Halloween poll: Dark Shadows scariest moments

[TNickey2003]

My most sizeable poll thus far!, and even at that only a feeble attempt to recollect Dark Shadows' scary moments. DS, by its nature, had a great many moments that could be classified as scary. I gathered up a good handful of moments from the 1967-1969 storylines, and a few from the 1897 storylines. The thought of having to remember more from the Leviathan, PT 1970, and other storylines was too daunting, so I stopped after throwing in a few from 1995, 1970, and 1840.  So feel free to throw in any and all other scary moments you remember!  I'll probably think of some more I wish I had included in this poll.

This is supposed to be a Halloween poll, but a bit too extensive to run just through Halloween.

[IluvBarnabas]

Those are all great moments but from the list the one that gave me the chills most was when poor Joe had that terribly frightening nightmare where [spoiler]he's trapped by his monster cousins, vampire Tom and werewolf Chris!

I still get the shivers when Joe finds out from his cousin that he's not Chris but the undead Tom![/spoiler]

That dream really was scary, it would be enough to push anyone over the edge!

[BuzzH]

Can't cast a vote 'cause nothing scares me about DS (unless you count some of the flimsey scenery!   )

[David]

I'm surprised that Barnabas' first night in 1795
or more from the truly scary 1995
were not included!

But I do agree with a lot of the posted choices.
DS did have some truly scary moments.
(except the Dream Curse, those dreams always make me laugh)

David
 

[barnabasjr]

I usually watch DS at night, in bed, and I recently viewed the scene where Adam laughed while looking through the Old House window at Barnabas discovering the unconscious Joe....totally gave me the creeps.

[Brandon Collins]

I voted for Josette's disfigured face, and Judah opening his eyes when Flora flees. While DS never scared me, if I watched it when I was a child and didn't know any better, these two moments probably would have scared me the most.

In an interview on Set 16 of the DVDs, Nancy Barrett says that she never understood why people thought that the show was so scary, because whenever she did get a chance to watch it, it wasn't that scary. She says that one day she happened to catch the Judah episode mentioned, and that it gave her the creeps even as an adult! "No wonder mother's wouldn't let their children watch our show!" she exclaimed.

That would scared the ba-Jesus outta me when I was little. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately) no horror movie or TV show has really AHHH SCARED me since I watched Halloween when I was like 6 years old. I had nightmares for weeks! But man did t build up my tolerance!

[rainingwolf]

Barnabas reaching up to Willie from the coffin gave me chills the first time I saw it in the '60's--and it still does. I think it is THE moment which defined the beginning of the DS gothic spookiness. Not showing B's whole body, but just the hand was brilliant--it's always scarier to let your mind fill in the blanks than to be blatant, IMHO.

[retzev]

Carig Slocum as Harry Johnson

[Josette]

I chose two of them.  Most of the items were exciting, but I wouldn't say I found anything actually scary.  However, Barnabas originally grabbing Willie's neck is a very startling and significant moment.  And Gerard's dirty looks when we first see him in 1995 - he always seemed really ominous and there seemed to be an overwhelming feeling of fear over that whole storyline.  The first couple of times we see Gerard, in particular, were quite horrifying.

[Nancy]

Carig Slocum as Harry Johnson

 

[BuzzH]

Can't cast a vote 'cause nothing scares me about DS (unless you count some of the flimsey scenery!) 

Okay, I'll amend mine and say that there WERE two scenes I watched as a little kid (when I was 4) that scared me.  One was when [spoiler]Barnabas and Julia go to the masoleum to let Chris out at dawn and he's still a werewolf!  Him turning around and revealing he hasn't transformed and Julia putting her hand up to her mouth while Barnabas grabs her and pulls her back out of the secret room gave me nightmares for a while.[/spoiler]

The other was when [spoiler]Pansity stakes 'Barnabas' in 1897.  As a 4 year old, it seemed more graphic and bloody than it actually was.[/spoiler]

And HODS scared the living crap outta me when I went w/my brother to see it in theaters.  But then, I was only 5!!

[stefan]

I'm another who doesn't think DS is that scary. Gothic and sad, but not scary. But, if there were some genuinely scary moments I'd have to go with early Maggie Evans being taken over mentally, physically and emotionally from the vampire. Kinda scary when she woke up all foggy and tierd and couldn't go to work, her perplexed father hoving around trying to figure out what was happening. Barnabas was even scary then because he was so darn unpredictable and eerily charming.

[BuzzH]

Kinda scary when she woke up all foggy and tierd and couldn't go to work, her perplexed father hoving around trying to figure out what was happening.

I'm surprised Sam didn't recognize the obvious symptoms of a hang-over, LOL!  

[Phil]

Probably the ep I just saw - when Barnabas first rises, and strangles Angelique.  Parker, falling, SLAMS her head on the floor and lolls back, eyes wide open. My estimation of her as an actress instantly went up a couple notches. I mean, it looked like it really hurt, and she sold the gag.

[CastleBee]

Under the "other" heading I would add...

Josette's ghost coming out of the portrait in the Old House in the intro to Barnabas eps - brought to you in good old creepy B&W.

and

The realization that the old telephone Quentin was making calls to David and Amy on wasn't connected to anything. That will forever freak me out! Eeeek!