"Dark Shadows" (1991) TV series

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Directors:

Matthew Hall
Mark Sobel

Writers:

Jon Boorstin (writer)
Matthew Hall (writer)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

13 January 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

Victoria Winters comes to Collinwood, an isolated mansion in coastal Maine, to work as a governess, but soon finds herself drawn into a strange...

Plot Keywords:

Gothic | Vampire | Magic | Witch | Vampire Human Love

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Ben Cross	...	Barnabas Collins (12 episodes, 1991)
Joanna Going	...	Victoria Winters / ... (12 episodes, 1991)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt	...	David Collins / ... (12 episodes, 1991)
Jim Fyfe	...	Willie Loomis / ... (12 episodes, 1991)
Roy Thinnes	...	Roger Collins / ... (12 episodes, 1991)
Barbara Steele	...	Dr. Julia Hoffman / ... (12 episodes, 1991)
Barbara Blackburn	...	Carolyn Stoddard / ... (12 episodes, 1991)
Jean Simmons	...	Elizabeth Collins Stoddard / ... (12 episodes, 1991)
Veronica Lauren	...	Sarah Collins (12 episodes, 1991)
Julianna McCarthy	...	Mrs. Johnson / ... (12 episodes, 1991)
Michael T. Weiss	...	Joe Haskell / ... (11 episodes, 1991)
Stefan Gierasch	...	Joshua Collins / ... (11 episodes, 1991)
Michael Cavanaugh	...	Andre du Pres / ... (11 episodes, 1991)
Ely Pouget	...	Maggie Evans (10 episodes, 1991)
Lysette Anthony	...	Angelíque / ... (8 episodes, 1991)
Eddie Jones	...	Bailiff Henry Evans / ... (6 episodes, 1991)
Ellen Wheeler	...	Phyllis Wicke (5 episodes, 1991)

Also Known As:

"Dark Shadows Revival" (USA) (video box title)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Greystone Park & Mansion - 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Dan Curtis Productions

Movie Connections:

Follows Dark Shadows (1990) (TV)

It wasn't given a proper chance

I will certainly join the critics who complain that there wasn't enough about this show that was original. I will forever wonder why Dan Curtis keeps thinking that telling the same story over again will satisfy the audience that couldn't get enough of the original series; we were hoping for some new stories.

That having been said, the revisions made to the original character relationships were a definite improvement and the program was very well cast. Jonathan Frid is a tough act to follow as Barnabas, but Ben Cross did an excellent job. As for Adrian Paul, the moment I laid eyes on him I knew he was star material. I will admit to having been disappointed that certain female characters, especially Angelique, were inadequately developed.

Another thing about this program that could have been adjusted was allowing the Collins family to have had some earlier generations in the U.S. I suspect that one of the reasons the original series ran out of ideas was the need to keep the time-traveling to discrete generations of the family and, with Barnabas having been born in the second half of the 18th century, they ran out of those rather quickly. This, of course, assumes that he could only go back as far as his original mortal life...

If you enjoyed this show anyway, check out HIGHLANDER [the series, that is]. It gives us Adrian Paul at his best with lots of historical flashbacks.