It's Vampire Vs. Werewolf in "Crypt of Dark Shadows"

I hate to play favorites, but when you're running a content-driven contest you don't have any choice. Above is one of the entries in the recent (and now over) DARK SHADOWS 3 contest, and it was one of my favorites. It's a faux movie poster for CRYPT OF DARK SHADOWS, a film that would have returned Barnabas Collins to the series while also reviving Quentin as a werewolf. This piece of art comes to us from Stephen P., of Norcross, Ga.

A Time for Dark Shadows

 Warner Bros. recently let me give away Blu-ray copies of HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS and NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS. People pitched their ideas for a potential third film in the franchise  (and idea courtesy of The Collins Foundation) and I announced a winner last weekend. There were some fun entries, though, so I thought I'd share some of them. Below is a summary for a film titled A TIME FOR DARK SHADOWS, courtesy of Judy S.

Relatives of the Collins Family return to Collinwood many years later to find the house and property in disheveled and in disrepair.  The heir to the Collins property has heard rumors and legends about the historic home, but he isn't sure if they are really true.  Upon arrival at the house, he runs into a slightly awkward caretaker who tells him some of the history of the house, but he tries to dissuade the Collins heir from staying at the house.  

The heir to Collins name refuses, demanding to stay there and put an end to all the demons and legends that have haunted him throughout his life.  It seems that he was destined to return here.  After several nights there, the heir is haunted by images and spirits of the night.  The caretaker finally suggests that he go to the local professor/paranormal investigator to find some answers and peace, but it seems that the more he learns about the house and his legends, the more troubled he becomes.  

It seems that his past has come back to haunt him. He has images of living in this house before, knowing things about the house and the land that he didn't remember knowing.  The heir realizes that he is a visitor from the past, and truly belongs in Collinwood.  The professor tells him that the only way that he will find peace is to return to the past and make amends for any evil he might have done.  

The professor helps him return to his past life, and the heir returns to his roots, reliving many of the images and legends that have haunted his mind throughout his life.  In the past, the heir finds that the legends are true, and that they are many more monsters and more evil lurking than he could imagine.  He must battle witches, warlocks, werewolves, and more in his struggle to remain alive, but eventually, his past returns to haunt him.  He falls for the charm of a beautiful enchantress that turns him into a vampire. 

 In despair, the Collins heir knows then that only sorrow and pain will come from Collinwood and the Collins property, and he seeks to make an amends for all the evil that will ever walk that land.  In a rage, he torches the house, but realizes too late that he is captured in this former time and is doomed to relive the sorrows that have marked his life throughout time.  It is with anguish that he realizes that he will always be a monster with no hope of salvation.

Echoes of Dark Shadows

Warner Bros. recently let me give away Blu-ray copies of HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS and NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS. People pitched their ideas for a potential third film in the franchise  (and idea courtesy of The Collins Foundation) and I announced a winner last weekend. There were some fun entries, though, so I thought I'd share some of them. ECHOES OF DARK SHADOWS comes to us courtesy of Barnabas M.

Child of Dark Shadows

A few weeks ago, Warner Bros provided me the opportunity to give away Blu-ray editions of HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS and NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS. The catch? You had to come up with an idea for a THIRD film that would have followed them. It was a challenging prospect and I received some really interesting ideas. I'll be sharing some of them here over the next few weeks, but the contest winner is
MELISSA SNYDER. Her imaginative entry not only included a movie poster for her film, CHILD OF DARK SHADOWS, but also a faux DVD review of the film. The story not only introduced Victoria Winters into the cinematic mix, but also brings DARK SHADOWS full circle with its original homage to JANE EYRE. I like to imagine the non-existent movie was shot in a similar manner to SUSPERIA.

You'll note the DVD of CHILD OF DARK SHADOWS also doesn't include any special features :)

Congratulations, Melissa!


DVD review: Child of Dark Shadows  
(MGM, 1973; released on DVD and Blu-Ray by Warner Home Video, 2012)

Collinwood was once a lavish family estate on the rocky coast of Maine, but the last members of the once-proud Collins family died years ago. The great house is now a boarding school run by the stern Revered Isaiah Trask. Most students come to Collinwood after being thrown out of the best schools, but the new girl, Victoria, has just arrived on a charitable scholarship from a foster home in New York.

In addition to the less-than-saintly Trask, the faculty is rounded out by his timid wife Rachel and a melancholy blind music teacher, who is plagued by bloody visions of the past. Victoria’s only friend is Karen, a shy girl suffering from a mysterious illness. While exploring the grounds, the girls encounter the tenant of the old house on the estate, Dr. Joanna Hoffman. Rumor has it that the good doctor’s sister was among the victims of the serial killer who wiped out an entire branch of the Collins family years ago. In the old house, Victoria sees a portrait of a young girl who looks exactly like herself.

A series of accidents and injuries begins to plague the student body; paranormal activity, student pranks, and intruders are alternately blamed, and suspicion falls on the new student. Karen’s sudden death is ruled by Dr. Hoffman to be the result of her illness, but Victoria believes otherwise -and begins to suspect that her friend isn’t really dead at all. Is Victoria losing her mind? Is the Collins bloodline extinct after all? How many times can Dan Curtis go back and draw from the same well? The answers to these questions and many more can only be answered by the Child of Dark Shadows.

Child of Dark Shadows is the third theatrical film based on the cult Gothic TV serial of the same name, which delighted housewives and teenagers from 1966-1971. Like its predecessors House of Dark Shadows (1970) and Night of Dark Shadows (1971), it rehashes some elements of the series, but isn’t afraid to throw in a few gallons of stage blood and a higher body count than the limits (not to mention the network bosses) of daytime TV would allow. CoDS is part of the 1970’s wave of horror films centered around children, that included The Omen, The Exorcist, and Carrie. The production benefits from the inclusion of iconic music by Robert Cobert, as well as casting series regulars Jerry Lacy as the delightfully two-faced Trask, Marie Wallace as the hypochondriac Mrs. Trask, and the late, great Grayson Hall as Dr. Hoffman’s eccentric sister. As with previous Dark Shadows movies, the real-life Lyndhurst - a palatial estate in the Hudson Valley - is a star in its own right in the role of the atmospheric Collinwood mansion.

The picture quality has aged gracefully, maintaining the contrast between the muted palette of the main narrative and the rich, saturated colors of the flashbacks. The mono sound could be clearer, and we could really benefit from some extras beyond the theatrical trailer (Come on, Warner Brothers!). But with the release of House, Night, and Child of Dark Shadows, this has been a banner year for Dark Shadows fans, even those less than impressed with the recent Tim Burton/Johnny Depp quirkfest, which enjoyed a tepid reception from both critics and box office. The whole set is a must for Dark Shadows fans, and a good bet for any fan of 1970's Gothic horror.

Can I get extra shadows on my pizza?

 Just when you thought DARK SHADOWS couldn't get any stranger, along comes a contest sponsored by Pizza Hut ... in Japan. They're actually giving away some pretty cool prizes (which you can see HERE) but I thought the image above was kind of cute.

Win House/Night of Dark Shadows on Blu-ray!

The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and that road grows more beautiful and treacherous whenever you reach the third film in a movie franchise. RETURN OF THE JEDI, ALIEN 3, SUPERMAN 3, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, SPIDER-MAN 3, THE GODFATHER PART 3 ... they all have their merits, but also faced insurmountable demands for increased tension and resonance. SCREAM 3 commented on this problem while simultaneously suffering from it, which proves awareness of the problem does not automatically fix it.

The Third Film is notoriously difficult to pull off, because they're (technically) the third act in a story. You have to be able to boil the various conflicts, themes and character goals until they reach critical mass, and most directors are lucky to be able to resolve ONE of those story elements. For a variety of reasons, Dan Curtis never made a third DARK SHADOWS film, though I'm sure the idea was discussed during the filming of NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS. For those of you skimming this text in search of a point, let me put it in bold print:

Tell me about your vision for a third 
DARK SHADOWS movie.

Are you good with video? Cut a trailer for a fake third DARK SHADOWS film and post it on Youtube. Do you like to write? Send me a story synopsis, or even a few pages of script (or an ENTIRE script if you're an overachiever.) Are you an artist? Create a movie poster for DARK SHADOWS 3. Be inventive. Go crazy. It can be serious. It can be funny. It can be whatever you want it to be.

There are hundreds of possibilities I haven't mentioned. After all, this is DARK SHADOWS, which once included a story arc featuring a time traveling vampire attorney (see episode 1,179.) As long as you get your point across, you're good to go. Make sure you include a title for the movie.

Contest Details:
Prizing: The winner will receive (1) blu-ray copy of HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS and (1) blu-ray copy of NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS. Send your contest entries to collinsporthistory @ gmail.com. Warner Bros is unable to ship prizes to P.O. Boxes, so please provide a physical address. Also, the winner must live within the United States.

Entries must be received by Oct. 26, 2012.

NOTE: The concept for this contest was proposed to me by Patrick McCray at THE COLLINSPORT FOUNDATION. Go visit him! He got a contest going on, too.

And the winner of the DARK SHADOWS giveaway is ...

We had some terrific responses to the DARK SHADOWS giveaway sponsored by Warner Bros. We asked What would you do after being in a box for two centuries? and CHAD EVETT provided us with the two answers: enjoy ''Fine Dining'' (above) and "Indulge is some nightlife!" (left.)

If Evett looks familiar, it's because he's been featured here before.

If you're curious, the answer submitted more than any other involved some variation of "I'd use the bathroom!" One astute reader even drew a line connecting the idea from DARK SHADOWS to one of the more memorable scenes from the first AUSTIN POWERS movie, which is not the first time the two movies have been compared.

DARK SHADOWS comes to Blu Ray, DVD and digital download on Oct. 2.

Win Dark Shadows on Blu Ray!

Warner Bros. has very generously offered to let me give away a Blu Ray combo pack of the 2012 DARK SHADOWS movie to one of my readers.

DARK SHADOWS comes to Blu Ray, DVD and digital download on Oct. 2. While everyone else is standing in line at Target or waiting for the mailman to deliver a package from Amazon, you can score a copy for free by answering one simple question:

What would you do after being in a box for two centuries?

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only and ends on Sept. 28, 2012 at 12:01 AM (EST). I will select the winner, who will be notified via e-mail. The winner has three days to reply or a new winner will be chosen.

Now, your answer doesn't have to be novel-length. It can be as long or as short as you like, just make it imaginative. Hell, it doesn't even have to be written. Send me a photo, a drawing, a video or whatever other medium you choose ... just as long as you answer the question.

Send your answers to collinsporthistory @ gmail.com



If you're visiting this site, odds are you already know what DARK SHADOWS is about. But WB has provided me a detailed summry of the film, and it never hurts a website's traffic to have names like "Johhny Depp" and "Michelle Peiffer" appear as often as possible.

DARK SHADOWS (synopsis)
Director Tim Burton brings the cult classic series "Dark Shadows" to the big screen in a film featuring an all-star cast, led by Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer and Helena Bonham Carter. In the year 1750, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from England to start a new life in America, where they build a fishing empire in the coastal Maine town that comes to carry their name: Collinsport. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy...until he makes the grave mistake of falling in love with a beauty named Josette DuPres (Bella Heathcote) and breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death—turning him into a vampire, and then burying him...alive.

Nearly two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972, a stranger in an even stranger time. Returning to Collinwood Manor, he finds that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin, and the dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets. Family matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) is the one person Barnabas entrusts with the truth of his identity. But his rather odd and anachronistic behavior immediately raises the suspicions of the live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), who has no idea what kind of problems she's really digging up.

As Barnabas sets out to restore his family name to its former glory, one thing stands in his way: Collinsport's leading denizen, who goes by the name Angie...and who bears a striking resemblance to a very old acquaintance of Barnabas Collins. Also residing in Collinwood Manor are Elizabeth's ne'er-do-well brother, Roger Collins, (Jonny Lee Miller); her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloë Grace Moretz); and Roger's precocious 10-year-old son, David Collins (Gully McGrath). The longsuffering caretaker of Collinwood is Willie Loomis (Jackie Earle Haley), and new to the Collins' employ is David's nanny, Victoria Winters (Bella Heathcote), who is, mysteriously, the mirror image of Barnabas' one true love, Josette.

Barnabas Collins: Makeup Tips

Want to get dressed up for the Dark Shadows premiere in May? Jackie has posted a video on Youtube showing you how to achieve the ghastly look of Barnabas Collins in the upcoming movie. She's also giving away a movie poster, t-shirt, four key chains and two tickets for Dark Shadows, and tells you how to enter in the video above.

Win a set of classic 1968 Dark Shadows Viewmaster reels!

It's time for another contest, everybody! The rules to this one will be a little different from the last: this time I'm going to target only my followers on Twitter. And the prize? A set of 1960s Dark Shadows Viewmaster reels, with the story booklet and envelope.

All you have to do is copy the following text and "retweet" it:

Win a set of Dark Shadows viewmaster reels! Random draw from followers who retweet this by March 24 #darkshadows 

I will randomly select a winner from all of my followers who retweeted this text on March 24. Good luck and enter often! Make sure my Twitter handle/name is included in the Tweet so that it can be tracked: @CousinBarnabas.

Note: the Viewmasters reels and booklet are in great shape, but the outer envelope is not in mint condition. I will also need a name and postal address for shipping. The contest is open to international Twitter followers.

We have a winner!

Using an online random number generator I've selected the winner of the first Collinsport Historical Society contest ... and he's going to be a familiar face to some of you.

The winner is Steve Mavronis, the subject of one of the first posts on this site (that's him in the photo above, taken in 1970.) Congratulations!

I've got another contest that will be announced in the weeks ahead. Those of you who have already signed up for The Collinsport Historical Society's Google, Twitter and Facebook pages are already entered. So stay tuned!

Contest update (and other assorted news)

Hello, Fiends!

I just wanted to post a quick note about our contest, which ends in a few hours. The cutoff time is 6 p.m. EST. After that I will randomly select a winner and post an announcement as soon as the respond. For details on the contest see THIS POST.

I'm already planning a second contest and hope to be able to reveal the prize within the next few weeks. If all goes according to plan it will be something that any Dark Shadows fan will want to add to their collection. Stay tuned.

It's going to be a busy week at The Collinsport Historical Society. Look for a review of Dark Shadows #3 from Dynamite Entertainment (hopefully just in time for the release of the fourth issue, expected to arrive in stories Tuesday) and the final four installments of The Creep Factor.

Last, but certainly not least, look for my interview with Kathryn Leigh Scott to be published soon!

Dark Shadows contest ends Feb. 26

I was going through my modest collection of Dark Shadows items a few weeks ago and discovered I own TWO copies of Inside the Old House #61. The 52-page fanzine was independently published in 1997 and can be difficult to find, so I thought I'd share it with one of my readers.

The book features an installment of  the "Untold 1872 Flashback" (a series of imaginary episode summaries taking place after the cancellation of Dark Shadows,) an original short story, Dark Shadows classified ads, scans of vintage magazine clippings and more. And you have three ways to win a copy of this book:

1: Go over to the Collinsport Historical Society's Facebook page and "Like" us (CLICK HERE);

2: Follow us on Twitter (CLICK HERE);

3: Or join this webpage with Google Friend Connect under the "Members in Good Standing" to your right.

The winner will be randomly selected from my followers on all three sites, so if you sign up for all three it triples your chances of winning. The winner will be announced Feb. 26, 2012. Keep in mind that this book is a physical artifact and will have to be delivered via snail mail. I will need a name and address so, if you're worried such a disclosure might pose a risk to your career as a costumed superhero, it will make delivering the prize a tad difficult.

This contest is open to ALL of my followers. If you've been signed up since the very beginning, consider yourself already entered into the contest. Also, all of you porn stars trying to follow me on Twitter? I appreciate that you're willing to take your clothes off  (and I didn't even have to ask!) but I have my suspicions that your Twitter accounts aren't real. At least they're not "real" in the way George Berkeley might have defined it.

To the rest of you ... good luck!

Dark Shadows contest ends Feb. 26

I was going through my modest collection of Dark Shadows items a few weeks ago and discovered I own TWO copies of Inside the Old House #61. The 52-page fanzine was independently published in 1997 and can be difficult to find, so I thought I'd share it with one of my readers.

The book features an installment of  the "Untold 1872 Flashback" (a series of imaginary episode summaries taking place after the cancellation of Dark Shadows,) an original short story, Dark Shadows classified ads, scans of vintage magazine clippings and more. And you have three ways to win a copy of this book:

1: Go over to the Collinsport Historical Society's Facebook page and "Like" us (CLICK HERE);

2: Follow us on Twitter (CLICK HERE);

3: Or join this webpage with Google Friend Connect under the "Members in Good Standing" to your right.

The winner will be randomly selected from my followers on all three sites, so if you sign up for all three it triples your chances of winning. The winner will be announced Feb. 26, 2012. Keep in mind that this book is a physical artifact and will have to be delivered via snail mail. I will need a name and address so, if you're worried such a disclosure might pose a risk to your career as a costumed superhero, it will make delivering the prize a tad difficult.

This contest is open to ALL of my followers. If you've been signed up since the very beginning, consider yourself already entered into the contest. Also, all of you porn stars trying to follow me on Twitter? I appreciate that you're willing to take your clothes off  (and I didn't even have to ask!) but I have my suspicions that your Twitter accounts aren't real. At least they're not "real" in the way George Berkeley might have defined it.

To the rest of you ... good luck!