i didn't get into DS until i was in my late twenties and my "coming out" process was already complete...

so the "man with a secret" subtext to the barnabas collins character and jonathan frid's performance were not part of my attraction to the series. in fact having watched it(on video)from episode one i was already hooked on the show before the character even made his first appearance.

still over time i've greatly come to appreciate mr.frid's performance more and more. watching the series from beginning-to-end was a project that helped me get through a very difficult period in my life. it was a great pleasure and frid was certainly a huge part of that. i'm very excited for the movie but in other ways i'm drifting away from the series. i rarely watch it these days. i don't need it in the way i once did. but it, and the characters we've all come to know and love, never leave you. they stay with you and become part of you. they become in a way "real".

with frid gone our "community" has again gotten a bit smaller. it was a real treat for us that in recent years he decided to rejoin it. i'll always recall casually greeting mr.frid in a hotel lobby as he headed onto the elevator and up to his room.

and thanks nancy for the great piece. it's nice to know his later years were for the most part productive and enjoyable.

perhaps barnabas and vicki go see 'love story' on their first date...

wouldn't that be sweet.

true...

i don't know why i'm talking sequels really. i think there's just been some vague suggestion of them that i've responded too.

considering how long it took this to get made it could be several years even if there is one.

not to mention the unthinkable that this one ends up being a bust.

as for the mausoleum it does look like barnabas has a stash of jewels hidden somewhere. but it doesn't appear to be a prominent location. certain key locations/elements/characters have been eliminated in the name of a two hour time frame. the old house. sarah collins. perhaps the mausoleum too.

to my surprise it was a lead story in the entertainment section of my AOL newsfeed.

and 'perezhilton' noted it as well.

yes the shot of julia spying barnabas and vicki first meeting is pretty choice...

she looks like she's already plotting.

and between the trailers and the film score titles and various other publicity releases and now the 'fangoria' article WAY too much spoilerish material has been leaked. especially for the film that's supposed to have an element of "mystery".

walking in i already know, or largely suspect, much of the film's content.

this is really overwhelming news.

i'm at a loss for what to say.

the thing to remember in terms of a sequel is that the general public doesn't know who the heck quentin is...

so any of the "clues" that would be obvious to "us"...gramophones, ringing telephones...would mean nothing to a general audience. so they would not make an effective "cliffhanger".

since most of the audience is coming to this as a new story in order to generate excitement and suspense for another film a "cliffhanger" would have to reference the film they had just seen.