Great topic David. Of all the spooky things I've enjoyed in my life, Dark Shadows was always the one I loved best. When I was a youngster, my uncle introduced me to the show via grainy bootleg VHS tapes in the early/mid-80s and I became hooked. My mother was mildly concerned over my fascination with Dark Shadows, but she had been a fan in the 60s so she always relented and let me watch. DS was really the first terror-related "world" I got into, and it soon led to an interest in classic literature (both horror and non-horror), and classic horror films from Universal, Hammer & AIP which were also introduced to me by my uncle.
The characters and storylines of the DS universe sparked my imagination. I was sort of an outcast, and DS was a fascinating world to escape into. A half-hour in Collinsport was much more interesting than those long, boring days at school where the "popular" kids could be mean and rotten. On DS the outcasts were the cool ones. These beings, cursed with any number of horrible magical afflictions, were interesting and fun to watch. I think that must have appealed to me on some level.
As I continued to watch, I developed a strong interest in acting and writing. I have a ball playing villainous or fantastic roles, and I think that stems from the characters & performers I was always awed by on DS and in the classic terror films. As I grew into my late teens, "theatricality of the macabre" was the order of the day. My parents had a cow when a friend gave me a big black coffin he had built for a play. I decided to use it as a decoration in my bedroom (amidst loads of candles, and posters of Barnabas, Quentin, Angelique, Frankenstein's Monster, the Wolfman, Dracula, etc.) My folks sort of blamed Dark Shadows and horror films for my strange predilections, but they never got TOO worried because I was quite tongue in cheek about the way I dressed (quite spooktacular if I may say so) and about the way my room looked. I was never morbid in my disposition and outlook. I just had fun with visually celebrating the things that inspired me.
Nowadays, I no longer festoon my apartment with caskets (they're in the basement of course - j/k
) but I do have a pretty nifty set/attic which is littered with fake spider webs, candles and arcane tomes. Of course, there's a poster of "Cousin" Barnabas on the set as well. DS doesn't actively play a huge part in my life like it used to in my youth, but it has definitely left its mark (ahem) and I will always be a big fan of the show.
- Penny
