Meet The Other Creatures of ‘Dark Shadows’
December 7, 2009 by Alison
I gave you a hint about this in July and today I am beyond excited by the news that Tim Burton has officially signed on for a remake of the popular vampire soap opera, Dark Shadows–set to film in 2010. Equally exciting but not surprising is confirmation of Johnny Depp in the role of lead vampire Barnabas Collins. I’m sure we’ll be seeing some of the other usual suspects and that’s ok by me. I haven’t raced to the theater for any Burton films as of late but I have faith that the spooky visionary can do something imaginative with the series.
Between this news and word of Brad Pitt’s new vampire film, today has been an exciting day for vampires. A sparkles free day at that! While the vampires are the focal point in the Dark Shadows series, I felt the need to shed some light on the other monsters that make the show so interesting. The show’s paranormal theme was a daring venture at the time and had audiences hooked from the start. Add to this an atmospheric set, great storylines, uber drama and some lovely theremin music and it’s no wonder why the show remains much adored. Here’s a look at some of the other creatures in Dark Shadows.
The Phoenix
Roger’s wife Laura went missing. Or so he thought, until she returned unexpectedly to Collinsport after a ten year absence. She’s searching for her son, David, but this is no ordinary family reunion. Turns out that Laura is an immortal phoenix who has been a crispy critter caught in the flames before. She wants her son to join her once again to relish the sacred fires of the Eygptian sun god, Ra. Check out this fan made video of Laura which features the awesome painting I remember of her in flames.
Werewolves and Ghosts
In 1897, Quentin Collins is cursed by the gypsy Magda Rakosi, who sought revenge for the death of her sister, Jenny (because gypsy women all have names like JENNY). See, Jenny went a little crazy pants when Quentin left her and tried to kill him but he ended up killing her in self defense. Love sucks. Magda’s curse left Quentin and his family to the wolves. The first person on the show to be afflicted by lycanthropy was Chris Jennings, who is later revealed to be a Collins–carrying on the curse of his ancestor Quentin. Quentin is depicted as a ghost on the show and he enjoys picking on the kids, David Collins and Amy Jennings.
I love the aspect of time travel in the show which allowed more possibilities for the characters. Check out these video clips detailing more info about the werewolf curse and a ghostly Quentin taunting the mansions inhabitants (featuring some beautiful sets). Also check out the clip of Chris Jennings finding out about his family history and the first meeting between Quentin and Chris. Dig the melodrama and hilarious but great werewolf transformation and makeup.
The Leviathans
You have to love anything touched by the hand of Lovecraft. The Leviathans were an ancient race of Lovecraftian beings, led by the mysterious Jeb Hawkes. Do you not love the names on this show? The Leviathans coerce Barnabas to take up rank with them to enslave the Collins family and take control of the town. These creatures are used to controlling people and getting what they want. According to legend, they had hypnotic control over people and a glimpse of their true form would cause the most rational person to go insane. But like any good soap opera, there’s a love story here. Jeb pursues a victim for sacrifice, Carolyn Stoddard, but ends up falling in love with her. This cures him of his creature habit and they eventually marry. Awww. Here’s a video of Chris Pennock (Jeb Hawkes) and Lisa Richards (Sabrina Stuart) at a recent DS event. Look for Chris around four minutes into things. Follow the links from YouTube to watch it in its entirety.
The Warlock
Another time travel trip; In 1692 Judah Zachary was beheaded at the order of Amadeus Collins, because he was believed to be a witch. Before he left this mortal coil, Judah swore revenge on the Collins family. He made a return from the grave in 1840 as a disembodied head–successfully controlling the minds of others including a friend of the Collins family, Gerard Stiles. These three clips are from a 1970 episode where Gerard tries to uncover the secret to Zachary’s warlock powers. Yep, he’s talking to a head in a box. I love it.
The Witch
It was a witch that was the undoing of vampire Barnabas Collins in 1795. Angelique Bouchard was the servant of Barnabas’ fiancee, Josette. She also happened to be a witch who was having an affair with Barnabas. When Mr. B acted like a tool, Angelique cast several spells to make him change his mind but none of them worked so she turned him into a vampire. Here’s the witchy woman working her spell over some of Dark Shadow’s finest.
Dr. Frankenstein
Dr. Lang is Collinsport’s very own Dr. Frankenstein. He uses dead bodies to create a new being named Adam. The Doctor tries to help Barnabas become ‘normal’ by using Barnabas’ lifeforce to animate Adam. Bad girl Cassandra Collins works some wicked mojo to interrupt the proceedings and Dr. Lang dies shortly after, never seeing his experiment come to life. Dr. Julia Hoffman attempts to keep the experiment alive and tries to save Barnabas. Will she succeed? Dr. Lang seriously cracks me up in these clips–his ‘death’ face is more like his ‘O’ face.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
One of the show’s mad scientist characters is a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde type. Cyrus Longworth wants to bring forth all that is good in man. He’s curious about the duality of human nature, so he invents a potion that separates the good and evil, but I guess he forgot that you should never drink the funny Kool-Aid. Here’s a fan video showing Cyrus transforming into his darker self, John Yeager. Note the resemblance to Hitler, Edgar Allan Poe and Tom Selleck’s love child.
The Mysterious Magician a.k.a All Around General Badass
Nicholas Blair rolls into town one day claiming to be Cassandra Collins’ brother but it’s soon revealed that he’s not a man to be messed with. He can control the most powerful witches, including Angelique and is behind the Leviathans . He created Eve, the mate for Dr. Lang’s Adam and proves to be a resilient little bugger–unable to be destroyed. In this clip, we meet Nicholas and get a small taste of what he’s really capable of. Oh and note the line ‘typically feminine way.’ Hah!
If you would like some more info on Dark Shadows here are some good places to start:
Dark Shadows Journal Online , Dark Shadows Online , Dark Shadows Dot Com, Dark Shadows Forums
I remember getting excited when Burton officially signed on to tackle this project last year. I was never a huge fan of the TV series, but I think his film will be great. He has never let me down…aside from that Planet of the Apes garbage…..
I loved Angelique and couldn’t wait until she’d pop up to make mischief ! Its wonderful to see that a new generation will be able to enjoy this gem as we did 40 years ago.a friend of mine used to hide behind a chair when Barnabas would appear on screen ,what a hoot!
heheh that’s cute
yes i’m very excited to see what Burton can do with this and i always loved Angelique too!
Ah, Angelique…she of the enchanting eyes. Its a bloody mystery to me why Barny-boy went for that milksop Josette when he coulda lain soft o’ nights wi’ the likes of Angelique and all she promised. Then again, its a mystery why Angelique was so taken by someone as indecisive as Barnabas, scupper me if it ain’t.