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.

Creating the cover art for Master of Dark Shadows

Artist Jesse Vital has shared a look at the process of creating the cover art for upcoming Master of Dark Shadows home video release. Two things leap out immediately: Lara Parker is absent from his rough sketch, and the Zuni Fetish Warrior from Trilogy of Terror is missing from a later, more complete version.

If you're just now finding out about Master of Dark Shadows, you can find out everything you need to know about the film and its many, many special features by clicking HERE. It's set for release April 16 and is available for pre-order from Amazon.

You can see Vital's art below.

Update: Master of Dark Shadows screening

By now you've probably already heard about the upcoming documentary about Dan Curtis titled Master of Dark Shadows. (If not, you can take a gander at the trailer, summary and list of special features HERE.) Set for release on Blu-ray on April 16, you've got a chance to catch the documentary on the big screen earlier that week in New York City ... with members of the Dark Shadows cast! There have been a few changes to the premiere sceening in recent weeks. The bad news first: the April 13 dinner reception event has sold out. The good news: A few more members of the original cast have been added to the guest list. Click on the image above to read the details.

You can pre-order Master of Dark Shadows from Amazon HERE.

Everything we know about Master of Dark Shadows

Jonathan Frid's "lost" appearance on the The Dick Cavett Show has been recreated for Master of Dark Shadows.

To be honest, I wasn't that excited about Master of Dark Shadows. That's not to say I wasn't grateful that it was happening ... a reconsideration of the works of Dan Curtis is long overdue. For a man who never intended to become a filmmaker he developed an incredibly distinctive, powerful style. It's not a coincidence that we're still talking about his work in the decades since his creative peak.

That being said, I wasn't sure what Master of Dark Shadows had to offer those of us who are graduates of his work. I expected the documentary to be 100-level stuff for the uninitiated ... which is perfectly fine. It's a wise choice, since it's difficult to engage new audiences if you talking over their heads. But I was sure this would be stuff I've all heard and seen before.

And then the list of bonus features arrived in my mailbox and OH. MY. GOD. While the documentary was probably going to be worth the cost of the disc alone, the bonus features are priceless. Some of this stuff I didn't even know existed, such as video of Jonathan Frid's 1969 visit to the White House. There's also the Art Wallace-penned episode from the CBS anthology series The Web which served as the template for Dark Shadows more than a decade later. This screened at the 2016 Dark Shadows Festival but I was only able to catch a few minutes of it ... so it's great to get a second chance to revisit this once-lost gem.

There's also ... well, see for yourself. Below is the official summary of Master of Dark Shadows, a list of guest stars, the final key art, the trailer and a list of the bonus featurs to be included with the DVD and Blu-ray editions of the documentary. Master of Dark Shadows is available for pre-order from Amazon HERE and is set for release April 16.

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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.

Kathryn Leigh Scott, David Selby and Lara Parker at the Lyndhurst Estate during the 2012 Dark Shadows Festival.

DVD and BluRay bonus features:

• Jonathan Frid on "The Dick Cavett Show"recreation of Frid's second of three appearances on the longtime talk program host's ABC series in 1968 using surviving original audio master along with previously unseen production photos of Frid with Cavett, rare images of Frid on a promotional tour and other "Dark Shadows" related visuals.
• David Selby - "Light & Shadows" offers a musical performance of one of the actor-writer'soriginal "Dark Shadows" themed songs shot at the 2012 cast reunion on Coronado Island in California.
• "Dark Shadows In Hell's Kitchen" Kathryn Leigh Scott visits the former "Dark Shadows" ABC-TV Studio 16 in Manhattan a few months prior to its recent demolition. 
• "The House" episode of "The Web" The 1954 CBS-TV anthology series installment written by Art Wallace which was a precursor to the story bible he put together for Dan Curtis as the foundation for the original "Dark Shadows" story.
• Original 1966 ABC-TV "Dark Shadows" promos Four different commercials serving to preview and promote the series which include rare location footage and atmospheric voice-overs by famed vocal artist Paul Frees
• "Dark Shadows In Print" Kathryn Leigh Scott & David Selby reminisce and talk about the Pomegranate Press book "Dark Shadows - Return To Collinwood."
• "Master of Dark Shadows" Film Trailer 
• "Dark Shadows" Big Finish Audio Drama Promo

BluRay only bonus features:

• Barnabas At The White House (1969 color newsreel footage of Jonathan Frid in costume for a UNICEF Halloween party hosted by President Nixon's daughter Tricia)
• Jonathan Frid: "Shakespeare & Poe In The Shadows" Originally broadcast on the New Jersey Network Public Television "Dark Shadows Special" in 1983, the actor performs "The Tell-Tale Heart" in full as well as an excerpt from "Richard III" 

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.  

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.

Catch Master of Dark Shadows on the big screen April 13

By now you've probably already heard about the upcoming documentary about Dan Curtis titled Master of Dark Shadows. (If not, you can read about it HERE.) Set for release on Blu-ray on April 16, you've got a chance to catch the documentary on the big screen earlier that week in New York City ... with members of the Dark Shadows cast! Click on the image above to read the details about the event and to find out how to get tickets. And click HERE to pre-order Master of Dark Shadows today!

(Note: At the moment only the Blu-ray edition is available for pre-order. It seems unlikely that a DVD edition will not be offered at some point, so stay tuned!)

Behind the scenes of Master of Dark Shadows

Nancy Barrett and Kathryn Leigh Scott prepare to record their segments during the initial Master of Dark Shadows video shoot in 2016. This behind-the-scenes photo was taken in the basement of the Lyndhurst Mansion during the weekend of the 50th anniversary Dark Shadows Festival in Tarrytown, N.Y., and comes courtesy of Jim Pierson.

Narrated by Ian McShane, the feature-length documentary from David Gregory (Lost Soul, Godfathers of Mondo) is due out April 16. Also featured in the film are Oscar-winning writer-producer Alan Ball (True Blood), screenwriter William F. Nolan (Trilogy of Terror), author Herman Wouk (The Winds Of War), actors Whoopi Goldberg (Ghost), Barbara Steele (Black Sunday) and Ben Cross (Chariots of Fire), Dark Shadows stars Jonathan Frid, David Selby, Lara Parker, John Karlen, Jerry Lacy, Roger Davis, Marie Wallace, Chris Pennock and James Storm, plus other colleagues and family members.

For those of you keeping score at home, the last few years have been pretty good for fans of Dan Curtis. The Tim Burton film prompted Warner Bros. to release gorgeous restorations of House of Dark Shadows and Night of Dark Shadows on blu-ray. In 2014 MPI Home Video released the uncut European version of Dan Curtis' Dracula (i.e., "the one with all the blood") on blu-ray. Since then, Kino Lorber Studio Classics released his third and final theatrical directing credit, Burnt Offerings, on blu, and then followed that with 4K restorations of the The Night Stalker*, The Night Strangler and Trilogy of Terror. Click on the image below to explore the avaialability of these movies on Amazon.



(* Yes, I know Curtis only produced The Night Stalker. Don't @ me.)

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.