Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

BA_Harrison Jonathan Frid stars as centuries old vampire Barnabas Collins, who, having been freed from his crypt, proceeds to work his way through his ancestors in order to get to Maggie Evans (Kathryn Leigh Scott), who he believes to be the reincarnation of his long dead love Josette. Barnabas is also offered a chance at being normal again when Dr. Julia Hoffman (Grayson Hall), who is in love with the vampire, creates a cure for his affliction; however, Barnabas is betrayed by the doctor when she learns of his plans to marry Maggie, and injects him with a serum that causes him to age instead.As someone who has never seen the cult TV series on which this film is based, I found myself floundering at first, unsure as to who the characters were and what they were doing. Eventually, though, things clicked into place, and I found myself enjoying what is a massive helping of Gothic horror, with all the trappings that go with the genre: beautiful women, swirling mist, creepy old houses with cobweb strewn corridors, and bright red blood. Directed by Dan Curtis (Trilogy of Terror), the film has bags of atmosphere and style, and boasts great performances all round. Recommended to any connoisseur of Gothic vampire movies, especially Hammer fans, who will no doubt enjoy the movie's blend of horror, romance and excitement.

Pumpkin_Man I re-watched this last night. For the past year, I've been watching the classic Dark Shadows series, and I thought this movie was done pretty well. I love how they actually play the theme (unlike Tim Burton's version) They tried so hard to re-film scenes from episodes 211- 300ish and cram it all into a 90 minute movie. Their cut scenes felt like they cut it too short and went on to something else. In the beginning of the show, Barnabas was very much a monster and killed people, but as the series progressed, he sorta became a good guy and helped people. This film shows Barnabas as he was in the beginning; a vampire that killed people and forced Willie Loomis to be his servant. After attacking Carolyn, Barnabas becomes attracted to Maggie Evans, who be believes is his lost love, Josette DuPres re-incarnated.If you didn't watch the show, you'd probably have no idea what's going on. The film starts so suddenly it feels like it's in the middle of one of the episodes. No story as to who the Collins family are. No mention of Victoria Winters. No backstory as to how Barnabas became a vampire, and not mentioned how or why Dr. Hoffman, Jeff Clark, or Professor Stokes are there (but in the series, it's all explained. This film doesn't run con-current with the series, so it's not meant to be a sequel to the show) It has its faults, but it's a pretty worthy film based on the series. If you love the series, you may enjoy HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS!!!

mike48128 David Collins (the young boy) and a lot of the original characters have almost nothing-to-do in the 1970 movie. Does David's tutor even have a role here? The story involves mainly two themes and is a clumsy reprise of the ABC series: Dr. Hoffman tries to "cure" Barnabas Collins, and Barnabas' reincarnated bride ("Angelique"). It moves too fast. It seems like the first part of the movie was "chopped-off" as it seems to open in the middle, not the beginning. Maybe MGM made director Dan Curtis shorten it, like they did with his sequel "Night of Dark Shadows." Willie Loomis, the demented houseboy,is played "smarter" than in the other versions. Everyone must be in a real fog not to see that Barnabas is the cause of the mysterious deaths. Plot twist: Silver bullets do not usually kill vampires, but they do in this re-telling. Barnabas was always a "reluctant" vampire, but not here. He is far meaner and he strangles as many people as he turns into vampires. This "change of personality" might have hastened the untimely demise of the afternoon series in 1971. Guest monsters like a werewolf or even Frankenstein (both were in the final season, weren't they?) would have helped. It is not "campy" enough. Far too serious in nature, and far more bloody than the series. At the finish, almost everyone is either dead or living-dead. (Did anyone see the fake-looking bat that flies away at the film's end?) However, it does have good production values: a real mansion and real woods instead of a cheap indoor set with outdoor filmed scenes. Look for Nancy Barrett, who becomes a gorgeous long-haired blond vampire. (She looks a lot like Majel Barrett from "Star Trek".) For die-hard fans only. Both House and Night of Dark Shadows are now on DVD. See my separate review of the 1991 revival series.

photoenthusiast HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS is my favorite vampire movie of all time. Better than the old black and whites from the early days of the movies, better than the genuinely frightening Hammer movies of the 1960s, and much better than the more recent contemporary takes aimed at the high school set.As a child, and a fan of the DARK SHADOWS daytime drama, one of my happier family memories is one night the whole family packed up the car and went to the drive-in for a crazy quadruple feature. HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS was the main attraction, and therefore the last to play, following a GODZILLA movie and THE GREEN SLIME (plus one more I can't recall). All these years later, I still watch it (on laser disc, as there is not yet a DVD), and I'm happy to say that, for me, it is a movie that remains enjoyable, rather than being better relegated to my childhood memories.Jonathan Frid plays Barnabas Collins with great class, creating a sympathetic vampire eons before such a characterization would become commonplace. Granted, the TV incarnation was portrayed as more guilt-ridden, whereas the film version was, due to the tightened focus of the storyline, more single-minded about his pursuits. Some fans do not care for the graphic blood-letting and viciousness present in the movie, though that pretty much has to be expected. In any case, it is nothing like the gore that is popular with audiences today. It IS more violent, though, and Barnabas' most brutal attack in the movie actually doesn't even involve fangs! The other cast members have honed their characters to perfection after years of playing on the TV soap. You could say they all had the longest rehearsal period in movie history, in a way! Some perform better than others, but seeing so many favorites on the big screen is definitely a treat. The sets are sumptuous, a huge step up from the stage bound look of the TV show, and liberal use of music from the soap works beautifully. There are plenty of exciting and genuinely suspenseful scenes, with many of the best moments contributed by Grayson Hall as the doctor who is certain she can help Barnabas through modern science.The movie may not be perfect, but only in minor ways. It could be argued that there are way too many characters, for example, or that too many bodies start piling up after a certain point in the plot, but I still give the film 10 out of 10 due to the overall brilliance of the acting, atmosphere, and success in bringing Barnabas to the big screen. Furthermore, I'm thrilled that the treatment was not deliberately campy.All in all, we are lucky the movie was not only made, but was successful. It introduces the cult favorite vampire and his brooding family to new generations regularly, by existing outside the original daytime drama. At the same time, it keeps the memory of the 1960s soap opera alive, renewing fervor in the fans who were there at the beginning. I'm not looking forward to the announced DARK SHADOWS movie from Tim Burton, but even that will boost interest in the original series and movie, so let it happen. Long live Barnabas Collins!