Complete Original Series April 10 on DVD

[Gothick]

Interesting. I wish at least one of the episodes could have been pre-Barnabas.  I would have chosen episode 1, and a Laura Collins episode, perhaps Laura at the diner recounting the "Phoenix soliloquy" or Laura having a showdown with Liz (which would have been good since the selections don't seem to bother to show off Joan Bennett very much).

As one of my friends is fond of saying, C'est la poo-poo.

G.

[tragic bat]

I'm surprised they actually devote 2/9 of the episodes to the dismal 'zombie Quentin' storyline.  I've never seen that listed as a 'fan favorite' here at all.  I agree that the first episode and one of Laura would have been nice. 

[Gothick]

Bat, I totally agree about that silly Zombie Quentin storyline, although I do love the scene where Barn is reading Jeremiah's diary to Magda and Sandor in the basement of the Old House.  And Thayer's work with Sandor's lines in that scene actually brings an edge of pathos to an otherwise rather absurd staging.

Maybe they looked at episodes that had been immortalized in the bubble-gum cards and Viewmaster reels to choose the "fan favorites"?

How cool would it have been if there had been an actual poll where fans could have first established a shortlist of favorites, then voted on the 9 episodes to be chosen.  A missed opportunity for MPI.

G.

[PennyDreadful]

I was about to say the same thing Gothick.  They should have let the fans vote on which episodes to include.

[Lydia]

The Zombie Quentin storyline may not be an actual fan favorite, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it the last time I watched it.

My real problem with these "favorites" is that in general, what makes the best scenes so good is the lead-up to them.  I think the end of episode 445 is probably the most powerful in the whole series, but what makes it powerful is the 80 episodes building up to it.

[Nicky]

And because I still feel the same tug that I did when I saw the MPI compilations of yore, I will probably buy them, just as I did the silly Vampire Curse DVD they put out a few years ago.  Just as I'll buy the new versions of Angelique's Descent and The Salem Branch ... and the first Dynamite comic compilation ...

It's Angelique's newest threat:  the Merchandising Curse!

[jimbo]

OT From MPI's new catalog flyer previously referred to by cousin Ronny G, I noticed on the back that MPI is selling DARK SHADOWS Official Crew Jackets for $59.98. "Stay warm this winter with the first-ever authorized Dark Shadows crew jacket. Fully insulated with zipper front and pockets. DARK SHADOWS logo appears on left chest. Available in black, smokey gray, and maroon as indicated." Black: Large; Gray: Small, Medium, Extra Large; Maroon: Medium
Not sure why the sizes are so limited and why MPI is not selling any jacket over a size XL. The image on the catalog is about an inch in size. I am surprised the jackets are not available at its website as of yesterday.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I also wish something from the pre-Barn era would have been included on the Favorites DVD. And any one of the suggested eps would have been perfect. But who knows - if the DVD does well enough, maybe there might be a Favorites 2 DVD - and maybe something from pre-Barn might get some respect on it.

One can hope...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I am surprised the jackets are not available at its website as of yesterday.

That is strange. And what also seems strange is that there's no mention at all in the catalog about the DS - Fan Favorites or the DS - The Best of Barnabas DVDs. In the past MPI always mentioned when DVDs like that were released. I'd say that maybe they think fans receiving the catalog probably already own all the eps on the new DVDs and might not be interested in them - but the catalog does feature the sale on DS: The Curse of the Vampire and DS: The Haunting of Collinwood, so who knows...

[jimbo]

Sorry MB i missed your post. The jackets are still not listed at its website. I don't understand the reason why MPI doesn't tell us the size of limited edition of the complete series. It wants us to pay their price of $500 not knowing how limited it is. MPI in the past has taken liberties with it classifying something as a limited edition and then making it unlimited. http://www.mpihomevideo.com/Store/Detail.asp?ProdID=10933

Your other question was answered somewhere else here? If not here is the link.  http://darkshadowsnews.blogspot.com/2012/02/dark-shadows-greatest-episodes-dvds_13.html

[joe integlia]

since ds was shot on standard def video and not film, they cant make it hi def so blu ray would offer no improvement in picture quality.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

It's interesting to see that Amazon is pushing the three new DS collections (though I'm not quite sure why they're considering them Science-Fiction). This morning I received the following e-mail from them with the subject "Dark Shadows: The Complete Original Series":

Are you looking for something in our Science-Fiction Movies & TV department? If so,
you might be interested in these items.

 * Dark Shadows: The Complete Original Series
 * Hugo
 * Dark Shadows: Best of Barnabas
 * Dark Shadows: Fan Favorites
 * Star Trek: The Next Generation - Next Level [Blu-ray]
 * Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season
 * The Thing (2011)
 * Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Series

. . .

Dark Shadows: The Complete Original Series
DVD ~ Jonathan Frid
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006Z7Z3KY/ref=pe_vfe_td1

List Price: $599.98
Price: $419.99
You Save: $179.99 (30%)

 . . .

Hugo
DVD ~ Chloe Moretz
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003Y5H5H4/ref=pe_vfe_td2

List Price: $29.99
Price: $15.49
You Save: $14.50 (48%)

 . . .

Dark Shadows: Best of Barnabas
DVD ~ Jonathan Frid
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006Z7Z3PO/ref=pe_vfe_td3

List Price: $14.98
Price: $13.49
You Save: $1.49 (10%)

 . . .

Dark Shadows: Fan Favorites
DVD ~ Jonathan Frid
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006Z7Z3ZO/ref=pe_vfe_td4

List Price: $14.98
Price: $13.49
You Save: $1.49 (10%)

 . . .

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Next Level [Blu-ray]
DVD ~ Star Trek
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0064NLQYG/ref=pe_vfe_td5

List Price: $22.99
Price: $14.99
You Save: $8.00 (35%)

 . . .

Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season
DVD ~ Harry Lloyd
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002IFT1ZA/ref=pe_vfe_td6

List Price: $59.99
Price: $34.99
You Save: $25.00 (42%)

 . . .

The Thing (2011)
DVD ~ Mary Elizabeth Winstead
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0067QPVJ6/ref=pe_vfe_td7

List Price: $29.98
Price: $18.99
You Save: $10.99 (37%)

 . . .

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Series
DVD ~ Sarah Michelle Gellar
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0046XG48O/ref=pe_vfe_td8

List Price: $199.98
Price: $99.99
You Save: $99.99 (50%)

 . . .

See even more similar items:
http://www.amazon.com/sim/B006Z7Z3KY/2/:

(It's also interesting that Chloe Moretz is listed for Hugo.)

[Ronny G]

So I noticed this on Amazon the other day ... all the sets are being "released on April 3, 2012" ... no images, but all are $39.98 and say they star Jonathan Frid and Grayson Hall.

Amazon has dropped the price on these to $26.99, but walmart has them up for pre-order, too. Lowest price I've seen for these new sets: $24.96 (38% off list price)
I'm pretty sure it will be the exact same content and number of discs as the former sets, just slimmer cases and new artwork.

They're not showing the new artwork, but they do give the specifications:
Product in Inches (L x W x H): 5.5 x 0.5 x 7.44
So according to them, it will be 1/2" thick.

They also give a description of the product and the special features.

Sounds the same as the previous release.

Here's the link:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/19862618

[B.Collins]

i've got a question about the show, going off topic a bit. sorry about that. according to' "Dark Shadows Journal" they are putting the show in a different case? or something? MPI is, i really didn't see any info other than the current boxes we have now are going out of print.

so what's this about? i'd love it if someone can please help a guy out.

[Ronny G]

Old cases are going out of print--new cases are coming in April.
MPI hasn't made an official announcement that the series is being re-packaged in new slimmer cases, but the new volumes are already up for preorder at places like Amazon, walmart, etc. They are going to be released in April. Right now, MPI is clearing out the old stock and marking prices down. No pictures of the new sets yet.
Hope that answers your question.