House of Dark Shadows (DVD)

I remember seeing House of Dark Shadows in a movie theater when I was about 9 years old, not long after its first run at a very old theater that was the perfect setting to see this film. The theater was old and gothic looking, the perfect setting for this very moody atmospheric and rather gothic film version of the classic Dan Curtis daytime soap opera that was runing on daytime television at the time. Curtis I think suprised everyone with what turned out to be a rather bloody film that captured the very essence of the darkest qualities of the tv series. The production qualities are far better in this film version than those of the tv series as well. Of course next to Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee, Jonathan Frid is my favorite vampire under those monumental actors. Frid captures both the charm and the menace of Barnabas Collins beautifully, both in the series and especially in this film. It was a sad day recently when it was announced that Frid has passed away, but though Ive had a lovehate relationship with Tim Burtons version, I am glad it was made because clearly it was the main reason this film finally recieved both a dvd and Blu-Ray release. Which reminds me, I should mention that as of the time of this review the streaming version of this classic presented here on Amazon is pathetic. It literally appears as if it was transfered from a second generation vhs, so be aware of this. The Blu-Ray however is a wonderful transfer and the picture is as good as it gets for a film of this age. Its truly a fantastic celebration that this movie finally recieved a decent release, and certainly a whole new generation of younger viewers will finally get the opportunity to discover this rare gem. But please consider that the movie was released in the early 70s and you cant compare it to the full catelogue of vampire and horror films released over the past 40 years. Its classic gloomy and atmospheric 70s horror that is as good as it can get. Go in with expectations of this and you should feel like youve finally seen a truly great vampire film.

I first saw this movie in 1970 when I was ten, and I was astonished at just how much gorier it was compared to the daytime television show (which I literally RAN home to watch!) The make-up used to age Barnabas is sensational (the make-up man was the same guy who aged Dustin Hoffman in Little Big Man and the two actors actually resemble each other when made up!) Joan Bennett is Elizabeth Stoddard Collins, the matriarch and theres the eloquent Louis Edmunds as Roger. The unique Grayson Hall is marvelous as Julia Hoffman, and theres Kathryn Leigh Scott as the unfortunate Maggie Collins (whom Barnabas makes into his Josette.) The character of Angelique would have been a great asset; I thought Lara Parker was brilliant in her playing of the beautiful witch as she casted spells while breathing heavily! The set and decor was magnificent; most everyone will remember the hilarious mishaps which took place on the unedited show-here they could remedy them! There is a scene outdoors in what looks like a vacant (empty) pool in which the stage lights are clearly visable, but this movie holds up surprisingly well and we DARK SHADOWS afficianados are thrilled that this film is in existence; a lesser effort (which Ive never seen) was filmed in 1971 and is entitled Night of Dark Shadows.

Love this movie (and the series too of course). As with NODS, I wish there were extras on dvd. Oh well I love it and would buy again no problems.

It was just as I remembered it, and I now own some of the original series on DVD I plan to continue to collecting them until I have them all, I watch them on the weekends that way I can relax

Just upgraded to the DVD from VHS which I still have. I enjoy watching it. ;-)

Very disappointed didn’t even have A color illustrated Covered picture of the DVD I would’ve paid a little bit extra to have a decent copy of the house of dark shadows Even though this was used it said it was in good condition very disappointing

Loved this gothic show so much that a friend and I started a petition to keep it on the air. This movie is a great overview of the show.

This was the first horror movie I ever saw when it was first released in the 1970s. Scared me to death but I was a Dark Shadows tv show fan and had to go see it. When I watched it again, all these years later, it still sends shivers up my spine.

I am glad to have the dvd version. The music, the costumes, the story. It was a treat to watch on the big screen. It is always great to watch.

On time … dvd with great quality