Dark Shadows (1991 version) Now on YouTube
It's the perfect time to sink your fangs into the tragically short Gothic revival
When I was 8 years old, in January of 1991, I was captivated by a picture on the cover of our local TV guide, featuring a well-dressed man holding a wolf’s head cane. It was a promotional photo for the upcoming new TV series, Dark Shadows, a revival of the immensely popular soap opera that ran from 1966-1971. My mother said that she watched the original show and agreed to record the premiere for me on VHS. (Thanks, mom!)
The central story of the Gothic romance is about a young woman named Victoria Winters who is hired by the eccentric and wealthy Collins family as governess to young and troubled David Collins. The Collins family of Collinsport, Maine has many secrets hiding in the “dark shadows” of its past and present. Perhaps the most intriguing of these secrets is Barnabas Collins, a centuries-old vampire who was chained in his coffin in the 1700s and eventually released in present day.
The original version of the show aired as a daily soap opera, Monday through Friday, in 30-minute episodes (1,225 of them, to be exact). The show was particularly popular with schoolchildren who famously ran home from school to catch the highly unusual daytime soap.
Vampire Barnabas Collins, werewolf Quentin Collins, and the deliciously wicked witch Angelique became part of the popular culture lexicon as the show puts its original twist on nearly all the great Gothic tales, including Jane Eyre, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dracula, and Frankenstein.
The original show spawned two movies (not including Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows film), many paperback novels, comic books, various other memorabilia, a devoted cult following, conventions, soundtrack albums (“Shadows of the Night (Quentin’s Theme)” was a Grammy-nominated top 10 single), audio dramas, and of course, the short-lived 1991 revival.
The original had an uncanny tone that is unlike anything else in TV or film history. Because of its low budget and very high level of ambition and imagination, coupled with a lasting and growing cult following, many film critics liken the show to Doctor Who.
The show was, in essence, live. Retakes were generally not an option for the original cast, so bloopers made it on air and the show had the tension and spontaneity of live theater. It was also a soap opera, so it had the luxury of exploring longform stories without being rushed.
The 1991 revival series was not a soap opera. It was a weekly primetime show that aired Friday evenings on NBC. And this time, the show had a much bigger budget. In the original, you had to imagine that the great house, Collinwood, was so big that it had undiscovered rooms and closed off wings.
In 1991, the crew (with original series creator Dan Curtis once again at the helm) could explore the space of the real and luxurious locations and capture real outdoor scenes without wobbly cardboard tombstones. The actors didn’t have to worry about flubbing their lines or flies landing on their faces, because they had the opportunity to do multiple takes. The special effects were good (at times even impressive), especially for 1991. TV viewers in the 90s had different expectations for production values, particularly for primetime shows. And the new Dark Shadows delivered.
The 1991 series was masterfully cast. Ben Cross was a marvelous Barnabas Collins. Fortunately, he did not try to copy the delivery or look of the great Jonathan Frid from the original series. In fact, Cross avoided studying the original show so that he could make the “new” Barnabas something of his own. And even with a new take on Barnabas, the essence of the character was still there.
Roy Thinness was fantastic as the over-the-top Reverend Trask, Jim Fyfe was hilarious as the derelict Willie Loomis, Lysette Anthony was absolutely red hot as the wicked Angelique, horror legend Barbara Steele was a sleek and smart Dr. Julia Hoffman and lived up to the high expectations set by original actress Grayson Hall, Joanna Going was even better as Victoria Winters than the actress in the original, and nearly all of the other cast members were just as exceptional. Oh, and a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt played David Collins.
The atmospheric ambiance was totally on point. The fog and the nonstop thunderstorms looked real, the lighting was appropriately dark (unlike many of the overlit scenes in the original), the interiors of the houses were breathtaking, and original composer Robert Cobert returned with a beautifully haunting, romantic, and tragic score that used some of the old themes and introduced some new and truly moving pieces. The amazing score is available on CD.
There was more gore, more action, and definitely more sex. 9-year-old me was definitely interested in the “romance” scenes that were delightfully hot and graphic for network TV in 1991. There was no shortage of extremely attractive women on the show. And because it was not a soap opera, each hour-long episode packed a lot more excitement.
Reviews for the show were good. It initially had good ratings. But the ratings dropped when the show was constantly interrupted by Gulf War news updates. After just 12 glorious episodes, the show was cancelled. NBC received over 7,000 letters of protest from disappointed fans, who also picketed network headquarters in both Los Angeles and NYC.
I was one of the fans that sent a letter. But it didn’t do any good. That was it. I was absolutely heartbroken. If the show had aired today, I am convinced that fans would turn to social media and be able to rescue it. But in 1991, there were no #SaveDarkShadows campaigns or streaming services to make it happen.
NBC made a grave mistake. Pun intended. There was, however, a beautifully drawn series of comic books based on the 1991 series that were entirely welcomed by fans starving for more.
Unlike Tim Burton’s disrespectful abomination that was really only Dark Shadows (2012) by name, the 1991 series is a true revival and updated spin on the show that retains Dark Shadows’ inimitable essence.
Almost 25 years later, you can watch the entire 1991 series on YouTube, for free! Now is the perfect time to discover or rediscover this gem. Its classical Gothic elements have aged very well and provide for a fantastic and cozy escape from the modern world and its present turmoil. [NOTE: At the time of writing this, YouTube has uploaded episode 9 in place of episode 6. But, you can still get episode 6 by clicking here]
It is fun and frustrating to think of all the directions the show could have gone in future seasons. But at least the show never got a chance to “jump the shark” and go down in quality.
The acting, story, and high production values all hold up against other cult TV classics of the time like Twin Peaks and The X-Files. The show couldn’t survive the Gulf War, but with the magic of streaming, I think it can have a new life, no matter how bleak the so-called “real” world gets.
If enough excitement is generated, maybe we’ll soon see the next reincarnation of Dark Shadows. It does feel like everything is perfectly aligned for it to happen. And hopefully we’ll get more than 12 episodes this next time around.
[NOTE: It’s worth noting that some of the night scenes appear as if they are daytime scenes, because they were in fact shot in the daylight. Before originally airing, scenes were darkened to appear as if they were taken at night. In the process of transferring the series to a digital format, these scenes were carelessly overlooked and never corrected. So, don’t be confused when the sun comes out at night! Very unfortunate for a show about a vampire! They got it right on the VHS versions, though. So, track those down if you can.]