DS - Appropriate for Children?

I don’t have children but if I did I would have no problem letting them watch “Dark Shadows” at any age (I let my dog watch - he's into the wolves  ).  Growing up I remember that my own mother never had a problem with my sister and I watching this show or really anything else for that matter.  The violence and sexually explicit issue never entered into what we watched back then because, for one thing, I don’t think things had gotten explicit enough for her to even notice yet (really showing my age eek!).  By the time she notice did we were old enough to make our own decisions.  

Now that I’ve seen every ep of DS – and some more than once – I can honestly say I find absolutely nothing offensive about this show.  I can vaguely remember the movement to stop the show back when. I also remember wondering what their problem was and doubting any of them had ever watched the show in their lives.  After all there are tons of things each and every one of us find offensive on various levels yet most of us simply opt to turn off whatever it is that is broadcasting it rather than attempt to annihilate it.  Several years ago I griped about a popular local radio program for being so crude.  Then one day they finally hit the last straw with me when they started making jokes about people starving in Ethiopia.  It was on that day that I realized I had control of the situation and I turned my radio off never to tune them in again.  These idiots of course continued to prosper and are now nationally syndicated – but to me they are non-entities.  Why the self-appointed pious wanted to whine about Dark Shadows of all things I don’t know.  As my grandfather used to say, they need to keep their own noses clean and let other people worry about theirs.  

I will say this too - as a follower of the Christian faith I do not find this show offensive or “dangerous” on a spiritual level either.  I am drawn to this show for many reasons that I’ve mentioned before – the big, mysterious sprawling mansion, the romance, and fascinating struggle between good and evil.  I do not consider any of those things bad or wrong any more than I feel guilty for reading Anne Rice, Stephen King or Dean Koontz.  I also don’t now or did I ever feel a burning desire to become a witch, vampire or even a corrupt member of the clergy (LOL).  Of course, it helps to be able to tell the difference between fact and fiction – which I think most kids are able to start doing about the time they learn to talk.  

That was wonderfully said CastleBee
i don't find myself outside baying at the moon(well most nights but i don't blame that on The Shadows)
i feel the same way! i found a radio talk show here very
rude too[angrb] and realized that i have the control to turn it off if you don't like Dark shadows turn it off! i turnFox News off all the time LOL![rollb]

jennifer

Well it depends on the kids. My neice Rachael *loves* horror movies, I believe she was eight at the time, my older sister Cassie took her to see Thir13en ghosts and she loved it! She comes with us whenever we go out visiting graveyards after dark looking for ghosts. (We do really, we've formed our own paranormal investigation society).

My younger neice Katelyn though does *not* like horror movies. I brought Dark Shadows over to my sister's house to watch it with her, it was the very beginning of the Quentin/Beth ghost storyline. Katelyn and Rachael watched it with us, and then Katelyn became afraid of the replica candlestick phone I own. She was afraid the ghosts were going to talk to her so she forbade me to use it in her presence. She's also *terrified* of skeletons. Good thing she wasn't with us two weeks ago when we found that open crypt....

When I was younger I tried to watch horror movies but was often too afraid of them. Sometime in my early teens though I became addicted to them and it's the genre of movie I watch the most.

I generally think parents know what their kids can handle and try to screen stuff in that manner.

~Arashi

My Mom was really into Dark Shadows in the 60's, and she let me and my brothers watch it. If Barnabas was on, my Mom was glued to the screen. He's still her fave. Our next door neighbors watched it, they had a son who was my age. We went to their house and watched it sometimes. A friend of mine who lived down the street who was younger than me used to come to our house and watch it. I still remember her talking about Quentin to this day. My daughter who is almost 6, watches it with me and my Mom. She doesn't watch it as much as I did though because it comes on when she's at school. She mostly watches the tapes when I put one on. It doesn't have any bad effects on her, she knows it's not real, and that Mommy will be going to a Dark Shadows Festival to see some of the stars again, and one of these years she will too. The only thing I remember that frightened me really bad when I was a child, was this movie called, "Earth Vs. The Fying Saucers". My brother dragged me out of bed late at night, our parents were asleep, and we watched part of this movie until it started scaring me to death. I remember these men in space suits, and at one point they pulled off their helmets and they all had ugly green and black faces. I guess they were martians. They were blowing up buildings and all these terrible things were happening. One guy raised his arm out and fire shot out of his arm and blew up a building, that's when I couldn't take anymore, I went back to bed and was scared to death.

I guess I'll add my two cents:  I started watching DS in June, '69 (I was 12) on the living room TV (which was color--the kids' TV room had a B&W).  Sometimes my younger sister also watched.  Mom was usually in the kitchen fixing dinner, 'cause Dad usually got home between 3:30 at 4:00--just as the show was starting--and we usually sat down at the table at 4:15.  (Eventually dinner was moved to 4:30 so I could join them at the table!)  My parents had no problems me watching DS--my Dad had previously introduced me to the old Universal horror films that were shown on Friday nights!!   Brian

My question is, do any of you mothers out there with young children (it seems there are a lot of you!) have any reservations about your children viewing DS?

Nope, no reservations at all.  I screen what my kids see, for example there are eps of Buffy I won't let my son watch, much to his dismay.  Sometimes when I tell them they can't see a certain movie they try the "but so-and-so's mom let him/her see it".... which of course is karma getting back at me, and it never worked when I was their age either.  (If I ever say, "If your friend jumped off the cliff, would you do it too?", then please just put me out of my misery right there and then.)

Anway, they don't react to what they see on the show much as I didn't when I was my son's age, but I was practically weaned on Universal and Hammer horror, and my kids are fairly immune to what's on DS too.  Adam's peeling face from his header off Widow's Hill did warrant an "ew" the other day, but I can't think of anything I'd consider too graphic for them to see, though my youngest is 9 and she can handle far more than a younger child.  But Sarah's death did bother her, so we talked about it before she watched it.

Sometimes my mom got home from work while DS was on and I used to beg her to watch it with my friend and me.  She still remembers my telling her there was a vampire and a witch and a werewolf (!), but her only reaction was to glance at it, say, "Oh, that's Joan Bennett," and walk away.  Years later she caught it in syndication and watched the entire thing through to the end.  Yes, that's probably the one and only time I will ever get away with saying "I told you so" to my mother!

My parents also had no objections to Dark Shadows.  My mother thought it was junk, much like Jennifers.  She watched her soaps for years.  It scares me what I remember from Search for Tomorrow and very early Days of Our Lives.  The only show my mother would not let us watch was "Lost in Space".  To this day I don't know why.  
I am careful about what my children watch. I don't let my younger children watch "Friends".  I banned it mainly because I feel it is a 9 0'clock show and not an 8'o'clock show.  The subject matter is not for kids.  Actually, they don't watch too much prime time T.V.  As for movies I tend to read the reviews and will sometimes view it first.  

My mother on the other hand showed my then  5 and 3 year old the movie Jumping Jack Flash.    Go Gram!   One night my husband put on Ruthless People and watched it with the kids.  He realized while watching that maybe this was not for them.  He loves that movie.

Birdie--tonight I guess we watch Harry Potter

Dear Brian,
I to got started on DS at a very young age. I really don't remember a whole lot about the stories but at the time it was pretty cool stuff. My parents were a little on the religous side and really didn't like me watching the show. but I can remember begging my folks for the DS board game. But after pleading for over a year I finally got one for christmas. They even played it with me a time or two. I still have that game packed away in my mothers attic with all it's pieces including the fangs just a little worse for wear. Any way I just joined this group today and still trying to learn my way around.  hope to get into some im's here if they got the site for it . Well I bent your ear long enough. Have a good day
                                                               
                                  Mike aka dblestack

Any way I just joined this group today and still trying to learn my way around.  hope to get into some im's here if they got the site for it . Well I bent your ear long enough. Have a good day
                                                               
                                  Mike aka dblestack

Thanks, Mike.  I'm so glad you joined us!

On any page where it says Hey, dblstack, you have _ messages, _ are new, click on the _ messages part to access your AIM page.  You can reply to that 1st message from me if you have any forum questions, or you're very welcome to post them on Testing 1,2,3, and I hope to see you again on the boards!

I started watching DS because of my mother, who was a big fan of Joan Bennett's.  She quickly lost interest, but I did not, as you can see!  LOL!  35 years later, I am still having a blast with it--and from the standpoint of an adult, not a teenager.

Once Mom saw my fanaticism toward DS, she used it as leverage to force me to be good--not that I was a bad kid, mind you, but I did have those teen hormones that sometimes rendered me bitchy.  I was careful to do as ordered with missing DS a possibility--and Mom never carried out her threat, thank God!

Love, Robin

Was it suitable for kids?  Probably not, but I was old enough to separate reality from fantasy.  Am I now?  I don't know!

My mother never seemed to be concerned about my watching DS....I was a teenager, after all, and better off laying on the living room floor with a girlfriend, staring at the TV, than "riding around in cars with boys"!  

My grandmothers, on the other hand, didn't approve.  They objected to the idea that people on the show were "dabbling in dangerous things with no respect".

They took the concept of a Strega (Italian for Witch) putting evil spells on people, or summoning the souls of the dead, very seriously.  My mother usually found some excuse to keep DS off whenever one or the other was visiting.

So I guess in my house, DS was appropriate for children, but not Grandmas!  

Raineypark  

My grandmothers, on the other hand, didn't approve.  They objected to the idea that people on the show were "dabbling in dangerous things with no respect".

Oh gawd, yeah, when you bring Italian Grandmas into the equation...!  Mine didn't even approve of pepper on food, LOL, so there was no way I was going to tell them that a show I watched every day after school had witches, warlocks, vampires and ghosts unless I wanted them calling in a priest.  And they both spent a lot of time at my house, so I'm sure its a good thing in this case that they spoke very little English.

Oh gawd, yeah, when you bring Italian Grandmas into the equation...!...there was no way I was going to tell them that a show I watched every day after school had witches, warlocks, vampires and ghosts unless I wanted them calling in a priest.

Well, Midnite,  my Grandmas might have lit a candle on the stove and prayed to the Blessed Mother over Dark Shadows....but a priest in the house?!!!  Somebody in the house had better have died if there was a priest in the house!!  

Raineypark

(If I ever say, "If your friend jumped off the cliff, would you do it too?", then please just put me out of my misery right there and then.)

Not on your life! (so to speak ) Beyond the personal loss, who would we ever find to moderate the forum as well as you do?

I'm sorry, but you'll just have to learn to live with a little embarrassment.

Not on your life! (so to speak ) Beyond the personal loss, who would we ever find to moderate the forum as well as you do?

I'm sorry, but you'll just have to learn to live with a little embarrassment.

Aw, that's really sweet!  But I have to say that it's very unsettling when other phrases of my mom's have come out of my mouth, eek!!

Aw, that's really sweet!  But I have to say that it's very unsettling when other phrases of my mom's have come out of my mouth, eek!!

Just wait 'till you hear yourself ask your daughter "you're planning to go out of the house dressed like THAT?!!!"

Just wait!!  

Raineypark