Review of House of Dark Shadows (1970) by Michael T — 12 Nov 2012

In 1970 Dan Curtis adapted his cult-1960s Gothic" soap opera to the big screen in House of Dark Shadows. Only Shakesperean actor Jonahan Frid (playing the iconic vampire Barnabus Collins) and Joan Bennett (playing Collinswood manor and Collinsport matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard) had been in the TV serial. Freed from TV censorship, Curtis ramped up the violence quotient a fair amount but compared to some other 1970s Horror films, its actually pretty tame. A relative from England who is the spitting image (and namesake) of a supposedly long dead ancestor shows up in Collinsport and visits his relatives in the gothic Collinswood mansion. Around this time a series of attacks on local women are carried out by what might be a vampire. Are the two events connected?

The film is probably a good place for a Horror fan who missed the heyday of this cult TV show (1967-71). Unlike Star Trek, the serialized nature of this show and its talky Soap Opera plots make it somewhat inaccessible to Gen X or Gen Y viewers (or Booomers who missed it the first time around). Frind is very good as Barnabus. Unlike Christopher Lee's Dracula, Barnabus hates what he is and leaps at a chance to become human again (offered by Grayson Hall's Dr. Julia Hoffman). He is still a monster though; a monster who knows he is a monster. The problems lie in the pacing, Curtis was probably a better producer than a director. And he introduces too many characters into too short a film. Curtis does create a very creepy atmosphere; Collinsport looks menacing even during the day! The film was released on VHS back in the day but has been unavailable on DVD and Blu-Ray until recently (probably thanks to the Tim Burton adaptation). Worth a look if you a genre fan.