Dark Shadows?

[Lark]

Any fans of Dark Shadows?

I listened to much of the original series in audio book format from a free iPod podcast of horror stories, then I bought the Dark Shadows: Revival DVD collection the other day and I'm through about four or five episodes, its pretty good.

 

[BlueSprout]

Was the revival the one in the early 90s with Joseph Gordon Levitt?

Edited: duh, google. Yes.

That version was great deal less camp than the original soap. It didn't have that much of a soapy feel at all, in fact. I've seen some of both because my mother is a big fan - particularly of Jonathan Frid . It's certainly unique and I like the dark plots and historic melodrama. I didn't care for the way the original was filmed, but I think its quality was standard for the day and the budget.

I think Tim Burton is filming a remake too. Might want to check that out.

 

[Lark]

I wonder if Burton's remake is a series or film, I'd not like to see it become something like American Gothic.

I loved the audiobooks of the original series but havent seen it, I gather that a lot of the time travel and other weird plot lines were to do with the need to reuse actors, actresses, costumes and sets!! That's mad but maybe it contributed to a better, more creative production?

The revival is definitely horror, it really made me think of Salem's Lot and other productions like that, it ends by summing up the story of Barnabus Collins the vampire but ending just at that sudden point and focusing in on the eyes it felt as though there should be "further adventures of" or something you know?

 

[BlueSprout]

I wonder if Burton's remake is a series or film, I'd not like to see it become something like American Gothic.

I loved the audiobooks of the original series but havent seen it, I gather that a lot of the time travel and other weird plot lines were to do with the need to reuse actors, actresses, costumes and sets!! That's mad but maybe it contributed to a better, more creative production?

The revival is definitely horror, it really made me think of Salem's Lot and other productions like that, it ends by summing up the story of Barnabus Collins the vampire but ending just at that sudden point and focusing in on the eyes it felt as though there should be "further adventures of" or something you know?

I read that it's a film starring Johnny Depp (who has apparently idolized Barnabus Collins since he was a kid).

If you like camp, the original series will do. There's nothing really lavish about the production, but I think I'm spoiled by my generation's standards. There was time travel (expected, because so much of the plot/background had to do with Collinwood's past), mystery, the macabre, etc. The 90s series' basic plot wasn't that different from the original, but it was also significantly pared down. So if you want more components of the story filled in, you might want to check the original series out. Also, the character of Barnabus had the same fascinating intensity and moral ambiguity from the very beginning, if that helps.