My personal interpretation of "Turn of the Screw" is that the ghosts are quite real. Otherwise, for me, it just ends up being -- "Oy, another wacko who thinks there are ghosts... ka-CHING!" Thank God in DS it was made quite clear that Quentin and Daphne were not mere figments. I mean, to prove it, all you'd have to do is look at the phone bill.

--Mark

I broke my own rule of not watching AMC last night to check out The Innocents, which for some reason I have managed to never see in all these years. It's based on Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw," and it's a wonderful movie; very eerie, and featuring excellent performances by Deborah Kerr and particularly Martin Stephens as the little boy. This movie really drove home how much the introductions of Quentin and Daphne in Dark Shadows were based on the James story. And the opening of the movie looks as if it might have inspired the beginning of Night of Dark Shadows as well, with the long approach to the house and beautiful views of the estate grounds.

If you haven't seen The Innocents, check it out. I think it just became one of my favorite spooky movies. There are several scenes that honest to God gave me a little case of the creeps. I shudder to think what today's generation of moviemakers would've done to the slow pacing, subtle chills, and haunting atmosphere of the house.

--Mark

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPYBIRTHDAY
--Mark

The BBC Dracula with Louis Jourdan is probably my favorite dramatization of the novel. Jourdan seems an unlikely actor for the role, but he really did a fine job of it. The whole production has an atmosphere of eerieness that is superior to just about any other, helped immensely by the musical score. I have a tape from television that goes back to the very early 80s when it was re-broadcast on PBS. I believe the original was a 2-part "miniseries," but the version I have doesn't run a full four hours. Not sure how much it might be missing.

--Mark

Hey, did anybody notice that guy hobbling by in the Old Man Barnabas makeup?

Oh, never mind, that's just MB.



--Mark

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPYBIRTHDAY
--Mark

Wonderful site, gbsmiles. Love getting the comparative glances. I really hope they're going to do Collinwood itself justice this time around.

--Mark

I loved American Gothic, but I think it's for the best it only played for two seasons. They told the story, tied up the loose ends, and went out on a high note.

I've made it no secret that Thomas Rathburn in Dreams of the Dark was inspired to no small degree by Gary Cole as Sheriff Buck. When I was writing the character, I always heard Gary Cole speaking his every line of dialogue. The physical description was right on, too.

--Mark