Vampires

[I'm Kirk]

With all the buzz about vampires lately because of the Twilight movies and such, I have not seen any article or web page or whatever acknowledging one of the most famous ones, Barnabas Collins of Dark Shadows. He was the first vampire I think who brought out "feelings".

I hope the media when discussing vampirism will bring up Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid). In fact, Johnny Depp is going to do a Dark Shadows movie and he will be playing Barnabas and he may have Jonathan Frid in there as a cameo. I hope so.
What do you all think of Barnabas Collins?

 

[RoJoHen]

I know that I am way too young to have any idea who that is...but my mom is very excited about the new movie.

 

[TheLonelySquire]

With all the buzz about vampires lately because of the Twilight movies and such, I have not seen any article or web page or whatever acknowledging one of the most famous ones, Barnabas Collins of Dark Shadows. He was the first vampire I think who brought out "feelings".

I hope the media when discussing vampirism will bring up Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid). In fact, Johnny Depp is going to do a Dark Shadows movie and he will be playing Barnabas and he may have Jonathan Frid in there as a cameo. I hope so.
What do you all think of Barnabas Collins?

I remember being five years old watching Dark Shadows in the summer of 1969. Barnabas is still haunting me!!!

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Didn't Dark Shadows run for at least a year before introducing *any* supernatural characters, let alone Barnabas?

 

[ancientone51]

Yes, Dark Shadows started off as a basic, not terribly successful soap opera.

If I recall correctly, they killed off someone and then realized they needed him and did the ghost routine.

But Barnabas was the real kicker and the show took off from there.

Yes, count me as a fan of Barnabas from nearly day one...

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

All I know is DS really lost me when they went into all that crap about Parallel Time...

 

[RoJoHen]

So the show wasn't even remotely supernatural to start with?

Man, soap operas are the only genre that can get away with something like that.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Well, it was very Gothic, but nothing blatant. In fact, Barnabas was on for quite a while before he was revealed as a Vampire; it was all implication.

I was in Grade School when Dark Shadows was on the air. I loved it, but my Mother forbade watching it. Luckily, my Uncle Mike was more accommodating.

The 90s remake was well done, and did the concept justice. I just don't like remakes. What I'd really like to see is a continuation of the original, with new characters; what is going on in Collinsport today?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

What I'd really like to see is a continuation of the original, with new characters; what is going on in Collinsport today?

AFAIK, the original show once did a flash-forward to somewhere around 'our' time, where all of the Collins family were either dead or insane.

 

[I'm Kirk]

Yes, the parallel time got me sidetracked also. I agree that the show needs to continue on. I didn't like the 90's reboot of it, Ben Cross was not a good Barnabas in my book. I'm very surprised the 2 movies have not been put on DVD yet, only VHS. But I hear that when Johnny Depp's movie is released Warner Brothers is going to put the 2 older Dark Shadows movies on dvd and release all 3 as a package...but I don't want to wait until 2011... but I'm so glad to see there are still some DS fans out there.....I was even such a fan I bought a Josette's Music Box and a Barnabas Ring (which got lost in the move) but the music box is still in it's box....I am going to get the music cd's from the 2 movies soon.

 

[Aragorn]

Man, soap operas are the only genre that can get away with something like that.

Soap operas get away with everything. Could you imagine Trekkies nitpicking and bitching about a Trek show where a character goes off to medical school and comes back six months later a licensed doctor and 10 years older? Or a bad guy fakes his death for the ninth time and everyone believes it for the ninth time despite there being no body for the ninth time?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Wasn't there one soap that actually had ALIENS on it?

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ Yeah, Soap.

I didn't like the 90's reboot of it, Ben Cross was not a good Barnabas in my book.

I'm not a big fan of remakes, but I thought the 90s show was well done, with a strong cast. I liked Ben Cross, but you're right that he was not appropriate for Barnabas. The guy who played Willie was the best. And Joanna Going was a great Gothic heroine.

 

[melancholymecha]

Man, soap operas are the only genre that can get away with something like that.

Soap operas get away with everything.

soap operas and Heroes...

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^^ Yeah, Soap.

I didn't mean that. I meant a *real* soap opera.

 

[RoJoHen]

^^ Yeah, Soap.

I didn't mean that. I meant a *real* soap opera.

I believe "Days of Our Lives" made us think there were aliens once. These two extra hot people woke up in a glowing alien escape pod wearing silver underwear. I think it turned out to be a plot by Stefano Dimera...

 

[I'm Kirk]

Lara Parker who played the witch Angelique still writes Dark Shadows books and so does Katheryn Leigh Scott who played Josette and Victoria Winters so it is still much alive. I wish I could go to a Dark Shadows Festival every year. But I am unable to make the trip to New Jersey. A few years they had the festival at the famed Collinwood.

 

[Jeri]

I used to come home from high school and watch Love Is a Many Splendored Thing and Dark Shadows together. They were kind of teen soaps at that after-school timeslot. I loved them both. Barnabas and Angelique were intriguing. I saw Lara Parker in a made-for-TV movie set in the Ozarks. Edit: Foxfire Light.

 

[Aragorn]

soap operas and Heroes...

On this board, only one person seems to be loving everything Heroes has been doing during these last three seasons.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Lara Parker who played the witch Angelique still writes Dark Shadows books and so does Katheryn Leigh Scott who played Josette and Victoria Winters so it is still much alive.

Books, as in original DS fiction novels?