My favorite is Cassandra Collins. She always seemed to be on the verge of complete hysteria, which of course gave her spells extra zip.

Angelique always throws in those great one liners while she's revving up for the spell:  "Oh, you'll have him my dear--but not as you had intended!" She had the most complicated spells of any of them.  That card spell for the eye of ice and fire was a doozy.  Someone should do a compilation tape of all of Angelique's spells.  Of course there were several that backfired in a really nasty way ...

Nicholas was so deliciously DEBONAIR.  He brought a delightful charm and elegance to his spellcraft.  One of my favorite scenes was when he first went to the Old House and put Willie Loomis in his power.  They both played that so brilliantly.  Nicholas got so upset when Willie described Cassandra as a witch.

Magda is really in her own category, isn't she?  Her spells had a potency reminiscent of the pungent fumes of freshly ground pepper.  Both Magda and Angelique learned the real-life Craft fact:  A SPELL CAN NOT BE REVERSED.  Its effects can be nullified through the manifestation of new energy, but you can't simply reel it back in.  Just as you can never gather back water into a cup once it's spilled on the floor.  

Love Count Petofi.  His humor was so offbeat.  Even though he liked to paint himself as all-powerful, he never fully controlled his own powers, which made for some interesting twists in his storyline.

Then there's Evan Handley, possibly the show's most incompetent practitioner of the Black Arts.  You have to admit, though, that he did a great job with a spell I'll simply call "The Trask Commission" (for the benefit of those who haven't yet seen the show).

I found Gerard/Judah rather humdrum because his spells became so rote.  I think that was the fault of the writers, though, rather than James Storm's acting.

Natter, natter, natter ...

Steve

This may not make any sense to anyone other than me ... but I think that Vinny Loscalzo (who did the makeup until, roughly, the last year of the series) was sometimes going for "artistic" effects that related to the events of a specific episode.   So Barnabas when the action of the episode called for his "vampiric" nature to be to the fore, got the heavier, more theatrical makeup.

And Josette got extra heavy eyeshadow when grief for Jeremiah or longing for Barnabas had gotten the better of her.

I personally think this kind of thing can be effective.  I guess my powers of suspension of disbelief are higher than average, plus I have to admit that I love theatre and this is one of the more theatrical touches on DS.

16 magazine once ran an interview with Vinny Loscalzo, and he showed a photo of Barnabas that had makeup notes on it he had made, ostensibly for days when he was ill and somebody else needed to pile on the greasepaint.

I believe that Grayson somewhere or other mentioned that on some days those who did not have special makeups to wear did their own.  On days when the actresses have more "natural" use of makeup, it may reflect a day when the actresses were doing their own faces because Vinny was needed to do the werewolf, or an aging effect, or something else special.

Also, don't forget that it was the Sixties.  The eye makeup in 1795 and 1897 is often very 1960s!

I did think that some of the makeup was truly amazing.  Not just feats like resuscitated Josette or aging Cassandra, but more understated stuff like Old Stokes of 1995, or the ghost makeup that made dead Quentiin look incredibly different from the living breathing version.

Well, that's my "counterpoint" to the endless complaints y'all have to offer about the makeup!

Steve

For best male vampire, Tom Jennings gets my vote.  You know I loved that tongue.  I was interested to see an interview Jonathan Frid did for a Baltimore paper (yes, in your home town, Byron!) where he complained about the "almost pornographic" tongue-rolling by a certain actor (Mr. Frid was too gracious to name dear Don).  I personally felt the tongue action emphasized Tom's animality.

This brings up just how different various vampires have been on DS.  Some retained more of their personality than did others.

For best FEMALE vampire, I vote for Angelique.  I just loved watching her work her way through the male cast members.  I guess Lara Parker still recalls that period fondly as well, since she has shown some of those episodes to classrooms when she's worked as a substitute teacher.  (Incidentally, I think the Cassandra period rates as her least favorite--she bluntly told a friend of mine that she doesn't even remember playing Cassandra!  How on Earth could she have forgotten those wigs, and those clothes!  Especially the CLASSIC purple butterfly robe!  What a thing to be wearing while being exorcised!)

I think KLS and Terry Crawford deserve special awards for super-duper honorary vamps.  Both only appeared as members of the Undead in dreams or visions, but both ladies did a wonderful job chewing up the scenery with their "fang cameos"!  Another one who got a lot of bang for fang (oooh you saw that one coming didn't you) was dear Marsha Mason as Audrey the Leviathan Vampire Chick.

That's enough natter for one day.

Steve

A third film was planned and announced, I think in the Fall of '71, but it never got off the ground.

For more info on the movies, go here:

http://www.ultranet.com/~mfmiozza/

Here is a clipping Michael found about the casting of Denise Nickerson in the 3rd movie, tentatively titled "Death of Dark Shadows":

http://www.ultranet.com/~mfmiozza/dods.html

Darren Gross also has a website devoted to the DS movies, but I don't have the URL handy--check one of his columns here for it.

Best,

Steve

Hi Cassandra,

haven't mentioned yet how much I love your handle.  Cassandra is my favorite Lara Parker character on the show, and one of my all time favorite DS characters, period.  I love her clothes, her wigs, her look, the way she swings wildly between smug complacency and rampant hysteria. She's such fun.

The 'five point medallion" Magda and Beth used to protect themselves from the werewolf attack is called a Pentagram.  It is very ancient.  Members of an ancient Greek society called the Pythagoreans (after the philosopher Pythagoras) first used it.  The standard explanation is that the five points of the star represent the 4 elements harmoniously interacting with human beings to produce a dynamic balance in the Universe.  There are several esoteric explanations behind the use of the five pointed star by modern day Pagans and Witches.  Unfortunately, a lot of people think of Satanism when they see the Pentagram.  

Sorry for nattering on,

Steve

To Chris, re Joel Crothers,

Back in the archives of the old Board, someone had posted this very interesting magazine interview that was done with Joel in 1969.  In the interview he gave several reasons for why he had left Dark Shadows.  I honestly think it was a combination of things, plus maybe he wanted a little more money and he got that with his next job.  I'm not sure about that.  Anyhow, it is a very interesting interview; among other things, he discusses the scripts he wrote while he was on the show.  I think this interview may be the only print source where that is documented.

If you email the Mysterious Benefactor, he may be able to locate the old scan of that article.  He's a busy man and I can't guarantee that he will have the tiime to look, but, if anybody could find, he could!  Alas, I failed to keep a copy of the original post.  You could also post a topic to the Current Chat board headlined Joel Crothers Interview (or similar) and see if any of the fans currently registered might have a copy they could share.

FWIW, I do think the character of Joe got more interesting towards the end, until he turned totally loony-tunes, I mean.  Some of his scenes with KLS after Joe's breakup with Maggie were among the best work both of them did in the series, IMNSHO.

Best,

Steve

April 2, 1971.  A date... that will live ... in INFAMY!

I still remember being shattered by the loss of DS.  It was my secret garden and I HATED being locked out.  It was a big thrill, though, when they brought it back when I was a senior in High School.  I still remember being fascinated and bewildered by those 1967 episodes.  The night of Julia's debut I vividly recall being mesmerized just as much as Maggie was!

Steve

Welcome aboard, Allen!  What was your handle when you were on the Dominion?

I live for music, but am afraid I don't know Lynyrd Skynyrd.  I'm sure Ringo knows all about them, though, he seems VERY informed about all the current bands.

Interesting that you're from Balto.  I'm from Havre de Grace myself, although I have lived in Boston since 1994 (and lived in Connecticut before that--and overseas before THAT).  Havre de Grace is a bizarre little town.  One of the librarians I used to work with always called it Kooksville.  You could really imagine the kind of strangeness that used to take place in Collinsport happening there.  When I lived there, it was a mouldering old port on the Chesapeake Bay with such timeworn establishments as the Chat 'n' Chew Lounge, Tim's Bar, This 'n' That (from Here 'n' There), Shocket's Bargains, etc.  There was an "eccentric" doctor who lived in a Victorian mansion on Union Ave. and wound up being strangled by his chauffeur one stormy night.  I could go on, but you get the picture.  In recent years it's gotten a lot more touristy and pricey, which seems strange.  Perhaps one of these years a pack of manitoux will hit town and massacre everyone whose bloodline doesn't bear a certain "taint."  

Sorry, I've been reading too many creepy stories by a certain young gent of my acquaintance ... Didn't you say that you and your wife are Avengers fans, too?  Ever watch Strange Paradise?

Best,

Steve