DS DVD News: '50th Anniversary Collector's Edition'

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Actually, it's a reissue of the latest compilation DVDs in one package. However, it's being listed at $19.98, which is much less than they cost separately. And Amazon even currently has it for only $11.60.

Check out:

Dark Shadows - '50th Anniversary Collector's Edition' DVDs Announced by MPI

[michael c]

a "collector's edition" of random, out of context scenes and episodes is a rather odd concept. even by MPI standards.

i really don't get the market for this? 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

The thinking seems to be that this collection is 'for new fans who want to check out the high points of the show's (very long!) run, or for older fans who want to have readily-available highlights at a low cost,' or for fans who might 'buy it as a gift for friends who ask you, "what's this show all about?"' But who knows? As some sort of a 50th Anniversary celebratory memento, it does seem rather lame to reissue already existing material...    But I suppose for any fan who decided against buying the original releases because they figured they didn't really need them, the reduced pricing and the gathering of everything into one set might be an incentive to buy it. But how many fans is that likely to be? 

[Uncle Roger]

Is this the 2016 equivalent of the $5.00 vhs tapes that used to show up in Kmart and Wal-Mart for impulse buyers who might not be willing to invest in a more expensive collection?

[Mysterious Benefactor]

There's probably that, too.

I have to confess that I bought a lot of the early VHS compilation tapes (Best of DS 1 & 2, Best of Barnabas, Scariest Moments, and especially the 1840 Flashback) - but that was because 1) they contained material that hadn't been seen since it was originally broadcast, 2) with only 20 eps coming out monthly on VHS, it was still going to be years before that material came out on the regular VHS releases, and 3) there was really no guarantee that MPI was even going to continue to issue VHS releases long enough for that material to actually come out. The notion of all of DS coming out on VHS was certainly a dream we all hoped for, but it was far from a certainty, especially considering how impossible it seemed to be to get the fifth year of the show out in syndication - and releasing the pre-Barn era seemed even more impossible. Thank heavens everything did actually come out! But that's just the thing - now that everything is out, unless you're a completist, the compilation DVDs often seem superfluous to the average fan, so I can't imagine that they sell anywhere near as well as the VHS compilations once did. And so this new DVD collection probably will be bought mostly by impulse buyers who might not be willing to invest in a more expensive collection, in which case, calling it a "Collector's Edition" would seem to come across as a misnomer...

[Uncle Roger]

Yeah, the scattered clips seen way out of context were sort of the That's Entertainment of Dark Shadows. The 1840 episodes were a huge deal when they were released.

[michael c]

one can also imagine MPI pressed out these "best of" compilations in the millions. once the "editing" was done cranking out the DVDs likely cost pennies a piece...

so simply repackaging a product they already had is a cheap way to remarket and and make a few more dollars. still promoting it as a "50th anniversary collectors' edition" is pretty weak...


that said on some boards i've already seen fans clamoring for it. so "completists" are always on the hunt for new goodies.

[michael c]

to this day one can still spot the old "best of" VHS in thrift and junk stores.

[The Doctor and K9]

I agree it's a pretty lame celebration of the 50th anniversary, BUT for someone who doesn't have it already, the 1795 condensed storyline disk alone is worth the 12 bucks or so Amazon is charging. It's not perfect, but the story is boiled down to about 4 hours or so. The same is done for the "Turn of the Screw" ghost story featuring Quentin. That one ends on a cliffhanger though. That's about the best I can say about this collection.

[Uncle Roger]

that said on some boards i've already seen fans clamoring for it. so "completists" are always on the hunt for new goodies.

PT Barnum would be in his element

[Mysterious Benefactor]

BUT for someone who doesn't have it already, the 1795 condensed storyline disk alone is worth the 12 bucks or so Amazon is charging. It's not perfect, but the story is boiled down to about 4 hours or so. The same is done for the "Turn of the Screw" ghost story featuring Quentin.

And it's a better price on Amazon than buying both The Vampire Curse and The Haunting of Collinwood because Amazon has them for $6.39 and $10.99, respectively.

[Patti Feinberg]

A couple of years ago, I bought a 'Fan Favorite' which I believe have 10 eps.

Does anyone know if the eps I bought will be on the DVD, which I just put my order in?

Thanks,

Patti

[The Doctor and K9]

A couple of years ago, I bought a 'Fan Favorite' which I believe have 10 eps.

Does anyone know if the eps I bought will be on the DVD, which I just put my order in?

Based upon past experience with the other re-releases, I would predict that the Fan Favorites DVD will be identical to the version put out a while back, except for the packaging. We saw many of the VHS special tapes included in the final DVD volume. When the coffin set came out, if my memory is correct, there were no added video features and nothing was edited.

[Gothick]

Hi Patti I think the new set has other stuff on it.  There are the 1795 DVD edit and the Quentin 1968-69 DVD edit.  The blurb on the new set should tell you exactly what it contains.  I don't recall the Fan Fave Rave disc being included but I haven't been paying attention.

G.

[Gothick]

OK the box cover mentions "Fan Favorites", "Best of Barn," "Best of Ange", the Vampire Curse and the Haunting of Crawlinwood as the contents.  You only have the fan faves so the rest should be new stuff.

G.