Dark Shadows Volume 22 (Or The Last Dark Shadows I’ll Sit Through…)

The Good: Characters are actually developing…
The Bad: Plots do not progress, Special effects are not special, Production/Medium issues.
The Basics: Despite having some actual character development, “Volume 22” of Dark Shadows is a flop because little truly happens and it is poorly presented.


Even as I give up on Dark Shadows, I could not resist doing was finishing off the review of Dark Shadows “Volume 22” mostly because I already watched the episodes and wrote up the plot summaries. Fortunately, that leaves me eminently qualified to “not recommend” the VHS tape.

For those unfamiliar with it, Dark Shadows was a gothic horror soap opera from the 1960s which included characters who were vampires, werewolves and ghosts. Unfortunately, shortly (relatively) after the saving grace of the series was introduced in the popular vampire character Barnabas Collins, the series became mired in soap opera conceits like forced weddings, blackmail plots and increasingly melodramatic capers, instead of genuinely frightening storylines. Sadly, the five episodes on “Volume 22” are very much soap opera episodes with only a minimal infusion of supernatural happenings. This volume, which contains episodes 315 – 319, follows right on the heels of the plots in “Volume 21” (reviewed here!). On this video, the story continues from where it left off, so those looking to just pick up this tape are likely to be lost.

The three hundred fifteenth episode has David captured by Barnabas. After a tap dance about where they will go – so Barnabas may kill the child - during which Barnabas tries to get the truth out of David, David is rescued by the appearance of Burke Devlin. Returning to Collinwood, Roger and Victoria try to suss out the truth about where David was, though he sticks to his lie that he was out in the woods, possibly protecting himself from Barnabas.

In episode three hundred sixteen, Dr. Hoffman trails Barnabas as he stalks David. After a lengthy discussion, she convinces him not to kill David. Meanwhile, Sam Evans goes in search of answers and discovers the name Sarah Collins in the Collins family crypt.

Episode three hundred seventeen finds Dr. Hoffman as Barnabas's prisoner as Sam Evans and Dr. Woodard investigate the Collins family mausoleum. While Dr. Hoffman tries to cry out, Barnabas subdues her. Overhearing the conversation between Dr. Woodard and Sam, Barnabas resolves to kill David. Dr. Hoffman desperately attempts to talk him out of such a drastic action, but Barnabas is convinced it is the only way. Dr. Woodard confronts Hoffman.

The three hundred eighteenth episode finds Dr. Woodard taking over the care of Maggie Evans. As news reaches the residents of Collinsport that there has been another murder of a young woman, Maggie decides to become proactive. She, Sam and the sheriff hatch a plan, making public a vulnerability in the Evans family. Willie overhears it and dutifully relates it to Barnabas.

In episode three hundred nineteen, David Collins has a nightmare where he is tormented by Barnabas Collins (as a vampire) and he awakens still afraid of his older cousin. He confides in Burke Devlin. Barnabas, in the meantime, turns on Dr. Hoffman, threatening to kill her if Maggie Evans recalls any of her ordeal with him!

Unfortunately for viewers, when Dark Shadows progresses in the plot department, it usually neglects the characters and vice versa. “Volume 22” is proof positive of that as the episodes actually have somewhat decent character development, especially of the oft-neglected David, who grows a serious spine in these episodes. But beyond David standing up and saving his own life through continuing a lie, not much actually happens in these episodes. Instead, his fear is revealed through a pretty obvious dream sequence and the other characters mull about for the episodes doing not much in particular.

Even though the character of David progresses some, the acting in these episodes is frequently terrible. David Henesy, who plays David Collins, is a child actor and given how much of Dark Shadows is filmed in a single take, the episodes on “Volume 22” reveal some of the serious issues with hiring child actors. When Henesy does not stutter his way through his lines, his body language is often unnaturally stiff.

Beyond such petty issues, the episodes of Dark Shadows on “Volume 22” are problematic from a production standard as well. Shortly before these episodes, the series moved from black and white to color film. Strangely, episodes 317 and 319 revert to black and white and episode 317 is especially grainy. Unfortunately, the lighting directors do not seem to know how to keep the film from either black and white or color focused and from burning out the film (lit candles cause burnout on the prints). So, on the technical merits, these episodes are very weak.

As well, fans of the series who can actually put up with the fact that not much at all actually happens on the show in these episodes can get cleaned up versions in the third DVD boxed set. But “Volume 22” is a VHS and there are no bonus features or goodies that offer a real incentive to buy. Instead, fans need to be wary as the medium is becoming more fragile with age, making it easy to avoid, even for fans of soap operas or vampires.

For other television shows with vampire characters, please visit my reviews of:
Angel
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
True Blood - Season Five

2/10

For other television and movie reviews, please visit my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing of those reviews!

© 2013, 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Dark Shadows Volume 21: A Hunt In Intrigue Is Still Campy!

The Good: Plot progresses fairly well
The Bad: Very lame special effects, Medium issues, Clunky acting, Light on character development.
The Basics: One of the better volumes of Dark Shadows, with "Volume 21" things happen on the gothic soap opera as Barnabas Collins begins to make some serious moves!


As my free time winds down, I am baffled at what I still do for my blog. After all, it did not take long for me to realize that Dark Shadows, which is billed as a supernatural soap opera from the 1960s is actually far more the soap opera at times than the supernatural story I would be interested in. Yet, I continue to watch the tapes, like "Volume 21" in order to provide useful reviews for readers. With "Volume 21" it is less the thankless job that it might seem - watching Dark Shadows - but it is still not quite enough to recommend the five episodes on the video.

Dark Shadows on "Volume 21" suffers from being a story very much in process, though it is a video tape where the plot, rather fortunately, progresses. Even so, it is riddled with problems, from the acting to technical issues that involve the changeover of the series from black and white film to color. The result is that "Volume 21" seems both campy and dated, but it has the advantage that it does go somewhere. This video, with the five episodes 310 - 314, follows on the heels of "Volume 20" (reviewed here!) and focuses on Barnabas Collins and his plans to turn Victoria Winters when David Collins, her charge, goes missing. "Volume 21" picks up there with the plot in the middle of an arc.

In episode three hundred ten, David is hiding near Barnabas's coffin when Barnabas and Willie arrive. When they do not find Sarah there, Barnabas and Willie leave, inadvertently sealing David inside. As Carolyn and Joe search desperately for David, Barnabas finds Victoria in a weakened state. And as Willie tries to throw the search party off the scent of David, Barnabas consoles Victoria, revealing his true nature.

Episode three hundred eleven finds David still missing and Victoria inadvertently rescued by Carolyn and Joe. As the search widens for David, Barnabas resists pressures to let anyone search the Old House. But, when the Sheriff arrives, Joe gets to search the Old House. As Barnabas stalls from letting them search the basement, an unlikely turn of events prevents him from being revealed!

The three hundred twelfth episode has David still trapped and Joe playing a hunch. When Roger returns from a trip to discover his son missing, he chews out Victoria for failing at her duties as his governess. Joe convinces Roger to accompany him to the graveyard, hoping to find David there. At the graveyard, the groundskeeper hears David calling from inside the mausoleum he is trapped in and he freaks out, attempting to scare away Joe and Roger.

In episode three hundred thirteen, Dr. Hoffman and Maggie resurface with everyone convinced that Sarah is the key to finding David. As Willie encounters Sarah, Maggie reveals to Dr. Woodard that Hoffman is not doing much of anything to help her recover her memories. Sarah insists on finding David before visiting Barnabas and when Willie presses her to come with him, she disappears on him.

Episode three hundred fourteen’s events come to a head with Dr. Hoffman threatening Barnabas with a withholding of his treatments. Barnabas threatens her and Willie in his cool, collected way and he goes off in search of David. Sarah finally appears to David inside the crypt to help him escape. Unfortunately, as David escapes, Barnabas makes his way to the crypt!

On "Volume 21," Dark Shadows is technically clunky. As the directors and producers got used to color film, they often bleed out the image and the colors come out in almost psychedelic arrays. But simple special effects, like a blue screen shot in episode one hundred thirteen are terrible and obvious with the image looking like exactly what it is: an image with people superimposed in front of a different image.

On the acting and directing front, the episodes are simplistic and often bad. The actors are forced to repeat a lot of information, setting up dramatic pauses before nonexistent commercial breaks after which they frequently repeat lines. And because this is a supernatural story, characters disappear and reappear, most notably Sarah Collins. Unfortunately for viewers, the sophistication of Dark Shadows is almost entirely lacking, as the show was largely shot in one take, and effects like Sarah Collins disappearing were clearly done with the camera panning off the character and having the actor back out of frame. Sadly, this is made all too clear in the fourth episode on this video as actress Sharon Smyth is seen backing away from her costar to get out of frame because the camera operator did not pan off her completely!

On video, the episodes of Dark Shadows on "Volume 21" are presented with no bonus features and the film stock is quite grainy. Because it is a VHS tape, there is an increased likelihood that the video one buys will degrade quickly, so it is a terrible investment and most fans of Dark Shadows would do far better to pick up the DVDs, which have a medium benefit and are also nicer in that the digital remastering of the episodes cleaned up the film stock some, which makes the shaky acting, melodramatic deliveries and plodding plots much easier to watch!

For other works involving vampires, please check out my reviews of:
The Twilight Saga
Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans
Blood And Chocolate

3.5/10

For other television reviews, please check out my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013, 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Mystery Makes Dark Shadows “Volume 20” Almost Worth Watching!

The Good: Fewer acting issues, Plot is progressing, All in color
The Bad: Melodramatic production, Medium issues, Plot doesn't truly go anywhere.
The Basics: While the plot of Dark Shadows progresses on “Volume 20” it does not go nearly as far as one might hope.


Dark Shadows is beginning to annoy me with “Volume 20,” even though it seems to be moving in a good direction toward actually making some things explicit. By tormenting the vampire Barnabas Collins with his dead sister's ghost, the story is almost interesting. Unfortunately for viewers, it seems whenever the show gets close to answers in this plotline, the series takes a somewhat abrupt turn back to Maggie Evans and those who are trying to help her recall what happened when she was abducted. With those plotlines, there are excessive repetitions of information and the show truly becomes utterly disappointing.

If you have no idea what it is I am writing about, welcome to the world of Dark Shadows, a 1960s soap opera that tried something different. The soap opera was a supernatural horror soap which included vampires, ghosts, spooky locations and a true, gothic manor house (Collinwood). It also contained many of the usual soap opera conceits like the dramatic pause right before the commercial break and then the repetition of lines when the show came back from the commercial. These conceits are some of what drag “Volume 20” down into the territory where I cannot recommend it.

"Volume 20" picks up where "Volume 19" (reviewed here!) left off, with Victoria Winters making the preparations to move in with Burke Devlin and marry him while Barnabas Collins becomes jealous of him. It is also coming on the heels of David Collins wandering off with Sarah.

The three hundred fifth episode has David seeing the empty coffin and Sarah explaining that not everything stays dead. David returns to Collinwood and to an angry Victoria, after promising not to tell anyone about Sarah's secret place. Barnabas Collins comes to visit Victoria, whom he tells about Burke Devlin's investigation of him, hoping to place a wedge between the two lovers. And Barnabas returns to the family crypt to try to meet with Sarah.

In episode three hundred six, Maggie Evans whines to Joe and Sam about not being allowed to leave the house. Eventually, the two decide that if they escort her, she can go out to the Blue Whale. At the Blue Whale, Joe and Victoria compare notes about the mysterious Sarah and when Burke Devlin arrives, Victoria gives him a steely ultimatum.

Episode three hundred seven has the search for Sarah heating up when Joe reveals that the sheriff is unable to help them locate the little girl. Frustrated, Joe and Sam visit David Collins, who reveals that he has no way of making Sarah appear. After failing to find the little girl, Joe and Sam confront Dr. Hoffman.

The three hundred eighth episode involves Barnabas threatening Dr. Hoffman when he learns she has shared some details about Sarah with Joe. While Barnabas makes contact with Victoria and squares off with Burke once again, Dr. Hoffman goes searching for Sarah. She feels Sarah's presence, but does not see her, which leads Barnabas to even greater feelings of paranoia.

In episode three hundred nine, David goes off in search of Sarah after playing with a snow globe. As David makes his way to Sarah's secret spot, Barnabas drags Willie to the Collins family crypt. There, he finds Sarah's coffin empty and he predicts her coming!

With “Volume 20,” most of the actors seem to have their lines down and while Grayson Hall continues to make the oddest pauses and stumbles in her deliveries, she is getting better. Child actress Sharon Smyth actually upstages some of the adults as Sarah and she seems far more confident with the weird aspects of the show, including the fact that her character is a ghost.

Still, “Volume 20” has more melodrama than actual compelling human moments. Given the plot conceits keeping Maggie Evans in the dark about her abduction (namely Dr. Hoffman hypnotizing her to forget) the viewer stops caring about what happened to her. Instead, it is very easy to become annoyed with Dark Shadows with how they near her realizing what happened to her only to have it pulled away.

On the plus side, all five episodes on this VHS are in color, but they are very grainy and the show was cleaned up for the DVD presentation. Considering that the VHS medium is becoming increasingly fragile, that would be a far better investment for most.

But for those who are not already fans, “Volume 20” is way past the point where it is easy to jump into the series, making this volume impossible to recommend. It is very much a soap opera and for those who like such things, it might be fun to watch, but on its own, it does not hold up.

For other Dark Shadows reviews, please visit:
Dark Shadows (2012 film)
Dark Shadows Collection 1
Dark Shadows Collection 2

3/10

For other television and movie reviews, please check out my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013, 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Volume 19 Of Dark Shadows Is More Soap Opera Intrigue Than Supernatural Horror!

The Good: Plot progresses, even if it doesn't truly go anywhere.
The Bad: Medium issues, Acting issues, Technical issues (color goes in and out)
The Basics: A set of five episodes of Dark Shadows, “Volume 19” is more concerned with explaining what has come before than taking the show in a new direction.


As I trundle through the supernatural soap opera Dark Shadows, I find that it goes in big, awful waves. The show seems to oscillate greatly between being a cool, if poorly acted and produced, supernatural story and a tedious soap opera. With "Volume 19" of the show, the series is coming out of one of its more tiresome storylines and was getting back to being interesting to fans of the supernatural and of horror. Unfortunately, with "Volume 19," the intrigue progresses in a way that makes the show feel very much like it is once more an obvious soap opera.

The VHS of "Volume 19" of Dark Shadows is very much a story in process and it contains the ninety-first through ninety-fifth episodes of the series (since Barnabas Collins was introduced). Sadly, despite all of the technical gaffs, this is the point in the series where I am actually finding myself caring for some of the characters and eager to see what happens next. Unfortunately, that eagerness is not terribly rewarded on “Volume 19” as the show heads more toward the soap operatic again, though the subject turns to Sarah Collins and answering the questions of Maggie Evans's disappearance.

"Volume 19" picks up where "Volume 18" (reviewed here!) left off, with Sarah Collins making sporadic ghostly appearances. Meanwhile, Barnabas Collins has become increasingly jealous of Burke Devlin as Devlin moves in on Victoria Winters.

In episode three hundred, Willie convinces Barnabas that Burke Devlin would be missed if he were killed like Jason McGuire. When Burke returns Victoria to Collinwood, Elizabeth lets Burke know that she will sell the beach house to him. As Victoria talks with Elizabeth about the proposal, Burke and Barnabas verbally spar at the Blue Whale.

Episode three hundred one has Victoria Winters discussing her proposal with Burke Devlin and Barnabas and Dr. Hoffman mulling over her experimental treatment. Victoria decides to marry Burke and Barnabas finds out almost immediately, vowing when he is returned to human form to prevent the wedding by loving Victoria better than Burke.

The three hundred and second episode features Burke Devlin digging deeper into the past of Barnabas Collins. Armed with the name of the person he allegedly stayed with in England, Burke quickly discovers that Barnabas' alibi does not hold up. Discovering clues to Maggie Evans' disappearance from Dr. Woodard, Burke visits Maggie and Joe. While Maggie cannot recall anything new, the details she does provide leads Burke to suspect Barnabas more, especially when he hears Victoria's music box!

In episode three hundred three, Burke Devlin closes in on Barnabas Collins, quickly realizing that Willie is protecting him. Meanwhile, Dr. Hoffman takes David on a walk in the attempt to find Sarah Collins. While out and about, the bonnet they have to return to Sarah disappears! Burke begins to share his suspicions with Victoria and she becomes upset with him.

Episode three hundred four has Sarah Collins reappearing to David and the two go for a walk together. While Barnabas begins to become unsettled by the treatments he is receiving, Dr. Hoffman attempts to reassure him that they are going well. David follows Sarah to her favorite secret place: the Collins family crypt!

Dark Shadows is frequently plagued by technical issues and “Volume 19” is no exception. The show is problematically filmed in black and white and in color, with these five episodes being the last where two are in black and white and the last two getting the series finally into color for the rest of the run. The camerawork is frequently shaky and outside the standing sets, the production values are very low. This is accented on VHS where the episodes are very grainy and the film is washed out by the candles in shots that are lit by wax candles.

As for the characters, much of the story is in a stagnant pattern as everyone plays detective trying to figure out what happened to Maggie Evans during her abduction. Maggie herself begins to grow beyond her fear and that is nice, but characters like Dr. Hoffman are very monolithic in these episodes, concerning themselves more with the plot-necessary hypnotism and machinations involving Barnabas Collins than actually developing as character. Even though Sarah is the target of many people's quests for understanding, her character is very much a non-entity even in these episodes.

On the film side, Sharon Smyth does a fine job playing Sarah in these episodes and she easily upstaged the actor playing David Collins. Jonathan Frid does a decent job in his scenes and it seems like Anthony George is finally getting into the groove as Burke Devlin.

But it's impossible for me to recommend the VHS for these episodes. The DVDs have the show cleaned up and it's easier to skip through the constant repetition of information as characters repeat lines before and after where the commercial break would be. Fans will find these episodes good bridge works, but those not already invested will not get there through this video.

For other Dark Shadows reviews, please visit:
Dark Shadows (2012 film)
Dark Shadows Collection 1
Dark Shadows Collection 2

2/10

For other television reviews, please check out my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013, 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Fading In And Out, Dark Shadows "Volume 18" Is A Decent Transition Arc.

The Good: Acting gets better, Plot is progressing, Moments of character
The Bad: Color and black and white keep changing, Medium issues, Technical issues.
The Basics: Better than most, Dark Shadows "Volume 18" is still more rooted in the soap operatic tradition than the supernatural, making it tough to recommend.


As one who did not live through the time, my knowledge of the transitions in television is somewhat limited to what I learned in school. As it happens, some of that was very much wrong. I had been taught that there was a pretty abrupt changeover between television being in black and white and color. This, as it turns out, is not a fact, as I learned while watching Dark Shadows Volume 18 on VHS. I was rather surprised when I sat down to watch the first episode on the video to see it even more grainy than before and back in black and white!

Dark Shadows, like many daytime programs, made a much more erratic transition to color. Arguably, this had more to so with having access to color film and processing elements than actually wanting to make the transition awkwardly. As it stands, two of the episodes on "Volume 18" are in black and white and the other three are in color (it goes about every other episode. That erratic coloring does not change the inability for me to recommend "Volume 18," but the series is getting better with this series of episodes (or else it is just wearing me down!).

"Volume 18" picks up where "Volume 17" (reviewed here!) left off and for those who have not seen the prior episodes, they are entering a story very much in progress. Dr. Hoffman has been keeping the vampire Barnabas Collins in check both by administering to him medically and by keeping Maggie Evans' memories of her abduction by him eliminated.

Episode two hundred ninety-five involves Maggie Evans' memory loss being baffled over by her father, Joe and Dr. Woodard. Dr. Hoffman effectively has Maggie hypnotized to forget the incident with Barnabas Collins and her subsequent time in the sanitarium. Dr. Woodard and Sam insist on taking Maggie back to Collinsport and Dr. Hoffman pumps Maggie with her cover story for being around Collinwood. But when Dr. Hoffman returns to extort Barnabas, Barnabas is reluctant to leave Maggie Evans alone!

In episode two hundred ninety-six, Maggie Evans awakens raring to get out and resume her life. With Joe and her father being more cautious, she is somewhat agitated. After a visit from Sarah, Maggie is convinced that the little girl is the key to recovering her memory and she sets her father on the task of finding her. But soon, Barnabas Collins comes over to test Hoffman's hypnotism. And Sam, trusting Barnabas, leaves Maggie in his care while he leaves on an errand!

Episode two hundred ninety-seven finds Maggie again waking up, having been unwittingly rescued by Sarah. Carolyn senses something dangerous coming and she learns that Burke is planning on buying the house that Victoria has fallen in love with. But while Victoria is visiting Maggie Evans, Elizabeth learns that the deed to the house is marked "not for sale," confounding her, Carolyn and Burke. And when Maggie has a breakthrough with Victoria, Dr. Hoffman once more reinforces the hypnotism, causing her to forget again!

In the two hundred ninety-eight episode, Victoria is visited by Barnabas Collins, who invites her to join him in the night. She politely declines, preparing for a date with Burke. While Dr. Hoffman admonishes Barnabas for his attempt, Victoria goes on a date with Burke and the two share their first kiss. All the while, Barnabas is watching and he plots as a result!

The two hundred ninety-ninth episode features Dr. Hoffman confronting Barnabas for being in Victoria's room the night before, after Victoria tells Dr. Hoffman about waking up and finding the music box open. Dr. Hoffman and Barnabas continue to keep one another in check, though Barnabas sends Willie out to spy on Victoria and Burke on their date. There, Willie witnesses Burke proposing to Victoria and he has the painful job of telling Barnabas what he saw and heard!

"Volume 18" features episodes that seem more traditionally those of a soap opera, though. There is the mind wiping and the proposal, with Burke and Victoria actually having a relationship in these episodes. Outside the conceit of Sarah disappearing, there is truly nothing supernatural in these five episodes. That said, there is the undertone of menace from Barnabas Collins.

But even that menace is muted as Dr. Hoffman's cure for him appears to be working, offering him the real chance to compete with Burke for Victoria's affections. Most of the medical stuff happens off-screen, but the producers of the show seemed to catch that Grayson Hall was a weak link in the prior set and they gave her a bit of time off.

What keeps Dark Shadows "Volume 18" below average? The content is probably more average than below, but the medium definitely brings it down. On VHS, these episodes of Dark Shadows look terribly grainy and they lack any bonus features that might inspire viewers to delve deeper into the series. As well, there are technical issues within the episodes. The girl playing Sarah looks at the camera while talking to Maggie Evans in an awkward moment and one of the scenes in the final episode on the tape begins halfway through a sentence with Barnabas responding to something Dr. Hoffman did not actually say!

But the acting, while getting better, is also terribly rooted in melodrama and on Dark Shadows "Volume 18" there are a slew of unnatural dialogue pauses. As well, far too much time is spent repeating information set up before commercials or following them (the commercials themselves are, of course, absent, only accenting the awkwardness of the writing). Finally, what knocked the video below average for me was a moment leading into the opening credits when the dramatic music peaked and I was absolutely convinced my cat, Brillo, was being tormented. That type of cheesy musical cue or sound effect makes Dark Shadows far more campy than legitimately disturbing or creepy.

For other Dark Shadows reviews, please visit:
Dark Shadows (2012 film)
Dark Shadows Collection 1
Dark Shadows Collection 2

2.5/10

For other television and movie reviews, please check out my Index Page on the subject for an organized listing!

© 2012, 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Movement Comes To Dark Shadows With "Volume 17," A Legitimately Supernatural Soap Opera Volume

The Good: Plot progresses well, Moments of character
The Bad: Absolutely abysmal acting by one prominent actress, Medium issues, Plot repetition.
The Basics: Another substandard collection of soap operatic television on a dead medium, Dark Shadows Volume 17 is a flop that actually progresses the plot.


As I continue to work my way through the gothic horror soap opera Dark Shadows, I find myself continually amazed by how the show never seems to find its balance. When the plot finally begins to go somewhere, the acting seems to take a turn for the worse and that is especially true on "Volume 17" of the series on VHS. On that volume, the plot actually rockets forward, but it is still problematic because the show was very much preoccupied with setting up the commercials and recapping following the commercials.

Unfortunately, at the same time, actress Grayson Hall is given far more to do as Dr. Hoffman. Hall won Daytime Emmys and it was clearly not for her work on Dark Shadows. Hall's deliveries are frequently painfully awkward as the actress stops in the middle of a delivery and regroups for her lines. This is very true on "Volume 17" and several of her scenes with Jonathan Frid, who plays Barnabas Collins, are actually painful to watch as a result.

"Volume 17" picks up where "Volume 16" (reviewed here!) left off and for those who have not seen the prior episodes, they are entering a story very much in progress. With Dr. Hoffman intellectually duking it out with Barnabas Collins, the psychiatrist is in certain danger. "Volume 17" includes episodes 290 through 294 of the supernatural soap opera and it is notable pretty much only for the fact that on this video, the show makes an abrupt transition into color.

Episode two hundred ninety finds Dr. Hoffman confronting Barnabas Collins. Having come to kill her, Barnabas interrogates Dr. Hoffman, who reveals that her true mission at Collinwood is to cure Barnabas of his undead nature. Barnabas is intrigued and he lures Dr. Hoffman back to the Old House where he prepares to kill her there instead. But Dr. Hoffman has one more ace up her sleeve!

In episode two hundred ninety-one, Dr. Woodard arrives at Collinwood to interrogate Dr. Hoffman on her treatment of Maggie Evans and after much finagling, she convinces him that her method is going to be the best course of treatment for Maggie. Meanwhile, David Collins finds Sarah Collins and tells her of Maggie's death, only to be told Maggie Evans is not dead at all. David brings Sarah back to Collinwood, but the girl disappears before entering the threshold. And when Victoria prepares to go out with Burke Devlin, they make a strange discovery.

Episode two hundred ninety-two finds Willie preparing a room for Dr. Hoffman and worrying about Barnabas being exposed by her. Burke Devlin pays a visit to Victoria, who has become enamored with an old house elsewhere in Collinsport. Volunteering to take her there to look at it, Burke is surprised by the arrival of Barnabas Collins. While Victoria prepares for the evening out, Burke squares off with Barnabas.

In episode two hundred ninety-three, Sarah Collins appears at the sanitarium to aid Maggie Evans. There, she helps Maggie fool a nurse and Maggie Evans escapes! Meanwhile, Barnabas, Victoria and Burke visit the old house Victoria is enchanted by and Barnabas finds an antique in it for her. When the trio returns to the Blue Whale, they are shocked when Maggie Evans wanders in!

Episode two hundred ninety-four has the show making the transition to color! Unfortunately, as Maggie Evans threatens to expose Barnabas Collins, she is remanded to the care of Dr. Hoffman and Hoffman uses her hypnotism to help Maggie forget she was ever abducted!

The addition of color does not help Dark Shadows become any less campy. Instead, the show looks remarkably bad for actors like Grayson Hall whose make-up is not designed for color and her complexion takes on a gross, greasy quality. Similarly, with color, Barnabas Collins is more waxy than actually pale and for a vampire character, that is an unfortunate oversight on the production department's part.

The real problem with these episodes is not that they look mediocre in color, but rather the fact that the acting is so frequently disappointing. Only Jonathan Frid seems to credibly deliver his lines as Barnabas Collins and he creates a memorable and menacing character as a result. Surrounded as he is, though, by frequently stammering performers, Frid stands out and on "Volume 17" one has the unfortunate impression that he is surrounded by lesser talents.

Ultimately, "Volume 17" is a mediocre collection of episodes on a dead medium. The DVD version of these five episodes has them cleaned up (at least as much as they could) and given that that is a much less fragile medium than VHS tape, that represents a far better value for those buying the series. Still, for fans of the series, this is a better week of the show as there are at least two huge plot points which will resonate for many episodes to come.

For other Dark Shadows reviews, please visit:
Dark Shadows (2012 film)
Dark Shadows Collection 1
Dark Shadows Collection 2

4/10

For other television reviews, please check out my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012, 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Things Begin To Happen (Though They Don't Actually Happen) On Dark Shadows Volume 16!

The Good: Plot begins to progress
The Bad: Absolutely terrible acting, Low character development, Medium issues, Plot does not resolve, Repetition.
The Basics: The rising action of Dark Shadows plods forward in "Volume 16," which finally seems like it is going somewhere . . . when it ends!


As I wend my way through Dark Shadows, the 1960s supernatural soap opera, I find myself more and more disappointed by how drawn out the series is. As I look to praise the show, I have to be honest in that it spends far too much time melodramatically extending scenes and repeating information in order to sell the slowest possible viewers on what is happening in the show. That is where I am with "Volume 16" of Dark Shadows.

"Volume 16" actually returns the focus to the winning elements of the show, namely Barnabas Collins, the vampire who is masquerading as his own decendant in Collinsport. Unfortunately, at this point in the series, viewers have seen him with his fangs, we have seen him control other people and we know he is the same as the Barnabas in the painting in Collinwood. At this point, the revelations are only there for the characters in the story and while they might have to plod along to figure things out, in "Volume 16" one of the characters clearly knows and she goes through excrutiating lengths to prove it. The result is a rather tired week with a ton of information being repeated well beyond the level of interest for a show of this type.

"Volume 16" features episodes seventy-six through eighty and it has a fairly bland storyline. This basically picks up right where ”Volume 15” (reviewed here!) left off, with the a storm sweeping over Collinwood and Victoria Winters falling more under the spell of the vampire Barnabas Collins!

Episode seventy-six finds Victoria Winters taking shelter from the storm at the Old House. Eager to spend the night in Josette's room, she retires there when she becomes tired. She is woken, however, by the sound of singing. When Willie tries to convince Victoria to flee the Old House in favor of Collinwood proper, Barnabas intervenes. Willie is shocked to discover a ball in the house that he suspects came from the little girl and Victoria once again retires to Josette's room, unaware of the danger looming there for her!

In the seventy-seventh episode, Barnabas creeps into Victoria's room and prepares to turn her into a vampire, but sees Josette's portrait and changes his mind. The storm breaks and Victoria awakens the next morning to meet with Willie, who is shocked that she is all right. Victoria returns to Collinwood, where Elizabeth is telling Dr. Hoffman to bug off, and she explains to Elizabeth where she was the prior night. Dr. Hoffman goes to the Old House and meets with Barnabas, attempting to extort him with knowledge of the Collins family.

In episode seventy-eight, Dr. Hoffman digs deeper into the Collins family and David Collins provides her with a book of the family history. In it, he finds a picture of Sarah Collins, whom he recognizes as the girl he played with. This makes Dr. Hoffman suspicious and she decides to take the album to the Old House. While Victoria and Burke talk about the night she spent at the Old House, Dr. Hoffman encounters Barnabas and has him look through the portrait book. While he does that, she tries to catch his reflection in her mirror . . . and fails!

Episode seventy-nine finds Victoria terrified because she sees someone outside her window during a storm at night. Barnabas Collins sneaks in while she is sleeping, but Victoria awakens before he can do anything to her. Awake in the early morning, Carolyn, Dr. Hoffman and Victoria talk and have coffee, with Dr. Hoffman becoming more and more suspicious about the gifts that Barnabas has bestowed upon Victoria that are related to Josette. Overhearing Willie and Barnabas talking, Dr. Hoffman descends into the bowels of the Old House to spy upon Barnabas!

In the eightieth episode, Dr. Hoffman confirms what she suspected by finding Barnabas asleep in his coffin. When Maggie Evans' doctor confronts her later in the day, Hoffman begs him for a little more time to put the pieces together. After a pointed discussion with Barnabas and a brief conversation with Victoria, Dr. Hoffman gets the drop on Barnabas and threatens to expose him!

Dark Shadows is, at its heart, a soap opera and in accomodating the conceits of the genre, there is a LOT of information that is repeated before and after where commercials would go. Because they are not present in the video version, the stories seem frequently problematic in their repetition and the characters all seem especially dim as a result.

But the story problems are not limited to the writing. Grayson Hall, who has her biggest week yet as the nosy Dr. Hoffman has awkward starts and stops in many of her deliveries. Her character is weakened because she never seems to know what she is saying. Hall constantly delivers lines that fall flat because she might have memorized them, but she memorized them as a collection of words, not as a full thought which ought to be presented. The result is a character who is supposed to be smart sounding almost robotic. Hall's deliveries are especially terrible in episode 78.

There are technical problems galore in this volume as well. For example, in episode seventy-six, a shot with Victoria in Josette's room is framed so the edge of the set is visible! The film quality is low in many scenes and there is often burnout on the black and white film where things like candles are glowing. The result is that "Volume 16" looks pretty bad as well.

Also, because this is on video, the replayability is physically low, which is problematic for a work where the content is hard to want to sit through more than once. Ultimately, this video may have some appeal for the diehard Dark Shadows fans, but for those looking for great television, they will need to keep looking after this video! There are no bonus features on this video, so most fans would do better to pick up the DVD instead.

[For a much better value, check out Dark Shadows Volume 2 on DVD, reviewed here, as it has over forty episodes on the currently dominant medium!]

For other works featuring vampires, please check out my reviews of:
Blade: Trinity
Breaking Dawn, Part 1
Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans

3/10

For other television reviews, please be sure to check out my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012, 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Technical Issues Drag Dark Shadows Volume 15 Into Unwatchable Territory

The Good: Plot moves forward
The Bad: Medium issues, Utterly campy, Character surprises aren’t, Technical gaffs
The Basics: Dark Shadows takes a turn for the belabored on “Volume 15” and even fans are likely to be irked by the slowing of the pace.


Just when I thought that Dark Shadows might take a turn for the interesting and surprise me and make me want to truly consider the show something more than a mid-1960s novelty that has survived due largely to a ridiculously loyal fanbase, the show takes a turn into the terrible. With “Volume 15” of Dark Shadows on VHS, the show once more becomes forgettable and the reasons are twofold. First, the show genuinely seems to be made in a sloppy fashion and second, the series is desperately trying to hinge on character reversals and revelations that are hardly surprising.

The result is a five-episode VHS that plays in the supernatural, but does it quite poorly. Fans of gothic horror will see most, if not all, of the plot and character reversals coming well in advance. And while the episodes make fair use of the ensemble cast, the shots are static and problematic and the episodes largely flop.

"Volume 15" features episodes seventy-one through seventy-five and it has a fairly tight storyline. This basically picks up right where ”Volume 14” (reviewed here!) left off, with the seance at Collinwood continuing, despite Barnabas Collins’ desire for it not to.

Episode seventy-one finds the seance coming to an abrupt end when Victoria Winters, possessed by Josette, begins to recall her final moments of life. Chased toward the cliffs by an assailant, Victoria is revived by Barnabas before she can use Josette's soul to see who her attacker was. Distraught, Victoria is convinced she sees a little girl upstairs (the spirit of Sarah). After the party, Elizabeth, Carolyn, Roger and Victoria reminisce and when most of Collinwood goes to bed, Barnabas pays Victoria a visit!

In episode seventy-two, Victoria moons over Barnabas's gift of the music box, listening to it and imagining herself to be Josette. Meanwhile, Maggie Evans begins to recall the graveyard as Doctor Hoffman tries to help her regain her memory. When Willie Loomis lets slip that Josette's birthday is the next day, Victoria gets time off to be able to lay flowers on her grave.

The seventy-third episode has Victoria convincing Burke to take her to Josette's graveside after Dr. Woodard kvetches to Dr. Hoffman about not having a progress report on Maggie Evans. Hoffman decides it is time to take Maggie somewhere she hopes might jolt Maggie's memory and she takes her to the cemetery. While there, Victoria and Burke arrive and Victoria sees Maggie! Convinced by Burke that she is seeing things, Victoria leaves, as Maggie becomes more and more traumatized by the setting.

Episode seventy-four has Dr. Hoffman studying Maggie more. She convinces Dr. Woodard to bring her to Collinwood, where she poses as a family historian to learn about the Collins family. There she meets Victoria, gets the chills, learns that Sarah has been seen by David Collins and is given a short tour of the Old House. Returning to Maggie's side, she makes an important discovery involving the name of Maggie's attacker!

In episode seventy-five, Victoria is obsessed with the music box Barnabas has given her. When Carolyn comes to address Victoria's keeping Burke waiting for their weekly date, Victoria seems distant. Downstairs at Collinwood, Barnabas arrives and tells Burke he wants to give Victoria a book from his library, but Burke tells him off, convinced that Victoria is becoming too obsessed with the past. After a brief conversation, Victoria does get the book and she stands Burke up in response to his boorish behavior. And as a storm moves in on Collinwood, Victoria goes to the Old House to spend time with Barnabas there.

On the technical merits, Dark Shadows looks horrible on ”Volume 15.” In addition to having a grainy quality that VHS tapes of old shows are known for, the show itself is poorly shot. For example, in episode 71, there is a completely distorted shot for a three-person shot which was clearly a mistake. There is another camera gaff in the very same scene.

On a storytelling level, much of “Volume 15” is a disappointment as well. “Volume 14” prepared the viewer for the séance and some answers and this volume cuts that short ridiculously quickly. Instead, Barnabas Collins tiptoes around satisfying answers and viewers with a brain are left disappointed that the show is not actually progressing.

The acting on “Volume 15” of Dark Shadows is homogeneously melodramatic and many fans are likely to be disappointed by that as well. Jonathan Frid, who usually gives a pretty solid performance, is over-the-top as Barnabas in this set and the other male actors are just bland. For episodes with a lot of exposition in the form of dialogue, this is disappointing.

As well, because this is on video, the replayability is physically low, which is problematic for a work where the content is hard to want to sit through more than once. Ultimately, this video may have some appeal for the diehard Dark Shadows fans, but for those looking for great television, they will need to keep looking after this video! There are no bonus features on this video, so most fans would do better to pick up the DVD instead.

[For a much better value, check out Dark Shadows Volume 2 on DVD, reviewed here, as it has over forty episodes on the currently dominant medium!]

2/10

For other television reviews, be sure to visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012, 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Campy Quality Of Dark Shadows Reigns In Volume 14 On VHS!

The Good: Some moments of worthwhile plot and character movement, Character growth for Victoria/Barnabas.
The Bad: Medium issues, Utterly campy, Dim reversals.
The Basics: A slightly less disappointing collection, Volume 14 has five episodes of Dark Shadows which redirect the show to Barnabas Collins and his machinations.


The last few reviews I have posted from the Dark Shadows video saga have taken a pretty solid beating under my pen. I think that beating is rightful as Dark Shadows had a pretty dismal section where the stories were very much more soap opera than they were supernatural. In Volume 14, the show edges back to the supernatural and it actually has a progression of the plot that makes it fun to watch at least once, even if it is substandard television on a pretty lousy, outdated medium.

What keeps Volume 14 from the doldrums of all television I’ve panned, as well as the bottom of this series’­ particular barrel is that the show takes a few risks and actually returns to a more dangerous sensibility of the characters. While there have been transition episodes before, Volume 14 actually feels like it is going somewhere and the viewer wants to see what the machinations of Barnabas Collins are leading to.

"Volume 14" features episodes sixty-six through seventy and it redirects the series from the brooding soap opera the show had become and makes it back into an intriguing gothic horror show. This basically picks up right where Volume 13 (reviewed here!) left off, with Jason McGuire on the run and the authorities trying to figure out what will happen with Elizabeth Collins-Stoddard after her confession of murder.

Episode sixty-six opens with Jason encountering Barnabas Collins. Jason dies at Barnabas's hands and Barnabas charges Willie with burying the body in the Collins family crypt where his body ought never to be found. Doctor Woodard and Dr. Hoffman debate showing Maggie Evans the picture Sam drew of Sarah, but they decide to and Maggie begins to remember her captivity. When Barnabas and Willie bury Jason, Barnabas opens up about the Collins family, including revealing Sarah's identity.

In episode sixty-seven, Barnabas reveals to Willie that he intends to make Victoria Winters his new Josette. As a result, Barnabas calls upon Victoria and begins the work of seducing her, playing off her desire to know him and the Collins family history better. Barnabas pitches a ruse to get Victoria to dress in Josette's old gown, a method he believes will turn her to his cause, by proposing a family recreation of a Collins family ball.

In the sixty-eighth episode, Elizabeth is reluctant to go along with Barnabas's costume ball idea. While Roger tries to talk her into it, Elizabeth seems to change her mind. Seeing Victoria's excitement to be able to wear Josette's dress, Elizabeth relents and Barnabas brings Victoria to the Old House to have her try on the costume.

The sixty-ninth episode finds Carolyn and Victoria preparing for the costume ball and Carolyn commenting that Victoria makes a convincing Josette Collins. Willie prepares for the ball and Victoria, excited about the prospect, is visited by Burke Devlin, who feels uneasy that Victoria will be playing Josette. Victoria visits the Old House and Barnabas and tries to convince him to invite Devlin to the ball.

Episode seventy has the family dressing up for the costume ball and Victoria especially being blown away by the dress she gets to wear for the occasion. Barnabas puts his hopes on Victoria's performance as Josette and the ball begins. Barnabas slips occasionally, referring to those playing his contemporaries by his actual relationship with them. Soon, everyone begins to feel very strange and Roger's solution is a séance!

Even though much of this video’s episodes are preparation for the séance which dominates the next volume, Volume 14 actually feels like it is telling a decent-enough story in its own right. Barnabas is clearly manipulating the residents of Collinwood and the viewer quickly becomes intrigued by the direction.

The emphasis on Barnabas makes both sense from a character level and a standpoint of retaining the audience. Jonathan Frid, neglected on the last video for sure, returns with a confidence for his character that makes Barnabas Collins eerie and intriguing to watch. Frid has an unsettling characteristic to his body language and facial expressions that makes watching him act as something as otherworldly as the vampire Barnabas a real pleasure.

Sadly, even Frid’s acting cannot save Volume 14 from the ultimate “not recommend.” Volume 14 is still a soap opera, even if it is more interesting than in prior volumes. While Frid is professional and cool, the full ensemble is not as strong. While Alexandra Isles is good as the young Victoria Winters, playing her as needy and in awe, Louis Edmonds is stiff as Roger Collins. Anthony George also has not gotten into the role of Burke Devlin in a way that convinces the viewers that he is at all comfortable with the role.

As well, because this is on video, the replayability is physically low, which is problematic for a work where the content is hard to want to sit through more than once. Ultimately, this video may have some appeal for the diehard Dark Shadows fans, but for those looking for great television, they will need to keep looking after this video!

[For a much better value, check out Dark Shadows Volume 2 on DVD, reviewed here, as it has over forty episodes on the currently dominant medium!]

3/10

For other television and movie reviews, be sure to check out my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012, 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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Plots Move, Characters Twist, But Still Dark Shadows Volume 13 Is Less Paranormal Than Melodramatic.

The Good: The plots progress and character actions move them.
The Bad: Medium issues, Terrible acting, Plots are very soap operatic.
The Basics: While Dark Shadows Volume 13 is not as bad as some of the soap opera's prior installments, it is still not worth buying, especially on VHS.


These days, I find it takes quite a bit for me to rate a Dark Shadows VHS tape higher than one star. The reason for that is simple; in the current plotline of Dark Shadows episodes I am reviewing, I have found the series to be less original and engaging and more and more melodramatic like the worst soap operas are. For sure, the 1960s were still finding the conceits of the soap opera genre, but some of the basic plots - abductions, forced weddings, etc. - were standards even then. At the toss of the coin, Dark Shadows Volume 13, which is very much a soap operatic week of the series (as opposed to a supernatural week) had just enough going for it to give a two-star rating to. This might not be a ringing endorsement, but for discriminating readers and fans of the show, it is worth noting that - soap operatic as it may be - this week of the series is not as horrible as some of the weeks.

Dark Shadows" was a soap opera in the 1960s which garnered a cult following which fell in love with it. Despite its campy qualities, a second series of the show was done and there was a revival special as well as current attempts to bring the series back. But, despite the fact that the show had supernatural characters like the vampire Barnabas Collins, Dark Shadows was largely a soap opera. In Volume 13 on VHS Dark Shadows is more a soap opera than anything else but at least the story progresses and the series seems to be going somewhere.

Volume 13 is a week of Dark Shadows episodes where the story largely neglects the supernatural and instead focuses on a very standard soap opera plot: the blackmail marriage. In this case, Elizabeth Collins-Stoddard has been manipulated by Jason McGuire and the result is not terribly inspired, but it does have the consequences of McGuire's blackmails and the resolution to a very drawn out plot.

"Volume 13" features episodes sixty-one through sixty-five and is more like a soap opera than anything from science fiction or fantasy. This basically picks up right where “Volume 12” (reviewed here!) left off, with Elizabeth Collins-Stoddard stopping her wedding to Jason McGuire and exposing the truth about their mutual past.

Episode sixty-one has Elizabeth stopping her wedding to rob Jason of his power over her by confessing to her first husband's murder. Following her confession and the judge running out, Elizabeth relates the complete tale of the night she murdered Paul Stoddard. When Paul tries to take Elizabeth's fortune and walk out on her, Elizabeth accidentally kills him while trying to walk out on her. Jason McGuire arrives and helps Elizabeth out by burying the body.

In episode sixty-two, Jason challenges the assemblage to prove that Elizabeth's confession is the truth. Elizabeth calls the sheriff to confess and Jason runs out. While Roger and Burke hunt down Jason, the sheriff arrives. Elizabeth allows the sheriff and Burke to dig up Paul's body, despite Jason's insistence that there is no body there to find!

Episode sixty-three has Burke and Sheriff Patterson digging up a box in the basement which is supposed to contain Paul Stoddard's body and they are shocked to break the box open to discover there is nothing in the box. Patterson gives Jason McGuire until sundown to leave Collinsport forever.

In the sixty-fourth episode, Jason McGuire hides out, trying to break into the Old House. Inside, Barnabas Collins reveals that he is ready to proceed with developing the next Josette. Willie Loomis asks him questions about who it might be and is given the cold shoulder by Barnabas. Jason finds Willie and extorts him for some of Barnabas's jewels so he can leave town in the black. Willie provides him with only a single ring, which leads Jason to break into the Old House.

Episode sixty-five has Carolyn returning to Elizabeth, who is bedridden with guilt waiting for her to come home. Carolyn learns the full truth, that Paul Stoddard's death may have been faked by Jason, and forgives Elizabeth. Jason is caught by Willie in the Old House. While Willie begs Jason to leave, Jason will have none of it.

"Volume 13" has nothing superlative and on VHS, it looks remarkably bad. The videos were not retouched and as such possess a grainy quality. Beyond that, the plot progresses, even if it is predictable and degenerates into a chase.

What knocks "Volume 13" up is the fact that the plot moves because of the character elements, not just a contrived nature of plot needing to move. Elizabeth Collins-Stoddard finally takes control of her own destiny and the result makes one feel like they are actually watching a strong female character. In the flashback sequences, the viewer finally sees what happened in the Elizabeth/Jason backstory and this is useful for exploring how trapped Elizabeth felt for so long.

Joan Bennett does a fair job as Elizabeth Collins-Stoddard and she plays strong very well. Nancy Barrett is more stiff and Dennis Patrick makes a decent exit as Jason McGuire. In these episodes, Patrick actually works out well, though his character is still utterly unlikable. Dark Shadows was basically shot in one-take each episode, so when the actors make mistakes, like looking at the wrong cameras, they are kept in.

The result is a soap opera that plays like a soap opera ought to. The viewer cares about the characters and the acting is not homogeneously bad. Instead, this video flops because the presentation is erratic and dated and the viewer quickly becomes tired of how much information is repeated. Still, Dark Shadows fans will want to watch this once, if not a second time.

[For a much better value, check out Dark Shadows Volume 2 on DVD, reviewed here, as it has over forty episodes on the currently dominant medium!]

For other supernatural stories with soap opera qualities, please check out my reviews of:
Blood And Chocolate
Carnivale
Twilight

3/10

For other television reviews, please be sure to check out my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012, 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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A Solid Week Without The Supernatural Ruins Dark Shadows Volume 12.

The Good: Plot finally progresses
The Bad: Very much a soap opera plot, No real character development, Medium issues, Clunky acting.
The Basics: Another dreadfully dull selection of Dark Shadows episodes, "Volume 12" is more soap opera than supernatural!


Soap operas have not, traditionally, been moved to permanent mediums like video and now DVD and Blu-Ray. There is a pretty good reason for that, arguably, which is that there are only so many soap opera plots and because they go on so long, most people either would not have the time to rewatch them and the creative staff behind them would likely be embarrassed to reveal how contradictory they are over the years by giving people the episodes to review and put in a larger story context. And yet, there are a few soap operas that have managed to make it to permanent mediums. Honestly, the only one that comes to my mind is Dark Shadows.

Dark Shadows was a soap opera in the 1960s which garnered a cult following which fell in love with it. Despite its campy qualities, a second series of the show was done and Johnny Depp has repeatedly expressed interest in reviving the series and starring in it. But, despite the fact that the show had supernatural characters like the vampire Barnabas Collins, Dark Shadows was largely a soap opera. Seldom is that more clear than in Volume 12 on VHS.

Volume 12 is a week of Dark Shadows episodes where the story largely neglects the supernatural and instead focuses on a very standard soap opera plot: the blackmail marriage. In this case, Elizabeth Collins-Stoddard has been manipulated by Jason McGuire and the result is dreadfully boring.

"Volume 12" features episodes fifty-six through sixty and is more like a soap opera than anything from science fiction or fantasy. This basically picks up right where “Volume 11” (reviewed here!) left off, with Elizabeth Collins-Stoddard days away from marrying Jason McGuire and getting suicidal about the prospect.

In episode fifty-six, Elizabeth had a dream of her own death, plummeting to the sea from a spot near Collinwood. Visited by Victoria, Elizabeth is despondent. As Jason pushes Elizabeth to make wedding plans, Elizabeth lets him tell Miss Johnson what he wants while she goes off. Elizabeth wanders to Widow's Hill, where legend has it three widows once killed themselves and are waiting for a fourth widow to join them! Returning to the house, Miss Johnson tries to warn Victoria that Elizabeth might be suicidal.

In the fifty-seventh episode, Elizabeth wanders to Widow's Hill and prepares to take her own life. She is rescued by Barnabas Collins, who talks her out of killing herself. The pair return to Collinwood, where Barnabas warns Victoria of Elizabeth's mental state. Victoria visits Burke at the Blue Whale and manages to not tell him Elizabeth's secret. David Collins finds himself bewildered that Elizabeth has dragged out the family bible and seems interested in her own birth and death dates!

Episode fifty-eight finds Elizabeth still despondent and David acting somewhat bratty about it. Roger and Victoria try to make Elizabeth feel connected, but she begins to feel even more like she cannot go through with marrying Jason. Elizabeth finds Carolyn and does her best to make peace with her and after an initially tense discussion, the two actually resolve some of their differences. But, following that discussion, Elizabeth resolves to end her life and she writes her death date into the family bible.

In episode fifty-nine, Elizabeth steps toward the edge of Widow's Hill and she is rescued by Victoria Winters, who tries to talk her out of taking the leap. Victoria is successful and Elizabeth returns to Collinwood in shock. And when Burke Devlin comes through with international requests to question Jason McGuire, Victoria brings him to Collinwood and both are shocked that she insists the marriage to Jason will still go forward!

Episode sixty finds Carolyn packing to flee Collinwood on the day of her mother's wedding. She discovers a journal in Jason's room and she tries to incriminate him, but Jason arrives too soon for her to stop him. After Carolyn finds herself at the Blue Whale, Burke Devlin takes her to Collinwood. Once there, Carolyn arms herself and the wedding between Elizabeth and Jason begins.

"Volume 12" has nothing superlative and on VHS, it looks remarkably bad. The videos were not retouched and as such possess a grainy quality. Beyond that, the plot and lack of character development makes this a decidedly dull video investment.

Fans of Dark Shadows are likely to be disappointed by this VHS volume as well by the almost complete lack of Barnabas Collins. Given that he dominated several of the volumes that preceded this, his absence is keenly felt. Moreover, the whole five episode arc has the feeling of being dominated by the second stringers.

Joan Bennett does a fair job as Elizabeth Collins-Stoddard, but even she is very stiff at points, most notably when she has to react to special effects shots. Nancy Barrett is more stiff and Dennis Patrick is even more stiff and awkward as Jason McGuire. In these episodes, Patrick is most problematic in that his accent continually slips and the back and forth between an American English and Scottish accent. The show was basically shot in one-take each episode, so these flubs are kept in.

It also makes it virtually impossible to watch, especially a second time. Despite the fact that the plot progresses, viewers could pretty much skip the process and leap to the results with no major problems. In other words, this whole week is spent with the question "will she or won't she?" being bandied about in relation to Elizabeth marrying Jason. The resolution actually comes in the beginning of the next episodes, so these can be skipped.

[For a much better value, check out Dark Shadows Volume 2 on DVD, reviewed here, as it has over forty episodes on the currently dominant medium!]

2/10

For other television reviews, be sure to check out my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012, 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Cleaning Up Loose Ends Makes For A Particularly Bland Volume Of Dark Shadows

The Good: The plots progress.
The Bad: VERY melodramatic, Serious acting problems, Medium issues, Lack of real character development.
The Basics: In another disappointing VHS presentation, Dark Shadows flops with “Volume 11.”


For all of the fans of Dark Shadows in the world, I suspect my penchant for reviewing the franchise might be getting annoying. Even so, I call 'em as I see 'em and there are some streaks in Dark Shadows where the show is very much a soap opera and little else. With Volume 11 of Dark Shadows on VHS, the episodes are formulaic soap opera without much of the supernatural. The only truly redeeming aspect of the five episodes on this video is that the plot actually does move forward like it is supposed to on a series and things actually happen - after many episodes of nothing actually happening.

Despite the fact that the plot progresses, "Volume 11" is lackluster at best television and those looking for something genuinely entertaining are pretty much bound to be disappointed by the very soap operatic turn of events in these five episodes. Indeed, here the show is not so much about the supernatural or even the characters in Collinsport as it is about tying up some annoying loose ends that have been dangling and need resolution to move forward. As a result, these episodes seem a lot more like typical daytime soaps than anything truly special or extraordinary.

"Volume 11" features episodes fifty-one through fifty-five and is more like a soap opera than anything from science fiction or fantasy. This basically picks up right where “Volume 10” (reviewed here!) left off, with Maggie Evans fleeing her prison as Barnabas Collins moves in to kill her!

Episode fifty-one has Maggie fleeing through the secret catacombs below the Old House as Barnabas chases her. Lured by the sound of Sarah singing, Maggie makes her way out and to the beach. Trapped by Barnabas, Maggie cries out. This leads her father, Sam, to her side. Sam recovers Maggie and Joe and Dr. Woodard minister to Maggie at the hospital. There, Woodard concocts a plan to keep Maggie safe; by declaring her dead, whoever is hunting her will stop looking for her. Sam and Joe reluctantly agree to the plan.

In the fifty-second episode, news of Maggie's death spreads to the Collins household. Elizabeth asks Victoria to be her witness at her wedding to Jason McGuire and Carolyn struggles to deal with the news of Maggie's death. Victoria tries to reconcile Carolyn and Elizabeth.

Carolyn and Victoria discovering the attack of another girl in Collinsport in the paper opens episode fifty-three. Carolyn reacts to having a dream where she was the killers next victim and she becomes jealous about Victoria's place in her life and in her mother's heart when she finds out Victoria will be her mother's witness. Carolyn ends up down at the waterfront trying to talk with Joe about Maggie's death and her impending marriage to Buzz. Joe and Sam debate telling Victoria that Maggie is still alive after Maggie and Dr. Woodard arrive safely at the sanitarium.

In the fifty-fourth episode, Roger confronts Jason about his marriage plans and he enlists Barnabas to help him protect the Collins family's assets. Paranoid now, Barnabas sends Willie out onto the grounds to chase off a visitor only he seems to see. Willie, as it turns out, finds someone on the grounds, Sarah, who insists she lives at the Old House. Barnabas confronts Jason, who realizes that he has never seen Barnabas during the day and the two come to an apparent stalemate with their mutual threats.

In episode fifty-five, Dr. Hoffman works with Maggie Evans who gets the vegetative woman to show some signs of reaction. Sam and Dr. Woodard debate Sam visiting Maggie at Wyndcliffe Sanitarium. There, Sam and Joe find Maggie oscillating between comatose and angry, leaving them confused and hurt and forced to put their faith in Dr. Hoffman.

"Volume 11" is plagued by many of the worst soap opera conceits. For example, most of the deliveries set up the commercial and essentially beg the viewer to return after the commercial. Then, following the pause (there are no commercials on the video, obviously), the characters tend to repeat their melodramatic phrasing. This make the events seem belabored and most of the characters seem dim as a result. One has to wonder just how incredible commercials were in the 1960s that the producers thought so much information had to be repeated so frequently.

If only melodramatic acting were the worst acting problem! On "Volume 11" there is some truly terrible acting regardless of melodrama. Newcomer Grayson Hall who plays Dr. Hoffman stumbles over several of her deliveries. Her acting is so thoughtlessly presented, in fact, that in one episode, she hangs up phone while still talking! Details like that make this volume of Dark Shadows sadly more laughable than incredible in any way.

As for the character development, there truly is none in this volume. Maggie goes comatose and second string character Dr. Woodard is given more airtime than ever before to try to sell the appearance of Dr. Hoffman, but she, too, seems second-string at this point. Barnabas appears just long enough to appear interested in looking out for the family fortune, but Jason McGuire is basically the same slimy character he's been all along.

Ultimately, "Volume 11" will only even partially satisfy soap opera fans, but they are likely to feel like they have seen all of this before. This is a disappointing Dark Shadows outing, even if it goes somewhere.

[For a much better value, check out Dark Shadows Volume 2 on DVD, reviewed here, as it has over forty episodes on the currently dominant medium!]

For other videos of programs which have soap opera qualities, please check out my reviews of:
Dawson’s Creek - Season 1
Ally McBeal
Twin Peaks - Season 2

2/10

For other television reviews, be sure to check out my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing.

© 2012, 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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