Being familiar with Dan Curtis through his 1968 and 1974 adaptations of 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' and 'Dracula'(both starring Jack Palance), both recommended especially the former, re-watching 'Dark Shadows' over the past few months as uni slowly became less intense brought many a day and hour of sheer joy.
It does get off to a slow start, with the characters not being as interesting and the budget limitations coming through quite loud and clear. However, 'Dark Shadows' improves significantly with the switch to colour and once the show's most iconic character Barnabas Collins is introduced, and it is very easy to see why it was so popular and why it is considered a classic still now.
The budget limitations are still obvious in the switch to colour, though not as badly affected. From this point on, there is more atmosphere with some quite sumptuous and suitably ominous at times lighting, the sets are less threadbare if not exactly sumptuous and the costumes are nice. Bob Cobert does a great job with the music, with 'Dark Shadows' in particular boasting one of early television's most haunting and unforgettably memorable theme tunes. Check out his scores for 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' and 'Dracula', both of which demonstrate how well music can add to the atmosphere.
'Dark Shadows' is always a lot of fun in the writing, sometimes because there is some unintentional corniness but often because there are some well-written fun moments, and the writing is always smartly written with some meaningful moments and a real sense of fear at times. The stories are always compelling, the slow pace never posing a problem at all, helped by a genuine creepy Gothic atmosphere and they are well-developed with any issues explored intelligently and in some considerable detail. The characters are likeably kooky, with the most memorable being the show's most popular asset Barnabas.
The acting is mostly fine, apart from some overacting, underplaying and fumbling of lines from some of the less major roles in the earlier seasons. On the whole though, everything is played straight with no pantomime and no things taken too seriously. The chemistry between the cast is also one of the show's best assets, especially between Barnabas and Julia. The main cast are great, with Joan Bennett and Grayson Hall for examples being very well cast and Jonathan Frid is just magnetic as Barnabas and can't be topped.
Overall, despite a slow start 'Dark Shadows' at its best was a classic, it is easy to see why it was popular at the time and it is equally easy to see why it is so loved and remembered with fondness now. 9/10 Bethany Cox
It does get off to a slow start, with the characters not being as interesting and the budget limitations coming through quite loud and clear. However, 'Dark Shadows' improves significantly with the switch to colour and once the show's most iconic character Barnabas Collins is introduced, and it is very easy to see why it was so popular and why it is considered a classic still now.
The budget limitations are still obvious in the switch to colour, though not as badly affected. From this point on, there is more atmosphere with some quite sumptuous and suitably ominous at times lighting, the sets are less threadbare if not exactly sumptuous and the costumes are nice. Bob Cobert does a great job with the music, with 'Dark Shadows' in particular boasting one of early television's most haunting and unforgettably memorable theme tunes. Check out his scores for 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' and 'Dracula', both of which demonstrate how well music can add to the atmosphere.
'Dark Shadows' is always a lot of fun in the writing, sometimes because there is some unintentional corniness but often because there are some well-written fun moments, and the writing is always smartly written with some meaningful moments and a real sense of fear at times. The stories are always compelling, the slow pace never posing a problem at all, helped by a genuine creepy Gothic atmosphere and they are well-developed with any issues explored intelligently and in some considerable detail. The characters are likeably kooky, with the most memorable being the show's most popular asset Barnabas.
The acting is mostly fine, apart from some overacting, underplaying and fumbling of lines from some of the less major roles in the earlier seasons. On the whole though, everything is played straight with no pantomime and no things taken too seriously. The chemistry between the cast is also one of the show's best assets, especially between Barnabas and Julia. The main cast are great, with Joan Bennett and Grayson Hall for examples being very well cast and Jonathan Frid is just magnetic as Barnabas and can't be topped.
Overall, despite a slow start 'Dark Shadows' at its best was a classic, it is easy to see why it was popular at the time and it is equally easy to see why it is so loved and remembered with fondness now. 9/10 Bethany Cox