Fans,

My friend Todd Macintosh who worked on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER as one of the main makeup artists, and also worked on the 2004 DS pilot, is going to give a talk about Dick Smith's Old Barnabas makeup as part of this screening of a 35 mm print of hoDS in LA. The screening, a double feature in which the other movie will be the Eighties classic THE HUNGER, will happen Thursday, August 17, at 7:30 p.m. Link:

https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/the-hunger-with-house-of-dark-shadows-018733b8-6c42-dd8e-1255-ece11fe95b69

Todd is an excellent speaker and I'm sure the evening will be fun and fascinating.  Earlier this year, Todd was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from IMATS, the International Make-up Artist Trade Show, honoring his more than 40 years of significant contribution to make-up artistry. Todd owns some primary source materials (or has seen some as well) and his talk will provide some really interesting details about Dick Smith's development of this iconic makeup.

Just wanted to let any fans who live in the LA area know that this is happening.

Gothick

For fans of the 1991 series,

One of Matt Hall's recent auctions included a treatment for a "Quentin story" by Sam Hall. Only the first page of the three-and-a-half page document was scanned here, and it reads more like a plot outline from the original 1840 storyline than a proposed treatment for the second season of the revival. But Matt dates it to the period in 1990 when he and Sam were both working on the new series.

https://msbhall.wordpress.com/2023/06/08/the-original-art-wallace-bible-for-pre-barnabas-pre-laura-the-phoenix-pre-sam-and-grayson-dark-shadows-and-a-weird-little-1990-document-by-sam-hall-about-quentin-just-for-the-hell-of-it/

G.

A fan asked me a few days ago if there would ever be any more DS Festivals. I was trying to recall when the last one happened. I think it was 2016 but that's a really vague guess. I do remember a few years ago some fans were trying to get one to happen in NYC, and I think it had to be canceled because too few people signed up for pre-registration.

Never say Never but I doubt there will ever be another Festival.

G.

Belated Birthday blessings to El Misterioso!

cheers, GothEEEEK

I agree about the photos in the ORIGINAL edition of "My Scrapbook Memories." Miss Scott's writing talents have made a lot of progress since that time.

The photos of Thayer in the antique store are among my all-time faves.

G.

I think there may already be a thread for this, but it must be buried way down several screens away.

A few days ago Stuart Manning's newly compiled homage to our show, Daytime Gothic, arrived in the cobwebbed catacombs of Gothickwood. I could really pile on the superlatives in attempting to describe this gorgeous new tribute to our beloved Dark Shadows. To start with, it's absolutely stunning as a visual artifact, with numerous photos I have never seen before--and given how much DS material circulates online now, that's a major achievement in and of itself!

Somewhat surprisingly to myself, the most touching article thus far in my reading has been KLS's remembrance of the late Mitchell Ryan. It's one of the best things she's ever written, and provides a lovely glimpse of an actor and a human I have never really known much about.

Matthew Hall, Grayson's son, contributed a great memoir of his parents, illustrated again with some great photos, including a wonderful one of Sam and Grayson together later in life. There's also this fabulous shot of Matt with full-on Fu Manchu mustache taken with his Mom at one of her garden parties (I think).

Our own Penny Dreadful aka Danielle wrote a fascinating piece enumerating ten classic horror tales, some quite obscure, that could have been mined for future DS storylines. Mark B. Perry contributes yet another promotional piece describing some of his ideas for his proposed "Next Generation" series. A writer I don't know offered a long article about "Port Charles" and influences from DS. My dear friend Laramie Dean composed an exquisite tale, "Ode to Angeliques," featuring a new appearance by our favorite Witch, the insidious Cassandra Collins. Ansel Faraj is represented with something about B horror movies and DS which looks like a lot of fun. Nancy Barrett and Lara Parker share memories of working on the show that are really heartwarming to read. And there's more, so much more.

Link to purchase this book (it's described as a zine but is really a book):

https://tenacrefilms.bigcartel.com/product/daytime-gothic-celebrating-tv-s-supernatural-soap-opera-dark-shadows

cheers, Gothick

Celia has a good substantial role in this 1959 episode of the Michael Rennie-Jonathan Harris series, THE THIRD MAN, "How to buy a country":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vn6Nds_8q4

Gothick