Dark Shadows has arrived!

[Alexis]

The DVDs were here when I got back from Holiday. And this is exactly the time of year I wanted to start watching. It seems that Autumn/Winter is perfect timing. I will probably begin watching eary next week.

 

[Canon]

Alexis Has (Almost) Arrived In Collinsport! (Should be name of thread)

 

[Alexis]

Alexis Has (Almost) Arrived In Collinsport! (Should be name of thread)

Ha! I toyed with the idea of that. Then I got all annoyed about all the great threads that were gone.

 

[Willie Oleson]

I remember from the old forum that you were interested in this series and I thought you had already bought those dvds (now only available for $384 (!!) from Marketplace sellers). Or maybe you were planning to buy the dvds...
Either way, I'm curious to know what you think of it. Personally I have no idea what it's all about and how good or bad it is.

 

[Alexis]

I remember from the old forum that you were interested in this series and I thought you had already bought those dvds (now only available for $384 (!!) from Marketplace sellers). Or maybe you were planning to buy the dvds...
Either way, I'm curious to know what you think of it. Personally I have no idea what it's all about and how good or bad it is.

It's, I guess a gothic soap opera from the 1960s. It moves from being a standard soap to one with supernatural elements. There are vampires and ghosts and creepy mansions and all of that. I watched a few bits and bobs and clips on YouTube and it seemed right up my street. Then a few months ago I watched about the first 5 episodes on YouTube and I was hooked. However, I really didn't want to watch it all on there so I bit the bullet and bought the series. I need to sort a few things out before I start watching as I know when I start it will be hard to stop.

 

[Willie Oleson]

creepy mansions

I like that!

 

[Alexis]

Well my DVDS arrived in two packages, I opened one and the first disc said Dark Shadows 1 so I stick it in... Only to find it was a recap of the first episodes and that it seemed to be skipping over 200 episodes. I felt a bit sick! Then I opened the second package and there it was Dark Shadows The Beginning...

And I am now a top a hill in Collinsport!

 

[Alexis]

Well I have now done the first 12 episodes. And I have to say I am very pleased I decided to buy it. I just love seeing a soap opera begin, characters speak of something and it just appears, the world expands before your eyes and that is what is happening now. The pacing might be torturous for some but for me I just love it. I love seeing it all slowly expand.

Right now I am not sure what exactly is up with Burke Devlin, but he's plotting something and he has Elizabeth and Roger Collins all in a tizzy. I'm guessing he was wrongly convicted of something and is out for revenge, although that hasn't been said yet.
I love Roger Collins, he's like Ben Carrington on crack! And his creepy little son too, brilliant stuff.
In the middle of this soap, they just keep alluding to the ghosts and phantoms of the past, but I'm not sure at this stage if they actually planned to make the show supernatural? It seems it could just be a flowery way of talking about the past, but on the other hand, we have this creepy old house and the strange voice crying in the night. Who is that crying in the night?

I think Victoria could be Elizabeth's daughter too. So glad I decided to get stuck in! I'm off to watch more while I fold all my washing.

 

[Sarah]

Watched a bit on YouTube. Very intrigued! The clip had Vaughn Leland (Dallas) in it! Spooky

 

[Alexis]

Joan Bennett is EVERYTHING.

 

[Sarah]

This is gonna get confusing. First Afton arrives in Collinsport. Now Alexis.

 

[Alexis]

So I have watched 37 episodes and I adore this show. It's exactly what I thought it would be, a daytime soap that feels like I'm watching a play every time. The gothic twist just makes it so much more interesting and addictive.
I'm really all caught up in it, so many questions. Who or what is that crying voice in the night that only Victoria seems to hear. Is Burke Devlin David's real father? Who are Victoria's parents? Why was she sent for by Elizabeth? I love that this whole universe has to unfold and I have it all here to gorge on.

What was the deal with Maggie Evans going from a pixie crop to a long luscious head of hair over night and nobody mentioning it.
We have had two recasts already after such a small amount of episodes, Maggie's father which I think is an improvement. And Matthew, however I much preferred the first Matthew. He seemed genuinely nuts and creepy and yet I liked him.
Elizabeth is great character, I love how she runs things and controls things. How she dealt with Roger's car accident, deflecting the blame from David and Burke and getting Matthew to go along with her. That also sets it up for us to see just how loyal Matthew is to Elizabeth, it's been hinted at already but now we no he will do anything for her. It's all so deliciously good.

It only dawned on me that Mitchell Ryan was Greg's father on Dharma and Greg, playing the husband of Susan Sullivan.

@Willie Oleson It's only early days of course but if you love Peyton Place and creepy old houses I think Dark Shadows is the show for you.

 

[Alexis]

I am loving these black and white episodes but I cant wait to see the sets in colour.
[URL='https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiu94nc987PAhWD1xQKHceOAXQQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F488570259546707001%2F&bvm=bv.135258522,d.ZGg&psig=AFQjCNGjnchu9urzuHsjWGxbi-7YYMJjRQ&ust=1476144000605251'] [/URL]

 

[Alexis]

Sam Evans' house is so Alexis' Art Studio. That sloped window, the white brick, the half finished paintings and the easel.

 

[darkshadows38]

it was about episode 40 something that the 1st ghost appeared. Thayer David is the dude who played the 2nd Matthew you will see a LOT of him too. i'm glad you started with the Beginning set as that's the right place to start it. i think the 1st episode in Color is between #290-#297 i forget the actual number. with DS as i like to call it, there's episodes that only exist in black & white because that' s all that's left. only 1 episode is lost and that's not until near the end of the show's run during the last story line. Burke Devlin was a great Character too. he was fired from the show in (1967) because he was an Alcoholic and they got tired of him being late for work or missing taping. so he was fired sadly. i can fully understand why but it's still a shame. either way though it took awhile and i dunno the year but he later did get sober and as far as i know still is.

Anthony George is the guy who replaced him and he didn't do as good of a job. but he wasn't bad either to be fair. in June of (1967) he as fired in case you are wondering. and you were talking about Dennis Patrick who played Jason McGuire he was Brilliant on DS. but than he was great in anything he was in. the Black & White years people think were great during the Barnabas years and they are right. when they went to color it kinda lost something and no doubt you will agree with that when you are done watching it. there are #1245 episodes so you got plenty of episodes left.

the reason for the change in Maggie was because they liked Katheryn Leigh Scott and what she did with Maggie and she one day out of the blue was told that her real hair looked better than that awful wig they give her. enjoy the outside shots while you can they don't last. they went up there i forget where and shot outside shots 2 times. and than they stopped when they decided i think when it was decided it was just them walking and nothing was happening. so they stayed more with telling the story rather than seeing Vicki walking outside. the reason you got a change in Sam Evan's is because he had trouble reading the teleprompter. which is why i think certain actors left. what's really funny is that the actress who played Vicki Alexandra Moltke Isles as she's now called. had trouble as well and wore glasses but for some reason she decided not to wear them during her audition
and she was blind as a bat during her tenure on the show. oddly during the black and white years the acting is better for some reason.

 

[Sarah]

OK so, based on this thread I watched the Johnny Depp Dark Shadows movie on Saturday lol It was hilarious.

"May you go to hell where Beelzebub will suckle on your diseased teet"

Is it anything like the series? At all???

 

[Alexis]

OK so, based on this thread I watched the Johnny Depp Dark Shadows movie on Saturday lol It was hilarious.

"May you go to hell where Beelzebub will suckle on your diseased teet"

Is it anything like the series? At all???

I would say no. I read Dark Shadows fans weren't pleased with the film. I have avoided it as Tim Burton annoys the shit out of me. It's all so campy and stylized and not in a good way.

 

[darkshadows38]

for me i liked it, but here's the thing, i went in knowing what kind of film it is, meaning i went in knowing it was a comedy so that's how i watched it as was a comedy and i enjoyed it a lot more because of that too.

 

[Alexis]

for me i liked it, but here's the thing, i went in knowing what kind of film it is, meaning i went in knowing it was a comedy so that's how i watched it as was a comedy and i enjoyed it a lot more because of that too.

I personally just don't like Burton films anymore. He keeps making the same damn film.

 

[darkshadows38]

his last one looked like it was different than his normal, i have yet to see it though