So you want a remake?

[arashi]

By request, let's see how it turns out.

[arashi]

Technically I could answer I became a fan during the Sci Fi years because I had watched the 91 series as a kid and my Mom had told me about the original series.

[Amy Jennings Fan]

I became a fan during the series original run

[Gothick]

I feel indifferent at this point to the idea of a remake, although as a rule, I hate remakes.  I don't think it breaks down to those who were "original broadcast" fans (we used to use the term Ancient Blood, which I quite like) being anti and those of more recent vintage being pro.  The people I know who have been enthusiastic about the remakes come in various generations as to whether they were fans in the Sixties, started watching in 1970s or 1980s syndie, or first saw it on the Sci Fi channel in the 1990s.

I think one's reaction to the intrinsic notion of a remake has to do with a certain attitude towards culture in general.  I'm WAY too frazzled right now to articulate this, and in any event, it's not really germane to the topic of this thread.  I guess what I'm saying here is that I think you're going to find that people are all over the map in terms of Sixties fans/recent generation fans, and where they come down on remakes.

I still think the WB show's approach of having Barnabas be a very different character from the original portrayal worked much better than the DC 1990s version where they gave him a look and (attempted) feel that seemed patterned on the original.  It seems to me that the performances in the original, from the likes of Frid, Hall, Thayer David, et al., were so extremely idiosyncratic that you're dooming yourself to failure if you try to imitate--much better trying to take something from the original CONCEPT and making something aesthetically new from that.  Just my two drachmae.

G.

[BuzzH]

I still think the WB show's approach of having Barnabas be a very different character from the original portrayal worked much better than the DC 1990s version where they gave him a look and (attempted) feel that seemed patterned on the original.  It seems to me that the performances in the original, from the likes of Frid, Hall, Thayer David, et al., were so extremely idiosyncratic that you're dooming yourself to failure if you try to imitate--much better trying to take something from the original CONCEPT and making something aesthetically new from that.  Just my two drachmae.

I think you nailed it Gothick!  To me, the WB pilot was DIFFERENT enough, but had a similer feel, for me to like it.  With the 90's show, I was deriding it before the first commercial break as being a complete, and BAD, rehash of HODS!

[barnabasjr]

I am the one poor lone soul that became a fan thanks to the 91 revival. I became a MEGA fan during the Sci-Fi years but I don't think I'd have gotten into it so easily without having had the introduction that the 91 series gave me. I know there are people out there that despise the remake but I loved it and still do.

[David]

Today I picked up the season 1 box set of Supernatural,
a show I find quite creepy.
I couldn't help but think "what if" as I realized that I might have been getting the box set to DS if the WB pilot hadn't tanked.

In order for the original DS to continue thriving, a new series, or movies, are needed.
Otherwise it'll slowly fade away as the cast, and the fans, grow older.

Let's face it, a lot of love both the Universal & the Hammer horrors, so couldnt we embrace a new, well done, scary DS?

David

[Mary]

In order for the original DS to continue thriving, a new series, or movies, are needed.
Otherwise it'll slowly fade away as the cast, and the fans, grow older.

Let's face it, a lot of love both the Universal & the Hammer horrors, so couldnt we embrace a new, well done, scary DS?

I couldn't agree with you more, David!

I loved the original (watched it during the original run), loved the '91 version, loved the pilot (although loved each version in a different way), and I'm dying (or is it undying? ) to see a new version on the air now!

[Barnabas'sBride]

Today I picked up the season 1 box set of Supernatural,
a show I find quite creepy.
I couldn't help but think "what if" as I realized that I might have been getting the box set to DS if the WB pilot hadn't tanked.

I love Supernatural. Bought the dvd set the day it came out, and my friend and I are counting down the days until the premiere. You'd likely be picking up season two of the WB DS now. Season one would've probably been released last year. Hard to believe that if the show had gotten picked up this would be its third season.

Even though I have the '91 revival series on dvd, I'm not much of a fan (other than a fan of Joanna Going). Too much of the present time period was an HoDS rehash, and I didn't care for Cross as Barnabas.

I knew the original ran on sci-fi, but I didn't truly become a fan until the dvds were released.

[stefan]

I became a fan through SciFi and saw the Ben Cross version before the original. Saw a few Cross shows and lost interest but became hooked on the SciFi DS EVEN with all those darn commercials. I personally feel that no-one will be able to capture the charm of the original and feel a prolonged TV series is probably doomed to failure. You gotta be just perfect in forming the right balance of capturing the characters yet remaining fresh and interesting. SCIFI TV (except for the wonderful X-files) hasn't been all that high-quality of late. However, I think a motion picture NuDark Shadows if done correctly with imagination and sensitivity to the original, might work. Johnny Depp is da man here. He's really the only actor (outside of Alan Rickman whose probably too old now) to play the moody Barnabas and with the same intense charisma. Depp and Frid are also fearless actors who go out on a limb. Frid made Barnabas' pain real and Depp should do the same.

[JennieSim80]

I am the one poor lone soul that became a fan thanks to the 91 revival. I became a MEGA fan during the Sci-Fi years but I don't think I'd have gotten into it so easily without having had the introduction that the 91 series gave me. I know there are people out there that despise the remake but I loved it and still do.

Same here. 

[Cassandra Blair]

Although my vote indicates I became a fan because of the '91 revival, my fandom is fairly ambiguous.  I was very young when the original series aired (about 7 or 8 when it ended), but watched it on the sneak a few times and was rewarded with having the sh*t scared out of me!    Perhaps this early viewing helped inform my lifelong love of gothic horror.

Anyway, I can't remember if I discovered the MPI videos of Dark Shadows before or after I watched the 1990 made-for-television movie that kicked off the revival series.  Even though I watched all of the revival, and it helped give me the basic story, it was the original series that really got to me - there was just something so unique and wonderful about it.  My roomie at the time was captivated too - we watched all the videos (10 to 15) the rental place had.  Somehow or other we never figured out we could purchase tapes of the show direct from MPI.

I didn't see Dark Shadows again until '99 during the Sci-Fi run - this is when I really got hooked, made my own tapes, starting buying dvds when they became available.  Now DS is one of my hobbies, I guess.  

I would LOVE to see a remake, but it would have to be something different.  1991 was already a rehash, and though it was well cast (for the most part), and had good production values (again, for the most part), something was missing.  That something, IMO, was originality.  I would love to see a new take on the story - keep it Gothic, keep it the story of the core Collins family, but show me a different approach!

[Willie]

I first saw the show on the Sci-Fi Channel, I'd never even heard of it before then.  I'm also indifferent to a remake, if they wanna do it...whatever.

[BuzzH]

I was very young when the original series aired (about 7 or 8 when it ended), but watched it on the sneak a few times and was rewarded with having the sh*t scared out of me!    Perhaps this early viewing helped inform my lifelong love of gothic horror.

Sounds like you and I are not only the same age Cassandra, but have much in common!  Like you I was like 3 when I was watching the show (my brothers were older and I watched w/them).  Because it apparently scared the crap outta me too, my mother forbid me from watching and would unplug the TV (I hadn't figured out that you needed electricity to have the TV work yet) and proceed to drag me kicking and screaming from the room.  My brothers were forbidden too but would craftily go to their friend's houses and watch after school.  I was totally obsessed w/Barnabas and although I have NO MEMORY of this, my mother ASSURES me that when I'd meet ppl, like at the grocery store or wherever, and they'd ask me my name I'd tell them "Barnabas Collins"!   

There are only two scenes from back in those days that I remember vividly.  One was in 1968 when [spoiler]Barnabas and Julia go to the masoleum to let Chris out in the morning and discover that he is still a werewolf.  In my memory, they open the door and he quickly spins around to reveal he hasn't transformed back.  In reality he slowly turned around, but in my 4-year-old mind he spun quickly.[/spoiler]The other scene I remember was in 1897 when [spoiler]Charity aka Pansy stakes the doppleganger of Barnabas in his coffin in the cave.  Again, in my 4-year-old memory there were BUCKETS of blood involved rather than the very minimal TRICKLE of blood down his chin, LOL![/spoiler]

Anyway, I eventually forgot about the show and then one evening when I was in junior high, 7th or 8th grade, I was doing homework in my room and flipping through the channels on the TV (why my parents allowed me to have a TV in my room back then I'm still trying to figure out, LOL!) and came across a strange, B&W show w/a tall, dark, caped figure w/crazy spider-legs on his forhead.  I sat there watching it, having a glimmer of recognition but it wasn't quite clicking.  Then about 10 or 15 minutes into it I suddenly remembered--that guy was BARNABAS!  Well, needless to say homework was abandoned and I watched the whole ep, they may have even had another one after that.

Then I guess it was pulled from Channel 20 but I never forgot again about DS.  Then they syndicated it again, this time on Channel 47 out of Salisbury Maryland when I was a senior in high school ('82/'83) and I again watched, sometimes getting up in the middle of the night as they kept switching the time.  In 1990 I learned that they were not only going to revive the series on NBC but release the original on VHS.  Well, I was in college at that time and couldn't afford to buy it, but did rent it from the local video store.  Now of course I have all but Boxset 26, which comes out later this month, on DVD.  I have the pre-Barnabas eps from Sci-Fi.

As I've said before already I would love a remake, if it moved FORWARD instead of retelling the story as we already know it.  John Wells and the WB were on the right track, too bad it didn't get picked up.     And even though I'm not personally interested in getting the audio dramas, I'm glad they exist because ANYTHING that keeps DS alive is okay by me!   [/color][/size]

[Sunny_Collins]

Boy, I am really torn between wanting a remake, and wanting to keep the original in my mind that represents DS to me. I was introduced to Dark Shadows when it aired on the Sci-fi channel and instantly loved it!

I've never seen the 91 series, or the 2004 pilot, so I can't give an opinion on them.

I was always afraid to watch these new approaches, thinking it might forever change my viewing pleasure of the original show.

I'm used to characters of the original series behaving in a certain manner. What if they turned some characters in to something completely different?

I'm not sure I could get used to that idea.

I'm all for anything that will keep DS alive and going, but am rather reluctant to encourage a remake in the fear that it would completely transform the show in to something so alien that it might not be enjoyable. My way of thinking is, if it's not broke, don't fix it.

I know the original DS could have been improved, and I'm not saying a remake, if well done and thought out wouldn't be good, I suppose I'm just rather fond of the original.

I'm not really explaining this clearly so I'd better just leave it at that. LOL!