Thanks for answering my "Night of Dark Shadows" question, Darren (about why it wasn't in widescreen at the festival). I realize that the answers to many of my questions are probably to be found in the "Dark Shadows Movie Book" and have likely been addressed many times on this forum; fortunately, I have located my copy of the movie book now.*
HODS was certainly effective on the big screen at the Vista Theater ... but reading about those deleted scenes and scenes that were never shot shows how much better the movie could have been. To take just one example - the scene where Barnabas and Julia begin to develop a relationship, which was never shot. That would have gone a long way to the jarring moment when Stokes announces to Julia "you're in love with him." So many things needed to be established or fleshed out that weren't.
A longer costume scene (and some mention of it beforehand, unless I missed it), would have been welcome. I do think children would have been out of place at an adult cocktail/costume event, and it would have looked odd to see Denise Nickerson there. But I guess if David was originally intended to be present, in costume, then I suppose he could have had a friend of his own age as a guest; so who knows - maybe Ms. Nickerson was planned for the scene.
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* If I remember correctly, lost footage for NODS was found after the publication of the "Dark Shadows Movie Book."