Spend some time with Barnabas Collins this Halloween

Dark Shadows is taking over television this Halloween! With the exception of the 1991 revival series (which is currently streaming in its entirety on Hulu) the entire franchise is pretty well represented. Also, there's some misinformation circulating about what's happening with Decades in October. I've got a copy of the week's broadcast schedule and they are NOT showing 260 episodes of Dark Shadows. Instead, they're going to ring in the witching hour each night with a single classic episode of the series, beginning with #210.

Dark Shadows Lives (on Amazon Prime)

I can't imagine anyone believed we'd still be talking about DARK SHADOWS in 2018. When the show debuted in on June 27, 1966, today's calendar date was a short nap away from the era of THE JETSONS. Even the writers of speculative fiction didn't often look too far beyond that eternal signpost of the year 2000, the year in which most of the young people graduating from high school in 2018 were born.

Yet, here we are. We've already carved off a not-insignificant slice of the 21st century and DARK SHADOWS is somehow still a relevant topic in our cultural dialogue ... and that conversation is continuing in ways that weren't even imagined when the series first hit the airwaves more than 50 years ago.

Last week, after months of oh so slowly adding blocks of episodes to its catalog, Amazon Prime provided the remaining pieces to its digital DARK SHADOWS offerings. For the first time ever, the show was available -- in its entirety -- streaming in America and the United Kingdom. A few media outlets stopped to acknowledge the moment, but none of them seemed aware of the show's tortured history with home video. A few writers expressed a "Holy shit, Dark Shadows has how many episodes?" attitude, but there was also a shared misunderstanding that the afterlife of DARK SHADOWS looked pretty much the same as that of STAR TREK, BATMAN and its contemporaries. And that has never been the case. If DARK SHADOWS remains relevant today, it's not because it has thrived on the traditional cycles of natural selection, but because fans have spent the better part of the last five decades fighting to keep it alive.

Unlike other classic TV shows, DARK SHADOWS hasn't been a comfortable fit for rerun programming. A lot of what he think of as "classic TV" exists because it was cheap and easy to program: filler for after-school, Saturday afternoons, those weird post-midnight blocks of television ... pretty much any place not already occupied by the local news or network programming. A series that can survive for more than 100 episodes on a network can usually find some sort of second life in syndication, followed by enshrinement on a boutique cable television channel (think "Nick at Night.") Once upon a time, home video releases for television shows used to take place at the very end of this cycle, but that milestone since moved to the front of the process, before the series even ends.

DARK SHADOWS, with it's 1,225-episode narrative, was an ill-fit for this cycle from the very beginning. Even during its peak the show was the definition of ephemera, each episode broadcast only once before presumably going into the studio vaults forever. While millions of people watched the show daily, there was no mechanism in place to let fans catch up on missed episodes or, GASP!, watch them a second time. The best you could hope for was to clip and save published episode summaries, such as the popular "The Whole True Story of Dark Shadows" which ran for years in 16 Spec magazine. The cast of the live-on-tape series got one chance to nail their lines, the audience had once chance to see an episode, and after that it was gone. Reruns were never part of the agreement.




So it's not that surprising that the first efforts to put the show into syndication during the mid 1970s weren't immediately successful. DARK SHADOWS didn't gain it's first precarious foothold on the after market until the New Jersey Network began airing DARK SHADOWS in 1983. The public broadcasting channel had just 510 of its 1,225 episodes available in its catalog at the start. “New” episodes were added as the series progressed: By the time NJN took it off the air in 1986, it had bulked up its catalog to include arcs beginning with first appearance of Barnabas Collins until the start of the “Parallel Time” storyline. (Many of these later episodes went unaired because of the cancellation, though.)

As always, this proved to be a temporary setback. Whenever DARK SHADOWS shambles out of its crypt, it does so with renewed strength and vigor. It followed the NNJ cancellation with its debut on home video and, eventually, The Sci-Fi Channel. Both of these avenues eventually brought every episode of the series to audiences for the first time, even giving people their first chance to see those murky, prehistoric episodes before the game-changing introduction of Barnabas Collins.

Home video also proved to be a different sort of challenge. The original VHS collection from MPI Home Video eventually occupied more than 250 cassettes before that medium was discontinued. While the DVD sets were more space conscious, they nevertheless remained expensive. While nobody will argue that the 2012 "coffin" set that collected every episode of the series (that's more than 450 hours of entertainment on 131 discs) was anything less than ostentatious, the original retail price of $600 was off-putting for many. While the price of the set has fallen in recent years to about $340, that's still a serious investment for a lot of folks.

For the last few years, streaming media has been the last, best hope for supporting the mammoth, toothy bulk of DARK SHADOWS and its sprawling, multi-century/multi-dimensional storyline. But even that has proven to be an up-hill battle. Back in 2012 everybody expected Netflix to be the service that would be the first to host the entire series online ... but as its priorities shifted toward original content, Netflix even struggled to keep even keep the DVD series in stock for snail mail subscribers. Blocks of episodes have appeared on Hulu and Amazon Prime for the last few years, but it wasn't until last fall that the prospect of any single service hosting DARK SHADOWS threatened to become a reality.

It happened last week, in the middle of the night when nobody was paying attention. Amazon Prime UK added the entire series to its catalog, followed a few days later in America where Prime customers finally got the remaining pieces of the series. A show that struggled to stay in syndication for a few months in 1975 was now available, in its entirety, at your fingertips. (Technically, MPI Home Video beat them all to the punch last October when it launched the streaming DARK SHADOWS media service at www.darkshadows.tv, but that website has a long way to go before it can compete with the reach of Amazon.)

When DARK SHADOWS was cancelled by ABC in 1971, there was no reason to believe it wasn't gone forever. That wasn't a circumstance that sat well with fans, though, who eventually began organizing festivals and supporting fundraising initiatives to bring the series back to the public airwaves. These people continued to rally for years behind DARK SHADOWS, helping support a series as its back catalog was re-built episode by episode until, 25 years later, technology had risen to match their passions. Today, you can watch every episode of DARK SHADOWS on your television, smart phone, PC, tablet or any other device connected to the Internet. And frankly, we're all being a little too casual about how big of a deal that really is.

There's no escape from Barnabas Collins this Halloween

When it rains, it pours: Decades is broadcasting an extended block of DARK SHADOWS episodes in time for Halloween!

Marathons of the series have become a holiday tradition for Decades, a network that specializes in classic television. As a lead-up to its "official" launch in 2014, Decades broadcast  68 straight hours of DARK SHADOWS during the summer, followed later that fall with a weekend marathon at Halloween called "The Binge." This is the third year running that the channel has celebrated Halloween with a DARK SHADOWS marathon, which showcases episodes pulled from the earliest appearances of vampire Barnabas Collins in 1967. While a schedule of this year's activities is pending, look for this extended block of DARK SHADOWS to air the weekend of Oct. 28.

Click HERE to see if you receive Decades in your hometown.

Coincidentally, Oct. 28 is also the day TCM is airing a double bill of HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS and NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS. HOUSE begins at 4:15 p.m. EST, with NIGHT following at 6 p.m. ... which means a few fans will have to decide whether or not to change the channel for a few hours that day. Has something like this ever happened before? It feels unprecedented.

If that's not enough for you, Freeform is offering to rot your teeth with the cinematic equivalent of candy corn, Tim Burton's DARK SHADOWS. While the movie is keeping a respectful distance from Oct. 28, you can catch it on television at 4:10 p.m. EST Oct. 23 as part of a Burton marathon, and again 8:20 p.m. Oct. 26, 7 a.m. Oct. 27, and 11:30 a.m. Oct. 30.

For those of you who cut the cord, fear not! Amazon Prime is now streaming the first 17 DVD collections of the series ... plus two collections of "Dark Shadows: The Beginning," taken from the first 200 "Pre-Barnabas" episodes of the series. All told, this represents more than 750 episodes of DARK SHADOWS, taking you from the introduction of Jonathan Frid as "Barnabas Collins," right up through the entire 1897 story arc and David Selby as "Quentin Collins." (UPDATE: Amazon has since added Collection 23 to their Prime offerings.)

Meanwhile, over at Hulu, you can watch nine DVD collections of the series. Sadly, they're not entirely consecutive ... the streaming service is offering volumes 1 and 2 of the series, followed by volumes 5-9. It's a little anemic, sure, but Hulu appears to be the only service streaming all 12 episodes of the 1991 DARK SHADOWS "revival" series. So, there's that.

Hulu to receive Dark Shadows transfusion

My instinct was to spend 200 words wallowing in more blood-related puns here, but instead lets cut to the chase: More episodes of DARK SHADOWS are headed to Hulu later this year.

Late last month, Hulu viewers might have noticed that a great many episodes of DARK SHADOWS were labeled as "expiring," which is a tag given to episodes that will soon be leaving the streaming media service. These episodes would essentially clean out DARK SHADOWS larder, so to speak, leaving us with just the first two DVD "Barnabas Collins" collections available.

As it happens, this is part of a strategy by MPI Home Video to keep new episodes of DARK SHADOWS constantly available online.

"There isn't room to allocate all 1,225 episodes at all times on Hulu - no other show has that kind of inventory on Hulu," said Jim Pierson, the marketing director for Dan Curtis Production. "So, what we're doing is keeping the first one-two volumes of Barnabas introductory episodes on at all times as a foundation for new viewers, and then every couple of months the other four volumes change sequentially so that viewers can binge/watch 80 episodes ... and then the next batch appears."

"It's a compromise to keep things moving, as well as have a starting point for new viewers," Pierson said.

This means that the next batch of episodes should pick up at episode 982, during the "Parallel Time" storyline. But wait! There's more! Pierson said Hulu will be adding the first-year episodes of DARK SHADOWS to Hulu later this year, as well. A surprising number of fans haven't seen these first 200 episodes, which showcase some of the best writing and acting that DARK SHADOWS has to offer.

Hulu hemorrhaging more DARK SHADOWS episodes

Hulu, the once-mighty purveyor of DARK SHADOWS streaming media, will soon be losing almost all of the series. It's DS catalog has been slowly dwindling since November when it axed six "seasons" of the show, leaving behind an awkward mess. DVD collections 1 and 2 are currently available (and appear to be surviving the upcoming purge), as are collections 15-19. That's a gigantic hole in the catalog, a hole that will continue to erode in the as-yet unspecified future when 15-19 are dropped from the service.

I don't know how much longer these "seasons" will be available. Hulu's interface merely lists them as "expiring," and none of the mainstream news services that track Hulu's changing monthly catalog from have made any mention of DARK SHADOWS. But when you see the word "expiring" plaster across 200 episode listings on the app, it's probably not a good sign.

Dark Shadows collections vanish from Hulu

Well, this is perplexing: Hulu has dropped a number of "seasons" of DARK SHADOWS from its streaming service. Back in July, the company had expanded its roster of episodes to more than 500, providing the first 13 DVD collections of the series to subscribers. As of a few weeks ago, though, collections 3-8 are no longer available, bringing the number of streaming episodes down to a disjointed 280. When these episodes first disappeared, I chalked it up to technical error ... but it looks as if this haphazard compilation is sticking around for a while.

Via: Hulu

Hulu adds more Dark Shadows episodes to its archives

It's been interesting to watch DARK SHADOWS gradually expand its footprint at Hulu, everybody's favorite streaming media provider that's not Netflix. About four years ago, Hulu began offering the first 40 episodes to customers, with new episodes added every few months. The two most recent "seasons" of DARK SHADOWS added to the service brings the number of episodes at Hulu to more than 500 ... the equivalent of the first 13 DVD collections. This will get you to the start of the 1897 flashback.

Via HULU.

Local libraries offering DARK SHADOWS for free

Hulu recently added a ninth "season" of DARK SHADOWS to its archives, raising the number of episodes available on the streaming service to 360. The selection spans the introduction of Barnabas Collins in episode 210, to episode 573, roughly in the middle of the Adam/Dream Curse storyline.

Hulu has made episode 210 available for free, but you need a subscription to watch the rest of the series. If you're not interested in adding a Hulu subscription to your monthly bills, there's a way to see these episodes online that's both free and (gasp!) legal.

Hoopla, a digital entertainment service that has partnered with public libraries in the U.S. and Canada, has made the first nine DVD collections of DARK SHADOWS available in their archives. It's the same selection of episodes currently available on Hulu, though Hoopla's structure allows them to also offer music, eBooks and comics. That means users can "borrow" Danny Elfman's score to the 2012 DARK SHADOWS film, "The Original Music From Dark Shadows" from 1969, and the DVD anthologies "The Haunting of Collinwood" and "The Vampire Curse."

What's the catch, you ask? Well, there are two: your local library must offer Hoopla; and you must have a library card. If you can clear those two hurdles, all you have to do is log into Hoopla using your library card/pin number to begin borrowing titles. Files are automatically returned when the due date arrives.

Hoopla does not currently offer a Roku app, meaning you can only watch digital media using computers, smartphones, tablets and other devices. Luckily, the good people at the Las Vegas/Clark County Library District have provided a guide explaining how to connect these devices to your television. You can read it HERE.

(And don't forget, there's a good chance your local library keeps  DVDs of DARK SHADOWS on their shelves.)

Via: Hoopla Digital

Hulu continues to expand its DARK SHADOWS library

Hulu has slowly become the best place online to watch DARK SHADOWS. Since introducing the series to Hulu Plus subscribers back in 2013, the streaming service has been gradually (and quietly) adding episodes to its online catalog. Sometime during the last week, Hulu added a ninth "season" to its archives, bringing the available number of episodes up to 360. That represents almost a year-and-and-half of daily episodes from the original DARK SHADOWS.

Via: Hulu

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.

Hulu adds more episodes to its DARK SHADOWS catalog

It seems that Hulu has added another "season" to its offerings of DARK SHADOWS episodes. Last October, the streaming media company expanded its catalog to provide the first 200+ episodes of the series to feature Jonathan Frid as vampire Barnabas Collins. (Episodes 210 to 412, for those of you keeping score.)

Now, DARK SHADOWS did not originally air in traditional television "seasons." As a daytime drama, the show aired consistently throughout the week, holidays and national crises be damned. So it's a little strange to discuss DVD collections as "seasons," but whatever.

What's especially odd about Hulu's latest "season" is that it's significantly shorter than the previous collections. Seasons one through five have 40 episodes each, while the latest season adds only 17 shows. Regardless, this is a step in the right direction. It's certainly better that having 17 fewer episodes available.

Hulu expands its DARK SHADOWS library

Hulu, the on-demand streaming video site, recently expanded its library of DARK SHADOWS episodes. The site still has the first 40 episodes available for free, but is now offering the first 200 episodes to Hulu Plus subscribers. What does this mean? Not much, other that Hulu and MPI Home Video have reached some sort of mutually beneficial deal. It's not a sign that Netflix, which is presently streaming 40 episodes fewer than Hulu Plus, is about to flood the Internet with all 1,225 episodes. Netflix might get a few more episodes, or even the entire series ... then again, they might not. It's nice that Hulu has offered a few more episodes to its online customers, but it's not like DARK SHADOWS is difficult to find.

Collinsport News Bulletins

* Desmond Haas interviews KATHRYN LEIGH SCOTT about her new book, DOWN AND OUT IN BEVERLY HEELS.

* DavidSelby.com has announced the actor's appearance on the TNT series RIZZOLI & ISLES will air Tuesday, June 25, at 9 PM ET/PT.

* HULU has added episodes of DARK SHADOWS to its online collection, now offering the first 120 episodes of the series to feature BARNABAS COLLINS. These episodes make-up the first three DVD collections from MPI.

* The Multnomah County Library in Portland, Oregon, is hosting an event May 18 titled DARK SHADOWS & PUPPETRY. "Teens will use craft and art materials to bring their haunting ideas to life in the form of theatrical puppets," the library's website explains. "This project is inspired by the movie Dark Shadows and each puppet creature will leave the workshop ready to star in a moving picture!"

* An update on the campaign to get JONATHAN FRID on Canada's Walk of Fame. "At one point in his career, he was second in popularity to United States First Lady Jackie Kennedy, receiving 6,000 letters a week."

The original Dark Shadows is now on Hulu!

Hulu is now providing access to the first 40 episodes of the original dark Shadows that featured Barnabas Collins  via its HuluPlus program. I can't think of a better way to goof off at work than to revisit these early episodes of this series. I've embedded a preview of episode 248 below, because it's got a lot of my favorite cast members in it. (And don't forget: all 12 episodes of the 191 "revival" series are available streaming for FREE.)