Nolan (Trilogy of Terror), author Herman Wouk (The Winds Of War), veteran actresses Whoopi Goldberg (Ghost) and Barbara Steele (Black Sunday), actor Ben Cross (Chariots of Fire), original Dark Shadows stars Jonathan Frid, David Selby, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Lara Parker, John Karlen, Nancy Barrett, Jerry Lacy, Roger Davis, Marie Wallace, Chris Pennock and James Storm plus other colleagues and family members.  

Thursday, February 28, 2019

Amazon Prime offering a master class on the work of Dan Curtis



Amazon Prime is offering the equivalent of a master class in the television films of Dan Curtis.

https://amzn.to/2EpYlxQWhich is great timing, now that I think of it. There's a feature length documentary about Curtis coming to home video in April called Master of Dark Shadows, and it's sure to prompt people to seek out his lesser-know work. In recent years Kino Lorber Classics have released high-definition restorations of Trilogy of Terror, Burnt Offerings, The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler on Blu-ray and DVD ... but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

What you get with an Amazon Prime membership right now are all 1,225 episodes of Dark Shadows (split into two categories titled Dark Shadows and Dark Shadows: The Beginning) and the two Dark Shadows anthologies The Haunting of Collinwood and The Vampire Curse. You also get Dan Curtis produced or directed movies Dracula, Scream of the Wolf, Dead of Night, The Turn of the Screw, Frankenstein, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Trilogy of Terror.

Sure, there are a few things missing off that list. House of Dark Shadows, Night of Dark Shadows and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde aren't streaming, but that's still a hell of a lot of television viewing.

You can click HERE to learn more about Amazon Prime memberships.

Saturday, February 9, 2019

UPDATE: Master of Dark Shadows is available for pre-order


UPDATE: Master of Dark Shadows is now available for pre-order on Amazon! Order it today at https://amzn.to/2SCnajd

(The original post is below)

Well, THAT didn't take long. Just a few days after it was announced that David Gregory (Lost Soul, Godfathers of Mondo) had finished production of a documentary about Dan Curtis, the cover art for the Blu-ray release is now making the rounds.

There were quite a few missing details about the movie, titled Master of Dark Shadows, missing in last week's official announcement. Some of those details are beginning to come into focus. The DVD and Blu-ray is expected to be released "on or about" April 16 this year and will include more than an hour of bonus features, including a Dark Shadows "set visit" and additional cast interviews. It will retail for $23.99.

Here's the original Jan. 19 press release about Master of Dark Shadows:

MPI Media Group today announced it has completed production on the highly anticipated Master of Dark Shadows, a comprehensive celebration of the legendary Gothic daytime series Dark Shadows and its visionary creator, Dan Curtis. The feature documentary, which was shot in New York,  LA and London, includes interviews with key actors and filmmakers involved in the undyingly popular story of vampire Barnabas Collins and all the eerie goings-on at the gloomy Maine mansion Collinwood. The documentary was directed by David Gregory (Lost Soul, Godfathers of Mondo) and is set to be released this spring.

Narrated by Ian McShane (Deadwood), Master of Dark Shadows offers insights from Curtis himself in addition to Oscar-winning writer-producer Alan Ball (True Blood), screenwriter William F. Nolan (Trilogy of Terror), author Herman Wouk (The Winds Of War), veteran actors Whoopi Goldberg (Ghost), Barbara Steele (Black Sunday)and Ben Cross (Chariots of Fire), Dark Shadows stars Jonathan Frid, David Selby, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Lara Parker, John Karlen, Nancy Barrett, Jerry Lacy, Roger Davis, Marie Wallace, Chris Pennock and James Storm, plus other colleagues and family members.

In 1966, a phenomenon was launched when Dark Shadows debuted on ABC-TV as a daily Gothic suspense series. Airing in the late afternoon, the show attracted a massive youth audience as it shifted to the supernatural with the introduction of vulnerable vampire Barnabas Collins. Witches, ghosts and scary story lines turned Dark Shadows into a TV classic that led to motion pictures, remakes, reunions and legions of devoted fans who have kept the legend alive for five decades.

The feature-length documentary Master of Dark Shadows reveals the fascinating history, far-reaching impact and lasting appeal of Dark Shadows with a compelling blend of rare footage and behind-the-scenes stories while also exploring the dramatic talents of creator-producer-director Dan Curtis. Known as the "King of TV Horror," the Emmy-winning filmmaker followed Dark Shadows with other iconic genre favorites including The Night Stalker, Trilogy of Terror and Burnt Offerings before earning accolades for the epic miniseries The Winds of War and War and Remembrance.

Friday, October 19, 2018

Dan Curtis: Old School/New School



Dan Curtis on the set of The Strange
Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
, 1968.
I doubt that Dan Curtis even intended to become a horror auteur. He began his career in television in 1950 as a salesman for syndicated programs, later playing a vital role in bringing golf to television. Even his first foray into narrative drama, Dark Shadows, didn't begin explicitly has a horror series, dabbling for a year in gothic melodrama that only sometimes involved ghosts. When Barnabas Collins landed on the scene, though, Curtis discovered he had a flair for creeping people out and his career changed for ever. By the end of the 1970s he'd brought an entire menagarie of terrors to screens big and small, including vampires, haunted houses, zombies, aliens, devil dolls and a host of other creatures that oten defy description.

On Oct. 25, The Paley Centre for Media in New York City is hosting an event titled Dan Curtis: Old School/New School, described as an exploration of Curtis' "horror oeuvre." Produced by the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, the event will be hosted by instructor David Bushman, a television curator at the Paley Center. Admission to Dan Curtis: Old School/New School is $12 in advance, $15 at the door.

For more information, or to purchase tickets, click HERE.

Thursday, July 26, 2018

October will be a big month for Dan Curtis fans


Back in January, Kino Lorber confirmed they were preparing Blu-ray releases of a trio of Dan Curtis television classics from the 1970s. The details and release dates for those titles have finally been released, and they're corkers. 4K restorations of THE NIGHT STALKER (1972) and THE NIGHT STRANGLER (1973) will be arriving on Blu-ray and DVD on Oct. 2, with 1975's TRILOGY OF TERROR getting similar treatment on Oct. 16. None of these titles are yet available for pre-order, but I imagine that will change soon. Here's what you can expect:

The Night Stalker (1972)

• Brand New 4K Restoration!
• NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Tim Lucas
• NEW Interview with Director John Llewellyn Moxey
• NEW Interview with Composer Bob Cobert
• "The Night Stalker: Dan Curtis Interview" featurette
• Limited Edition Booklet essay by Film critic and author Simon Abrams (Blu-ray only)
• Newly Commissioned Art by Sean Phillips
• Limited Edition O-Card Slipcase (Blu-ray only)

Color 74 Minutes 1.33:1 Not Rated

Release date: Oct. 2

The Night Strangler (1973)

• Brand New 4K Restoration!
• NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Tim Lucas
• NEW Interview with Composer Bob Cobert
• "Directing 'The Night Strangler'" Featurette
• Limited Edition Booklet essay by film critic and author Simon Abrams (Blu-ray only)
• Newly Commissioned Art by Sean Phillips
• Limited Edition O-Card Slipcase (Blu-ray only)

Color 90 Minutes 1.33:1 Not Rated

Release date: Oct. 2

Trilogy of Terror (1975)

• Brand New 4K Restoration
• NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Richard Harland Smith
• NEW Interview with Composer Bob Cobert
• Audio Commentary with Karen Black and writer William F. Nolan
• "Richard Matheson: Terror Scribe" Featurette
• "Three Colors Black" Featurette
• Limited Edition Booklet essay by Film critic and author Simon Abrams (Blu-ray only)
• Newly Commissioned Art by Jacob Phillips
• Limited Edition O-Card Slipcase (Blu-ray only)

Color 72 Minutes 1.33:1 Not Rated

Release date: Oct. 16

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Amazon Prime ♥ Dan Curtis



McDonald's announced today that it will no longer be offering cheeseburgers in Happy Meals.

That's not to say that they won't still be available, mind you. If your kid has to have a goddamn cheeseburger, McDonald's is still a business and will kindly sell you one. But it won't be an item included in its posted menus.

I mention this to make a point: It's a weird, unfamiliar world in which we live. For example, MPI Home Video is now streaming a bunch of movies written and/or produced by DARK SHADOWS' creative architect Dan Curtis on Amazon Prime. These were movies that have rarely seen the light of day during the last 30 years, but are now available at your fingertips at any hour of the day, probably best viewed in the wee hours of the morning with a stiff drink in your hand. The available catalog include adaptions of many of the books that "inspired" storylines on DARK SHADOWS, ranging from his collaborations with Jack Palance (THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, DRACULA) to the cult classic TRILOGY OF TERROR.

Curtis was an incredibly prolific producer, so this list falls far short of capturing his entire catalog. But, save for the three theatrical releases he helmed, it represents most the horror-related movies Curtis was involved with. You'll also see a handful of DARK SHADOWS alumni appear in some of these flicks, including an uncredited Kathryn Leigh Scott as one of the ghosts in THE TURN OF THE SCREW and a misspelled John "Karlin" Karlen in TRILOGY OF TERROR. The list also includes the 1986 Biblical story ST. JOHN IN EXILE with Dean Jones of THE LOVE BUG (which is easily the most WTF?! sentence I'll write all day) and all 1,225 episodes of DARK SHADOWS.

Below you'll find a list of the Curtis' productions now streaming on Amazon Prime, as well as a link to help you upon your quest. A special "thanks" to @frid_barnabas for the tip. He's a fellow DARK SHADOWS fan and you should totally follow him on Twitter.

TRILOGY OF TERROR: link

DAN CURTIS' DRACULA : link

FRANKENSTEIN : link

THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE : link

THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY: link

THE TURN OF THE SCREW: link

ST. JOHN IN EXILE: link

DARK SHADOWS: link

Saturday, December 30, 2017

The Dark Shadows Daybook: DECEMBER 30



By PATRICK McCRAY

Taped on this date in 1968: Episode 662

Driven by portents of Victoria’s hanging in the past, Barnabas finds himself chronoported back to the year 1796 to prevent it. Briefly and painfully reunited with her in his cell, Barnabas goes on to encounter Nathan Forbes. Threatened to recant his testimony against Victoria, Forbes follows the path of history and prepares a crossbow bolt for Barnabas.

Nestled deep inside the series, right about at the halfway point, rests a perfect gem. The DARK SHADOWS movie isn’t necessarily HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS. For me, it’s made from episodes 662-666. Although it relies on milestones of Barnabas’ history, the “clip show” of episode 661 catches up viewers as to the events that he will alter in his mission through time. Other than a flashback to the 1940’s in the Leviathan sequence, this is the shortest substantive time trip in the series, and as a story, is far ahead of when it was written. Who doesn’t have the fantasy of going back to change traumatic, past events? Although Barnabas can’t stop his mother’s death, he can both exact extra vengeance on Forbes and save Victoria. It’s a perfectly Cyranoesque sequence, and the poignancy of his bravery is heightened by the fact that for all appearances, he’s just doing it as a friend.

Carolyn Groves, Joan Bennett and the cast of "Pleasure of His Company," 1960.

The brief appearance of Carolyn Groves as the third Victoria Winters is another highlight. No, we don’t have the the double-blind of seeing the actresses try the scenes side-by-side, and maybe I’m being blinded by novelty, but I’m nutty about her. She combines the fine-boned aristocracy of Moltke and the keen sense of awareness of Betsy Durkin. Beloved by viewers of the film THE POUND, where she played the “Pedigreed Bitch” alongside a young Robert Downey, Jr. in a heartwarming prison sequence, Carolyn Groves has a distressingly spare CV, although she also appeared in the Broadway play, THE PLEASURE OF HIS COMPANY with Joan Bennett in 1960. She is generally known as a stage actress, on and off-Broadway, but Groves can also be glimpsed in the film version of John Guare’s SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION.

Carolyn Groves and Robert Downey Sr. on the set of POUND.
As Victoria Winters, Groves has an immediate chemistry with Jonathan Frid and projects determination and warmth as the character faces her darkest hour. She oozes an unusual degree of sensuality for the show, starting from the establishing shot of her prone, where she looks for all the world like DARK SHADOWS’ first Bond girl. Following Durkin and Alexandra Moltke, it almost seems as if the character is not just changing actresses. It’s as if she’s evolving to an increasingly mature woman.

Yes. I find her a delight. Because of her work, Chanty Binx. Because of her work, dammit.

This also marks the seventh episode directed by Dan Curtis, himself. He would direct this flashback personally, giving it even more of the feel of a DARK SHADOWS movie. Considering that ‘horror director’ would be the title he’d wear as much as producer as time went on, I think these early moments are important to note.

On this day in 1968, Frank Sinatra recorded the song, “My Way,” after allegedly reacting to the song with a characteristic, “What is this ‘and now, the end is near’ crap?”

Oh, just destiny. Just destiny.

Monday, November 13, 2017

Trilogy of Terror coming to blu-ray in 2018


The Dan Curtis 1975 TV movie TRILOGY OF TERROR has never had the chance to completely disappear from popular culture. This is mostly due to the strength of the tale's final act, "Amelia," which unleashed the so-called "zuni fetish warrior" onto the world. The movie was an anthology showcase for actress Karen Black, but nobody much remembers the other two stories (which feature DARK SHADOWS alumni James Storm and a misspelled John Karlen.) For better or worse, the zuni fetish warrior upstaged them all.

We're all a little confused, John.
Since 1975, TRILOGY OF TERROR has floated around cable and syndicated television, VHS, DVD and just about every major online media provider (you can watch it right now on Amazon Prime.) The zuni fetish warrior was even revived in the 1996 sequel TRILOGY OF TERROR II, which put the angriest little muppet in battle against  Lysette Anthony, "Angelique" from 1991's DARK SHADOWS. The ZFW has had a least one official action figure likeness, cameos in VENTURE BROS (above), the Stephen King series NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES and Full Moon's PUPPET MASTER series ... the little dude's a superstar.

So, where does TRILOGY OF TERROR go from here? If you've read the headline, you already know: Kino Lorber Studio Classics has announced a blu-ray edition is coming to home video in 2018. While an announcement about special features is pending (as is a firm release date, cover art, etc.) the disc will include an all-new HD transfer. Stay tuned!

Monday, June 26, 2017

"No Tears for Miss Bennett," 1967


"No Tears for Miss Bennett"

TV Guide, Aug. 26-Sept. 1, 1967

By Edith Efron

"I had murdered my husband," says Joan Bennett. "He was buried in the basement. A man moved into the house and blackmailed me into marrying him. At the last minute I backed out and confessed to the murder. When they went down to the basement — he wasn't there. It turned out I hadn't killed him, I'd just stunned him. So now I'm not a murderess any more. But somewhere in the world is my ex-husband."

The star of Dark Shadows, the ABC-TV daytime serial cast in the tradition of the of "Gothic novel," turns to the young man sitting in a corner of her living room. "What happens next?" she asks interestedly. Like most soap-opera performers she's kept busy just learning her Lines for each day's performance and is as curious as the viewer as to the story line. The young man, Dan Curtis, executive producer of Dark Shadows, grins  "I know, but I'm not telling." She chuckles. It's another one of TV oddities she is learning to live with.

Joan Bennett is me of the latest Hollywood women stars to move into TV. Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, Ann Sheridan preceded her and for the same reason: "My film career faded. You reach a certain age in Hollywood — like Claudette Colbert, Bette Davis, Ginger Rogers or myself — there's a shortage of glamour roles. A man can play leading roles until he's 60 — Cary Grant seems to be going on forever — but not a woman."

It's still a little strange to see Joan Bennett sitting there, calmly chatting about the latest soap-opera episode with a TV producer. She is one of the Big Names of the glamorous Thirties and Forties — a top-ranking Hollywood leading lady who made her stage debut at 18, just as talking pictures started, who appeared with Ronald Colman in his first "talkie," "Bulldog Drummond," and rapidly became a star. She has appeared in 78 films opposite such leading men as John Barrymore,  George Arliss, Spencer Tracy and Gregory Peck. She's a bona fide creature of another epoch — Hollywood's Golden Age.

Ronald Colman and Joan Bennett in BULLDOG DRUMMOND, 1929.
It's hard to forget it when one sees her. She looks very much the same after all these years: serene, brilliantly brunette, quietly gay.  She's older, but she has the Great Star secret of looking 20 years younger than she realy is — and she carries the mark of her glittering epoch: She reveals a touch of sad nostalgia for the past. "Almost all of the people with great taste are gone — it was glamorous and fun and exciting. It was really a beautiful world."

She doesn't care much for Hollywood today. "I'm glad that when I was in it, it was then, not now. There's an awfully funny group now — sort of beat. These filthy films; they're all over the place. It doesn't seem to be fun any more. The spirit has changed. I don't go to films now unless it's an Audrey Hepburn picture — glamorous, beautifully mounted. She and Cary Grant still represent the Golden Age." She laughs quietly. "The same goes for plays. Sam Goldwyn once made a wonderful remark. He said, 'If you have a message, send for Western Union.' He didn't like message plays. Neither do I. I like to go to the theater and movies to see pretty people and pretty things. Most plays today are depressing, messagey."

In fact, she's not entirely happy with the way America is today. "The sense of life, the gaiety, the fun seem to be gone. I wonder if everyone doesn't feel that way secretly. What I love is the ultra-elegant, aristocratic, luxurious strain in life. I think it's wonderful what they're doing in the Peace Corps — but I wouldn't want to do it." Then she sounds off violently — "I can't bear the hippies and the beats. I think they're ghastly — they're not clean. Why are the boys looking like girls and the girls like boys? All this LSD business and the trips — it's awful."

Most of the younger folk at ABC who deal with Joan Bennett manifest an intimidated respect for the ex-denizen of the world of romantic glitter. One ABC executive reports confidentially, "The people around here are in such awe of her they're afraid to approach her. She scares the network personnel, the press people, the photographers. We don't usually have people with that aura around. Because of the glamour buildup she's had through the years — you just don't go up to her and say 'Hi, Joan' and put your arm around her."

Jonathan Frid and Joan Bennet in a promotional image for DARK SHADOWS.
The truth is, however, that under the light cloak of glamour that does envelop her, she's a shy sort of woman, with no wildly unusual characteristics. Once married to Walter Wanger, she is now divorced, and leads a relatively quiet life — divided among work, family and friends. She's an extremely hard worker, according to producer Curtis: "Her attitude is excellent. We work the hell out of her. She's a very, very good actress. She has to carry a large load, and she's up to the job."

"There's much more work in TV than movies," Joan comments. "The other day I had to learn 24 pages of dialog. in films that would have taken a week, not a day." She finds TV work enjoyable: "It's a more spontaneous medium than the movies. You don't do something over and over and over again. I remember once, in 'Little Women' — I played Amy — doing 22 takes on one scene."

Mother of four daughters and nine times a grandmother, she is, above all, a family-minded woman. "My children are the most important thing to me. I'm very proud of them. I think I've raised them beautifully. They've all turned out so well."

Her children return the compliment. One of her daughters, Mrs. Stephanie Guest, an artist, raves about her mother: "She's marvelously candid. She seems very young. She was a good mother. When she was in pictures, she always came home from the set at night and put us_to bed. We had governesses, but I never thought of them as taking her place, because she was always there."

She is not a pretentious or temperamental woman. Her daughter says of her: "She has a strong character. There are thousands of people on a movie set who keep telling you how beautiful you are, how gorgeous, things like that. The remarkable thing about my mother is that she never let that worship, that adulation, turn her head."

Muriel Finney, an old friend, says: "She's a pretty happy person, generally. She's not a bit moody. Her children have given happiness. They're very, very, very close. She was pleased with their marriages, with the grandchildren. They're together on birthdays, holiday, even Valentine's Day is a big family day."

Joan Bennett with daughters Stephanie and Shelley.
The truth is that there's no earthly reason for the young network personnel at ABC to be terrified by Joan Bennett. On the surface, she's very much like their mothers and their aunts. In fact, she claims to be so close to the average middle-class woman that she verges on the disappointing. It's a solace to visit her apartment, glowingly clean and decorated in brilliantly gay, fresh colors, and to discover an authentic movie star's bedroom —huge, superlatively French, glamorous and expensive.

A refugee from the "Great Era," she is accepting her exile and professional demotion gracefully. "I'm enmeshed in an endless series of problems and mysterious murders," she says with determined cheer — and she's not altogether insincere. From her point of view, unraveling a skein of soap-opera worries is substantially more desirable than the choice that some of her once-glamorous contemporaries have been forced to make: "I feel very bad about Bette Davis and Joan Crawford," she confides quietly. "I don't like to think of them in these grotesque roles. I think it's too bad to take their images spoil them. I haven't gone to see them. It's a desecration of what they used to be."

Dark Shadows, she feels, is better. And it may well be. But still has an uneasy feeling, when screen, that she shouldn't there at all ... Ronald Coleman, George Arliss and John Barrymore are turning in their graves. 

Thursday, June 16, 2016

8 things I learned from Jeff Thompson's "Nights of Dan Curtis"


By WALLACE McBRIDE

"Nights of Dan Curtis" is not an especially friendly book. Author Jeff Thompson (a frequent contributor to the CHS) is possibly the reigning scholar on the works of Dan Curtis, and it certainly shows in his latest publication, which is saddled with the subtitle "The Television Epics of the Dark Shadows Auteur: Horror, Western, and War." Having already tackled Curtis' horror movies and television shows in his books "The Television Horrors of Dan Curtis" and "House of Dan Curtis," Thompson focuses here on his outlying productions, which range from the trivial (1998's THE LOVE LETTER) to possibly his most important work (1983's WINDS OF WAR.)

Unsurprisingly, DARK SHADOWS lurks in the recesses of almost every chapter "Nights of Dan Curtis." Despite the filmmaker's efforts to marginalize his breakthrough achievement, the gothic soap provided Curtis with friends and professional relationships that endured his entire career. You'll see many of the same names appear throughout the book, such as Kathryn Leigh Scott, Robert Cobert, Barbara Steele, Lysette Anthony and John Karlen. No matter the subject matter (and Curtis produced everything from westerns to melodrama) you were bound to find some kind of connection to DARK SHADOWS.

When I cracked this book open for the first time (and I've returned to its pages many times during the last few weeks) it was under the delusion that I knew a little something about Dan Curtis. As it happens, I didn't know much of anything ... I've seen very few of the projects documented in this book, many of which were total revelations. It begins with a forward by one of my childhood heroes, Larry Wilcox (I was never much of a Ponch fan) who writes about working with Curtis on 1979's THE LAST RIDE OF THE DALTON GANG. There are details on the 1979 SUPERTRAIN debacle, 1974's MELVIN PURVIS G-MAN, 2005's SAVING MILLY and tons of other projects that were entirely new to me.

Still, it's not what I'd call a friendly read. Thompson has crafted a fine reference book here, which was almost certainly his intention. This isn't a book about Jeff Thompson; it's a book about Dan Curtis, and it's refreshing to see such an absence of ego in this kind of book. But it also makes it incredibly difficult to review in a typical fashion. In light of that, here are eight factoids I learned from reading "Nights of Dan Curtis," which ought to give you an idea of what to expect from the book.

1: Holy Candy Man, Batman!
Two years before DARK SHADOWS, Dan Curtis tried to develop a BATMAN television series for CBS. In 1964, Curtis got the go-ahead to develop a pilot, with CBS given right of first refusal. The vision of the series doesn't sound very far removed from the show created by William Dozier in 1966: actor Don Murray (CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES) had agreed to star as the caped crusader, with Sammy Davis, Jr. as the Joker. Had a change in management not torpedoed the project, BATMAN would have stocked its rogues gallery with members of the Rat Pack.


2: CBS hacked Drac
In 1972, Curtis returned to the vampire well with DRACULA, which aired on television in the U.S., and was released theatrically (with a bloodier cut) in Europe. It was originally meant to be a much grander project, though. Curtis and screenwriter Richard Matheson wanted a three-hour time slot, but CBS granted them only two. While it was the first legitimate attempt to faithfully translate Bram Stoker's novel for film, both creators felt the shorter time slot hobbled (to a certain extent) the final product.



3: "That's the signpost up ahead ..."
As DARK SHADOWS was hitting its stride in 1967, Curtis was in the U.K. producing and directing THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE. The TV movie was written by Ian McLellan Hunter and starred Jack Palance in the title roles, but neither were Curtis' first choice. When the project began development, actor Jason Robards was attached, and Rod Serling (!) was tapped to write the screenplay.





4: Author, author!
Herman Wouk was unhappy with the filmed adaptions of THE CAINE MUTINY and MARJORIE MORNINGSTAR, and was resistant to the idea of allowing WINDS OF WAR to suffer a "watered down" adaption. Curtis countered by bringing Wouk on board to write the screenplay of the 15-hour 1983 television mini-series, going so far as to give the author final approval on scripts.





5: It takes a thief
Robert Cobert frequently cribbed his own music from other movies. Listen carefully and you'll hear music from DARK SHADOWS appear in such productions as INTRUDERS and THE GREAT ICE RIP-OFF. "Quentin's Theme" made stealth appearances in both movies. If you've got to steal, steal from the best!





6: Great Scott!
Kathryn Leigh Scott auditioned for the role of Liz Stoddard in the 1991 DARK SHADOWS revival. Just let that idea sink in. If you've got to lose a part, though, you might as well lose it to Jean Simmons.  (Oops. KLS actually auditioned for the role of Liz in the 2004 pilot, but lost to Blair Brown. Jeff got it correct in his book; I got it wrong here. My apologies.) Still, just think of the possibilities. THINK ABOUT THEM.








7: The Number of the Beast
Dan Curtis was briefly attached to direct DAMIEN: OMEN II. As a not-terribly-proud fan of THE OMEN movies, the lack of detail on this bit of trivia is maddeningly frustrating. But I probably shouldn't expect too many details about a production that ultimately didn't involve Curtis. Mike Hodges (GET CARTER, FLASH GORDON) was signed to direct but was booted and replaced during shooting by Don Taylor (THE FINAL COUNTDOWN).




8: A Monstrous Monopoly
Curtis' television adaption of FRANKENSTEIN debuted Jan. 16, 1972, the same night as THE NIGHT STALKER, which he also produced. THE NIGHT STALKER earned a 32.2 rating and 54 share, making it the highest-rated television movie to date. It was followed in 1973 by a sequel, THE NIGHT STRANGLER. The sequel marked the end of Curtis' relationship with Carl Kolchak.


Monday, January 11, 2016

An Interview with Kolchak's Vampire, 1975


It's difficult to overstate the success of THE NIGHT STALKER, which aired on this date in 1972. The movie reached a whopping 54 percent of all TV viewers upon its debut, which is stunning even without it's "horror movie" stigma. While star Darren McGavin did OK for himself, returning to battle the supernatural in the KOLCHAK sequel and weekly series, the film's iconic badguy was one-and-done. Played by Barry Atwater, vampire Janos Skorzeny was equal parts Jonathan Frid and Christopher Lee, a monster as savage as he was pathetic. Shortly before the official demise of THE NIGHT STALKER weekly series in 1975, the gang at CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN magazine tracked down Atwater to chat about his role in the original movie. Below is a transcript of the feature as it appeared in issue 25 on the magazine. I've preserved the magazine's unusual style choices and fixed a few typos.

(Note: A not-that-great comic published by Moonstone in 2009 attempted to create a direct connection between Barnabas Collins and Janos Skorzeny. You can get a taste of it HERE.)


THE NIGHT STALKER IS ALIVE
AND LIVING IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 

An Interview with the star of the original NIGHT STALKER, Barry Atwater 

As a Veteran actor who had already racked up a considerable record in numerous films and TV dramas, Barry Atwater suddenly achieved overnight fame as The Vampire Who Threatened to Destroy Las Vegas in the first and original THE NIGHT STALKER. In this special COF Interview, created by Richard E. Werft, Jr., Barry Atwater ventures deep behind-the-scenes concerning the creation of STALKER — but, more importantly, he also reveals himself as a very articulate and highly aware individual with a very sensitive and sensible insight about filmmaking, acting as a career and about the world around him. 

COF: Do you remember the first big break that brought you into films? 

BA: Yes — I worked in a student film at UCLA. The film got an Academy Award and the right notoriety; the aura around the Award was enough to me an agent and some parts. I couldn't act my way out of a paper bag at the time, but it didn't matter.

COF: Did they approach you for THE NIGHT STALKER with you specifically in mind? 

BA: I'm not sure how that came about. Someone may have suggested me to Dan ("Dark Shadows") Curtis. I think he looked up my picture in the Academy directory. He was interested and called up my agent. I went to the studio. I brought some pictures with me and he looked at one shot I brought and he said, "That's it! That's the one!"

COF: How did you feel about doing NIGHT STALKER ? Was it hard for you to enter into the mood of playing a fiend, a vampire? 

BA: No, not at all. We all have all sorts of feelings inside us; everybody. All we have to do is simply let go and the feeling comes out. That's what acting's about — just letting go, not suppressing or repressing or criticizing or censoring ourselves.

COF: How did you go about preparing for your role as Janos Skorzeny the vampire? Didyou stand in front of the mirror and decide on which facial expressions would be suitable? 

BA: No, I cannot control that. I just let that happen.

COF: How did you feel about interpreting, about getting into the character? 

BA: I felt he was very lonely. He has no friends. He's all alone, so he doesn't talk to people. I'm sure he's not a happy man, but he's stuck. He's like a heroin addict; he's stuck.  And I took that attitude. I've never taken heroin and never intend to, but what I heard about it is that a guy has to have it. If Skorzeny didn't have blood, what would happen to him? it must be really hell not to have blood. So, I simply took the absolute necessity to have blood, and if I have to kill people, I'm "sorry." I don't want to kill anyone. I don't get kicks by killing people. I simply have to have it. And if people don't understand it, it's not my fault — and they chase me and they do awful to me and they shoot bullets at me and I'm furious with them.

COF: Do you regret not having any speaking lines? 

BA: No, I was very glad — very, very glad there were no speaking lines. Because I think as soon as the vampire opens his mouth and starts to talk, he becomes an ordinary human being; an actor saying silly lines. And I think that was a brilliant idea of theirs not to have the vampire say a word.

COF: Was all of the hissing and growling overdubbed. 

B A: No, this is what happened: Sometimes when they shoot they use an Arriflex camera which makes a lot of noise. It's a hand-held camera. In the end, where the sunlight comes in and I try to go up the stairs and the sunlight hits me and finally I fall, and Kolchak kills me with a stake — all that was shot with an Arriflex which made a terrible racket. So, all the noises had to be dubbed. We went into an adjacent sound stage and I tried to go through the business to make it as consistent as possible with the hissing and the growling and the snarling to cover that sequence where they were using the noisy Arriflex camera.

COF: You were the co-star of the most successful made-for-TV movie. To what do you attribute your personal effectiveness in THE NIGHT STALKER? 

BA: That's due to the way it was photographed and the way it was cut. I'm not trying to give false modesty. I think if you like films it’s important for you to know what it is in the film that makes you like it, so you can appreciate it all the more. There are a lot of things to watch in the film aside from the actors. You watch the way the shot's done — how it's cut, the camera angle. Those are the things in a film that can really be exciting as film. The way it was cut and edited together. In THE NIGHT STALKER you would be watching scene A and hearing the dialogue and sound from scene A. As you got to the end of that, we would suddenly hear the sound from scene B — then the visual would switch to scene B. This kind of overlapping — it would pull us through, rather than jerk, jerk, jerk like that. It would kind of ease us through into the next sequence and make the pacing very much faster. It's a neat technique and it's exciting to watch. It feels good to watch.

COF: Could you describe the general make-up they used on you? 

BA: The eyebrows — little bitty scissors were used to cut out all the hair underneath here and then a lot of goop was put on them and they were brought out and turned up on the ends. Full, complete contact lenses were used for the bloodshot part. There's a "mildly" bloodshot and a "heavily" blood- shot set, so there were two sets of contact lenses, and then the fangs and then a wig with black hair.

COF: How was that sequence filmed where you ran that man out the window on an upper floor?

BA: That was shot in the administration building of the Sam Goldwyn Studios and they replaced the window and used sugar for glass. They can make a pane out of sugar. It breaks, but it doesn't have very sharp, needle- like fractures. And they erected on the ground below a great big air pillow. It must have been maybe six feet high. It was inflated with blowers. And then the stuntman inside took a running jump, dived through the window and turned and tumbled and twisted as he fell three stories onto the cushion below. The window you saw from the inside of the building was on a set. The outside was another building altogether.


COF: Do you think it made a statement about society when the police forced Kolchak to get out of town? 

BA: Sure it did, and it's a statement that I think most of us believe as being certainly possible. It's a weird thing. I just read a book called "Centennial" about the year 1874 and about the big centennial exposition in Philadelphia. And it was the second term of Ulysses S. Grant, who was a very inept man — had no business ever being president. And the corruption was so thick throughout the whole government that it made me think, "Well... Watergate's really nothing new. Why should we be so really uptight about it? It's been going on for at least a hundred years, or probably before that." But we want to believe the best of ourselves and the best of our country—about George Washington and the cherry tree and all that sort of stuff. So, when it does happen we're always sort of shocked and horrified. And yet. in THE NIGHT STALKER, with that undercurrent of corruption, it really didn't surprise us a heck of a lot.

COF: I know THE NIGHT STALKER was a very serious drama, but between takes did you like to break the tension with some humor? 

BA: No, not especially. I don't horse around on the set. If it's a comedy picture I will, because it keeps up the fun ambiance. But if it's a serious film and I start to horse around or someone else starts to horse around, then this is bad, because it breaks the mood. You really have to keep that going, because it's very tenuous and it can slip away if you're not careful. You have to really concentrate; before you go into the set to take your place, you walk from the dressing room to the set. And I have to say to myself, where am I, what am I doing — because I've gotten out of it. So I have to walk back into it. What do I need, what do I want, what values do I have, what do I care about, what do I dislike, what do I admire, hate, respect, and so on. The whole inside has to go.

COF: If they re-made DRACULA and did it according to the book, do you have any ambition to portray the famous Count, the classic Vampire? 

BA: No way, no way. Look, DRACULA was written in 1898. That style of presentation of a story is old hat for us now. We really know it's a classic when we see it. In the recent version with Palance, we've had it—we've really had it. So, we cannot go and keep doing that over and over and over again. Here's what happened: take THE EXORCIST — you see, that is where we are now — where DRACULA was when it came out with Lugosi in the early 30's. It scared the heck out of us, and so did the first FRANKENSTEIN. Now, today in 1974, it's THE EXORCIST that's scaring people and making them sick. We cannot go back from the level of THE EXORCIST in terms of story, of treatment, of realism and honesty and candor. We're doing things, saying things and we're admitting things that we never did before. We are far more honest and candid a people than we ever were. I remember when sex movies started showing in theatres I couldn't believe it, because I was brought up in Denver, Colorado in a very square, Republican, Protestant society. And all this stuff Was where you wouldn't even think about it, much less talk about it. But we knew about it. Now we're all saying out loud what we're thinking in our heads. And I think this is marvelous. I think we're being honest and I think when we're honest we'll be healthy. When we start lying, then we get sick.

COF: What advice would you give to someone who wants to become an actor, and would you recommend the profession? 

BA : No. If you want to become an actor, nothing in God's will can keep you from becoming an actor. Nobody can recommend that you be or not be. If you want to be, you will be. You cannot help yourself. You will be, because you must be. You must be... or die. It occurred to me not long ago that acting is really an athletic activity and it wouldn't be far out to have acting as part of the Olympics because an actor really uses his body. You have to move. You have to feel. And I think one of the reasons athletes can make very good actors is because they already know how to move. They already know how to respond physically. If you can't do it physically you do it with words, but the words stand for a physical action. If I say, "Come here," what I'm really wanting to do is reach out and grab you and pull you here. So, I've simply used the words in place of an action; but I mean that action inside me when I say the words, and that's what turns it on — the meaning, the intention. I mean it... all of me means it.

COF: Do you ever feel the urge to write, direct and produce a film on your own? 

BA: Yes, I would like to do that. That's a very exciting medium. It's the most exciting for me. Kenneth Clark said in his CIVILIZATION that he felt that the most culturally representative aspect of this century would be the motion picture rather than architecture.

COF: Do you ever think of the degree of immortality you achieve by having yourself recorded on film? 

BA: What good does it do? When I'm dead, I'm dead.



THE NIGHT STALKER made the above statement in Los Angeles, a little over two years after the first unofficial documentary report of his death was made public. So, Kolchak... beware! 

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Dan Curtis goes to war



While Dan Curtis will be forever remembered as the creator of DARK SHADOWS, he probably believed THE WINDS OF WAR was his true masterpiece. With a budget larger than most Hollywood blockbusters, the 1983 mini-series both defined and broke the concept of the television mini-series.

Running more than 14 hours, the series was the definition of epic. And, to some, it was also the definition of excess. THE WINDS OF WAR didn't have nearly enough lightsabers to get my attention at the time (I was 11 years old when it aired) and my memories of it are limited mostly to comedians making jokes about the the World War II movie cost more than the actual war.

Over at Los Angeles Magazine, Tom Carson has an interesting piece about the mini-series. Yes, DARK SHADOWS gets a mention, but Carson's summation of Curtis' sensibilities is what caught my eye:
"For someone like Curtis, finesse would have made no sense as a priority even if he’d been capable of it. As far as he was concerned, what made The Winds of War important was its subject matter. Sure, the maneuvering required to jump the key players from one flash point to the next can get silly; from White House chin-wags with FDR to Hitler’s Berlin to blitz-bombed London, Pug Henry’s naval career is the most preposterous this side of Cap’n Crunch’s. Yet no other dramatization of World War II is as successful at conveying the conflict’s sheer sprawl and complexity."
You can read the entire piece, titled "What The Winds of War Says About Today’s TV," HERE.

Via: Los Angeles Magazine

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Kolchak's creator had a huge impact on pop culture


Jeff Rice, the creator of intrepid reporter Carl Kolchak, died last month at the age of 71.

Rice was the author of "The Kolchak Papers," the inspiration for the landmark television movie, THE NIGHT STALKER. Curiously, the novel was published after the broadcast of the movie ... and would include the name of the film's screenwriter, Richard Matheson, on the cover.

Even though his story would have a massive impact on pop culture, Rice wouldn't benefit much from his most famous creation. He threatened to sue ABC when a television series starring Carl Kolchak went into production in 1974 because the studio hadn't secured the rights from the author. They settled out of court, Rice got his screen credit ... and was subsequently shunned.

"You didn't do that kind of thing in 1970s Hollywood," recalls Rice's friend, Mark Dawidziak. "Jeff immediately was barred from the studio lot. A five-book deal for more novelizations was called off. Jeff's Tinseltown career was over, just as it was getting started. By the late '70s, if you knew a vampire novel by a writer named Rice, it probably was Anne Rice's 'Interview With the Vampire.'"

Rice failed to garner a national obituary when he died in July. Dawidziak is attempting to remedy that oversight with a thoughtful piece over at cleaveland.com. You can find it HERE.

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Dan Curtis' BURNT OFFERINGS coming to Blu-ray on Oct. 6



Dan Curtis' 1976 haunted house thriller BURNT OFFERINGS is getting a Blu-ray release from our friends at Kino Lorber on Oct. 6. The film features a new HD master and includes the following special features:
  • New interview with screenwriter William F. Nolan
  • New interview with actor Lee Montgomery
  • New audio commentary by film historian Richard Harland Smith 
  • Audio commentary with director/co-writer/producer Dan Curtis, actress Karen Black, and co-screenwriter William F. Nolan
  • "Trailers From Hell" with Steve Senski
  • Animated Montage of Stills
  • Original Theatrical Trailer
The film is now available for pre-order from Amazon HERE.

BURNT OFFERINGS was the last of Curtis' theatrical efforts as a director, following 1970's HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS and the following year's NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS. The film sports an amazing cast that includes Bette Davis, Karen Black, Oliver Reed, and Burgess Meredith. It's an odd little film based on a Robert Marasco novel that Stephen King called "Brilliant."

King also included the film on a list of the best horror films ever made in his book "Danse Macabre."

FYI: BURNT OFFERINGS is scheduled to air on Turner Classic Movies at 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 2, a few days before its Blu-ray release. It will be followed by HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS at 3:30 a.m.

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

A fan defends DARK SHADOWS from critics, 1966

Kathryn Leigh Scott and Alexandra Moltke on the first episode of DARK SHADOWS, June 27, 1966.
Critics weren't especially kind to DARK SHADOWS when it debuted in 1966. While it wasn't savaged, reviews of the show weren't overwhelmingly glowing, either. One syndicated writer complained that the new gothic soap was overwhelmingly quaint, dubbing it "Son of Peyton Place." The story's headline? "Critic Says 'Dark Shadows' Is Just Another Soap Opera." (You can read a transcript of that essay HERE.)

In those days, The San Mateo Times published a feature in their television directory titled "You are the Critic." In the newspaper's July 16, 1966, edition, a Pasadena resident took issue with the "Peyton Place" dismissal of DARK SHADOWS. You can read his response below, an assessment that shows not only a keen understanding of DARK SHADOWS, but of gothic literature, as well.



DARK SHADOWS 
Weekdays, 4 P.M., ABC 

New York producer Dan Curtis has incorporated the brooding sinister atmosphere and tangled human emotions of the American Gothic romance novel into a weekday "detergent drama" format, current popularity of such fiction writers as Daphne du Maurier, Victoria Holt and Mary Stewart (past mistresses of the Gothic novel genre), convinces that there is a pressing need for the American housewife to lose herself (for 30 minutes, weekdays) in the problems of a sympathetic young heroine thrust into "an Old Dark House" mystery. The only pity is that hard-working businessmen — often discerning mystery fans — have scant opportunity of  viewing the new series, entitled Dark Shadows.

In the opening episode, Victoria Winters, the young orphanage-reared heroine, is in the midst of a quest for identity. Star billing in the series is given to veteran screen actress Joan Bennett, who portrays the mistress of Collinwood Manor near Widow's Hill, outside a small Maine fishing community, "fifty miles from Bangor." This setting is both familiar and remote. Collinwood's breadwinner believes that Miss Bennett has made a mistake in bringing in an outsider to act as governess for their 10-year-old son. Villagers warn the New York girl against accepting the position, but the girl (along with the viewer) is compelled to investigate the mystery that enshrouds the great old family mansion.

Highly evocative musical scoring and oppressive Victorian manor settings effectively create a subtly mood, Dark Shadows is  not for the “hard-core" mystery fan, story line promises to uncover skeletons — not fresh corpses — in closets and attics, if subsequent episodes match the premiere installment's impact, Dark Shadows shows promise of generating vitality and excitement that Peyton Place somehow lacks.

R. L. EMERSON, Jr.,
Pasadena

Sunday, April 19, 2015

The Morgue: The Zuni Festish Doll had a killer manager



I quite like TRILOGY OF TERROR, even though I acknowledge that it's not an especially good movie. The film's following is based on two things: the performance of Karen Black, and the presence of the "Zuni Fetish Warrior" doll in the TV movie's final chapter.

According to the March 1, 1975, issue of TV Guide, director Dan Curtis spent a tidy sum on the "Zuni Fetish Warrior." There were three versions of the doll Ugly, Uglier, and Ugliest. The motorized version able to "run" in the film's distance shots cost about $15,000 to create, which is about $65,000 today when adjusted for inflation. You can get a look at the variations in the character in the TV Guide ad at the bottom of this post.

The doll was the work of designer Erik von Buelow, who has all of three production credits to his name (the others are EMPIRE OF THE ANTS and THE FOOD OF THE GODS). While Curtis certainly got his moneys worth from Von Buelow's creation, the doll's aftermarket value wasn't great. It was sold to a private collection through a 1991 auction for a modest $4,400.


Wednesday, December 10, 2014

TALES FROM BEYOND THE PALE comes to vinyl!

This is great news for vinyl fans: TALES FROM BEYOND THE PALE has released it's first black plastic blitz ... and its a doozy.

Their first release actually features two episodes from the series, THE HOLE DIGGER (written Larry Fessenden) and TRAWLER (written by Glenn McQuaid). Fessenden is quickly becoming a patron saint for modern horror. McQuaid, who directed 2008's I SELL THE DEAD, might be the world's biggest fan of Dan Curtis. He showed me a photo of his Curtis-related book collection and it gave me fanboy envy.

THE HOLE DIGGER stars James Le Gros and Owen and Tobias Campbell, and features Kevin Corrigan, Heather Robb and Joel Garland.  TRAWLER stars Christopher Denham,  AJ Bowen, and Larry Fessenden.

The double LP set is $25. The first 100 copies are colored vinyl, and all 500 copies of this pressing are gold foil numbered.

You can hear a free preview of TRAWLER (which I reviewed back in October) below. Listen to a preview of HOLE DIGGER at the Soundcloud page for Deep Focus HERE.

(For those of you who don't care about vinyl, both episodes are available as MP3 downloads for $2.99 each.)

VIA: http://talesfrombeyondthepale.com/



Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Dan Curtis' DRACULA streaming on Hulu Plus


Dan Curtis' 1973-ish adaption of DRACULA is now streaming on Hulu Plus.

Originally scheduled to air on CBS for the Halloween season in 1973, the film was preempted by President Richard Nixon, who felt one of his inexplicable compulsions to remind the public that he was an asshole. And also that his accomplice in crime, Vice President Spiro Agnew, was resigning. The film was pushed back to the following year, and even received a theatrical release in Europe.

Originally titled BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA, the story goes that Columbia struck a deal with Curtis for the exclusive rights to the title. Frankly, DAN CURTIS' DRACULA is a more apt title for the film, anyway. It's actually less faithful to the source material than Francis Ford Coppola's film.

MPI Home Video recently released a remastered version of Curtis' adaption on DVD and Blu-ray. The new release features the theatrical cut of the film, which include a few additional seconds of gore. While I haven't had time to inspect the version streaming on Hulu Plus, it's most likely the bloodier version that was screened in Europe.

I've got mixed feelings about the film. Despite a screenplay by Richard Matheson, DRACULA is a bit of a slog. It's gorgeously shot and showcases some great location work in England and Yugoslavia, but much of the cast goes to waste. The story just meanders around, occasionally stopping to shoehorn a flashback into the narrative to include scenes and plot points brazenly lifted from DARK SHADOWS. It's not a terrible film, but it's not especially good, either. You're better off watching HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS, which is a nastier take on the same tale.

If you want to give it a look, you can find it on Hulu Plus HERE.
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