Julia's fate in HODS

I apologize up front if this subject has already been addressed, but I didn't find it in my search.  Was anyone else left in utter disbelief at Julia's fate in HODS?  I kept waiting for her to reappear, that she was just unconscious.  I was shocked when the movie ended and STILL no Julia.  Weeks later, I bought the HODS paperback and scoured the pages for Julia's re-emergence, only to read the shocking words "Julia, all too plainly dead".  How could that be?  Your thoughts please, cousins? 

Countess (still waiting for Julia to regain consciousness...)

Countess -- since the people and stories in both Dark Shadows movies sprang from an alternate universe, all bets were off as to the fates of the characters. Julia in House is clearly a colder and more self-centered woman than in the show, her actions motivated by her personal stake in every situation, not by how they might affect others. Her idea of being in love with Barnabas seems to reflect Angelique's in the show -- more a possessive, jealous attachment than a giving, caring relationship. Julia's fate in House isn't a tragedy; more the just deserts of a vengeful act perpetrated when her feelings are hurt.

--M
http://home.triad.rr.com/smrainey

   She looked quite dead to me in HODS!  [spoiler]Barnabas strangled her to death.[/spoiler]  As Mark Rainey said, HODS is set in an alternate reality from the show.  Heck, even in the series, Barnabas was pretty close to killing Julia several times in 1967 before they really formed their friendship and [spoiler]then in 1840 when his spirit had not yet possessed his past self he was just about to kill her.[/spoiler]  Anyway, yeah, she definitely kicked the bucket in HODS.  Sorry.    But hey, she lived on in the tv series so chin up dear Countess!  

~Penny Dreadful~

The HODS story line conforms to Dan Curtis's original plans for the Barnabus character on DS. In one of the interviews on tape or DVD I got the distinct impression he was disappointed that after the 13 week cycle of the story he needed to keep the character around to preserve the ratings jump. Dan's vision of DS had always been to center the stories around Victoria Winters. The Barnabus character became the bigger draw for the series with VW being relegated to supporting character.

Barnabus's position on the show was even more prominent when Alexandra Moltke left the series about a year later. I think HODS was Dan's personal revenge on the character when he had a chance to do the movie. At long last he got to have a stack driven through the heart of his evil creation as he had originally intended.

I was pretty surprised when I viewed HoDS for the first time. I'm not sure what I was expecting.... I viewed HoDS before actually seeing her in the series, but I knew enough about her series role, so I guess that's why I was surprised.

I can't say I felt too sorry for her in the movie. I never thought about the Angelique connection (as Mark said), but that's certainly interesting, and true in a way. 

Ouch, Mark!  But you're right.  Julia was NOT a nice person in HODS.  Still, she was my Julia, and I was just a kid so I couldn't really assign any logic to the fact that DC killed my Julia.  Interesting point about Curtis wanting to kill off Barnabas as originally planned for the series.  How lucky for us that Barnabas caught on with the audience because, honestly, how long could we have been subjected to Vicki's mantra - "I don't understand!"?  Given the low ratings of DS before Barnabas' appearance, I doubt the show would have been around very much longer.  So next time I watch HODS and Julia's being throttled by old Barney, I'll keep repeating to myself -" bad Julia, alternate universe Julia"  and maybe I won't want to throw something at the tv.   Good info and interesting views, cousins.  Thanks!

Countess

At long last he got to have a stack driven through the heart of his evil creation as he had originally intended.

 Actually, an argument could be made that Barnabas was not really destroyed at the end of HODS.  If you watch past the end credits..

   [spoiler]... he turns into a bat and flies off!  I assume to finish off Jeff and Maggie!  They even play one of the DS 'cliffhanger' musical cues when he turns into the bat.[/spoiler]  Maybe Jeff Clark missed Barnabas' heart! 

 ~Penny Dreadful~

Yes, the movie was insane...they killed poor Julia which slightly angered me but they also killed most of the family/cast so Julia's death didn't anger me after that.


it is also true that we are left wondering in Barn is dead at the end.

Julia's major mistake was taking the time to pack her bags... had she merely left for places unknown... but nooooo, what other choice did Barnabas have after learning of Julia's betrayal.  "you betrayed me!" 

 
1970, Fairborn Theater, Fairborn, Ohio: seated in the front row on the day HODS opened: I can't say I even cared if Julia, Stokes, Willie, Liz, Roger. . .and on and one...were killed.  Ii was just thrilled to see my favorite show DARK SHADOWS on the "big screen."

I find some of the comments so interesting. . Julia was **bad** in the movie?? Hey .. she gave a shot of meds to a VAMPIRE!! And he had kinda mislead her .. okay so yeah, she went a little Angelique but **bad**?? come on!  Then again . . the missing scenes would've given her a little more sympathy--

Good point about the missing B/J scenes, Julia99.  We'll never know to what degree Barnabas might have led her on.  While I struggled with how DC could have killed off Julia, there was never any question in my pre-teen mind that Barnabas survived at the end of the movie by turning into a bat and flapping his way back to the DS studio in NYC.  Yeah, I know it makes no sense to be in denial of the former and crystal clear on the latter.  I claim the "twinkie defense" - too much sugar consumed during the movie must have addled my mind.   

Countess

[spoiler]... he turns into a bat and flies off!  I assume to finish off Jeff and Maggie!  They even play one of the DS 'cliffhanger' musical cues when he turns into the bat.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]Around the time HODS was made, bringing back Dracula was very popular particularly in the Hammer horror movies.  Usually, an unstaking did the trick since they weren't dusted or otherwise had their bodies poofed away.  This also allowed for a sequel in the off chance that Frid would reprise Barnabas.[/spoiler]

luv, victoriawinters

I must admit, that after the first thrill of seeing the characters on the big screen; I just didn't like the movie version. I didn't like what happened to any of the character's. The movie was closer to what DC wanted on the show, of course he wouldn't have killed off all of the family though. I much prefer the TV characters and the storylines presented  there.

I love the 1795 and 1897 storylines along with the present day storyline. Now if they wouldn't have had the Adam and Eve, the Leviathan, and the 1840 storylines, and if they would have had more for the rest of the characters to do; the show would have been even better than it was.

Misa

Whole lotta spoilers...

[spoiler]Around the time HODS was made, bringing back Dracula was very popular particularly in the Hammer horror movies.  Usually, an unstaking did the trick since they weren't dusted or otherwise had their bodies poofed away.  This also allowed for a sequel in the off chance that Frid would reprise Barnabas.[/spoiler]

It didn't seem to matter how Dracula was dispatched in the Hammer films-- he was brought back in a different way for each sequel, but I don't recall that it was ever accomplished by an unstaking.  If you haven't seen the Hammer Dracula series but plan to, please don't read this:

[spoiler]In Horror of Dracula, he disintegrated after being exposed to beams of light.  This immediately freed Mina from his control.  But in Dracula, Prince of Darkness, he was brought back very cleverly (I thought) by having a bleeding body drip over his remains.  His destruction at the movie's end occurred when he fell into frozen water.  Yet, in Dracula Has Risen From the Grave, the blood of a priest revived his frozen body.  His end came when he was impaled on a crucifix, and at the coaxing of a priest he vanished into the mist.  In Taste the Blood of Dracula, it was a ritual using a cloak, a ring, some red powder, and of course the requisite blood of a victim that revived him.  But he was eventually sealed in a Church and fell onto the altar.  We see him turn to dust, but in the sequel, Scars of Dracula, I can't remember if they even bothered to address how he came back.  He was set aflame by lightning and leapt off the castle roof to his destruction at its end.  [/spoiler]

This inspired the hilarious joke at the end of "Buffy vs. Dracula" in which [spoiler]she restakes him and quips, "You think I don't watch your movies.  You always come back."  When his mist starts to take shape again, she warns him, "I'm standing right here!"  [/spoiler]