by Craig Hamrick
author, Barnabas & Company: the cast of the TV classic Dark Shadows

In the late '60s and early '70s, millions of school kids ran home every day to have the wits scared out of them by vampire Barnabas Collins and his rival, Angelique the witch, on the TV classic Dark Shadows. Lara Parker played Angelique on the show and in the MGM feature film Night of Dark Shadows (1971). In 1998, Lara wrote her first novel, Angelique's Descent, which chronicles the life of her evil alter ego. It is currently out of print, but the sequel, The Salem Branch, is available in bookstores and on websites like Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com

Although the TV series went off the air in1971, fans still watch it on DVD -- and they flock to Dark Shadows Festivals every year. They helped make Lara's book quite successful: It went through four printings, with more than 35,000 copies in print. It's currently out of print, and Lara is at work on her next book.

The Dark Shadows phenomenon began in 1966, when one of the most successful and unusual TV series ever to be broadcast debuted on ABC-TV. It only aired for 5 years, but Dark Shadows has remained alive in one form or another for over 30 years. It spawned two series of popular paperbacks, two comic book series, a newspaper comic strip, two feature films, and a revival TV series.

When the first episode of Dark Shadows aired June 27, 1966, nothing quite like it had come before. Set in the fictional seaside village of Collinsport, Maine, the moody, atmospheric series followed in the tradition of Gothic novels. Eventually it featured ghosts, witches and vampires as main characters, and it proved to be unlike any other soap opera.

The story line was simple at first. It began with Victoria Winters, a woman with a mysterious past, traveling to Collinsport to work for the Collins family as the governess for 9-year-old David. David's father, Roger Collins, also lived at Collinwood, the family mansion, as did Roger's sister, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard and her daughter, Carolyn.

Movie actress Joan Bennett headed the cast as Elizabeth, and Louis Edmonds portrayed Roger. Nancy Barrett was Carolyn, Alexandra Moltke played Victoria, and David Henesy was David. (Joan and Louis are pictured here on a bubble gum card.)

Early episodes revolved around a murderous secret from Roger's past and Victoria's investigation of her origins. These plots inspired dismal ratings. More viewers tuned in when ghosts began to haunt Collinwood, and later when David's wandering mother, Laura, returned for her son. Laura (portrayed by Diana Millay) just happened to be a supernatural creature of fire called a phoenix, and her plan to lure David to his death resulted in improved ratings. But, even with the new spark of interest, the show was nearing cancellation by the spring of 1967.

Because ghosts and a phoenix had nudged up ratings, Dan Curtis -- Dark Shadows' creator, director and executive producer -- gambled that a vampire might do even more. The Collins' undead ancestor, Barnabas Collins, escaped from his coffin and arrived at the front door of Collinwood on April 17, 1967. This more than improved the ratings. Barnabas, who was later joined by an array of monsters, catapulted the series to cult status. Played by Shakespearean actor Jonathan Frid, the vampire was originally slated to appear in only a few episodes before being staked, but after fan mail began pouring in, Frid became a permanent member of the cast.

In the years that followed, Barnabas and his loyal sidekick, Dr. Julia Hoffman, faced werewolves, ghosts and mad scientists. They traveled backward and forward in time and even entered another dimension, called Parallel Time. Julia was played by Oscar-nominated actress Grayson Hall.

The supernatural element of the Dark Shadows story line attracted an audience of almost 20 million avid fans, many of whom were teenagers or younger. Due to the age and buying habits of these viewers, the show spawned dozens of commercial products, including paperback novels, comic books, trading cards, board games and models. Loyal fans still collect the memorabilia, while some continue to create and purchase new items commemorating the show.

The show's first shift in time occurred a few months after Frid's arrival, to explain how Barnabas had become a vampire. Actors who had parts in the present-time episodes played their characters' ancestors in the past, and several new actors joined the cast, including Lara Parker as Angelique, the witch who cursed Barnabas with vampirism when he spurned her love.

That first flashback, to 1795, was a tale of obsession and unrequited love. Kathryn Leigh Scott, who played waitress Maggie Evans in present time, played the part of Josette DuPres, Barnabas' fiance. In the storyline, Angelique used black magic to steal Barnabas from Josette. Because of Angelique's sorcery, Barnabas found his thirst for blood, and Josette committed suicide.

Later, a werewolf played by David Selby joined the cast of villains. Kate Jackson, who later shot to stellar fame on the series Charlie's Angels, also made her TV debut on Dark Shadows.

As the plot wound through the centuries, colorful sets and costumes entranced viewers. And at a time when other soap operas dealt with simple domestic issues, Dark Shadows' characters faced curses and time travel rather than mortgage payments and unwed pregnancies.

To keep production costs low, the show was taped virtually non-stop, with the camera unblinking as actors struggled with their lines or accidentally destroyed the props. Stagehands occasionally wandered into view and tombstones had a habit of falling over, which added a humorous element to the otherwise frightening and serious show. (In one fan-favorite blooper, Lara, as Angelique, gleefully enters the drawing room at Collinwood -- and cries out how happy she is to finally see "Hollywood.") Because it was extremely expensive to edit videotape at that time, most mistakes were aired. The actors didn't really mind, since soap operas episodes were never seen more than once. No one could have guessed that not only would DS go into syndication, unlike any soap before it, but its episodes would eventually be released on home video, to be viewed over and over by fans.

Lara Parker thinks Dark Shadows became a ratings sensation and a cult phenomenon because it was unique. ''It was just a time in the history of show business when it worked,'' Lara says. ''In the 1960s there were a lot of people experimenting on various hallucinogens and mind-altering substances, and they were tripping out on Dark Shadows. And then there were kids who raced home from school to see it, and it was their show.''

Viewers included a broad cross section of housewives, college professors, school children, and celebrities. Even former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis a fan. The show influenced a generation of artists, including some of the biggest names of the late 20th century, such as horror writer Anne Rice, designer Todd Oldham, and even media mega-star Madonna.

''It was so silly and so scary and so unpredictable, and at the same time, you could not watch a show that you didn't see somebody make a mistake, so it was a howl,'' Lara says. ''And everybody that watched it either got scared, or they could be sensually or sexually aroused or they could giggle. It broke all the rules.''

The plots, while ground-breaking for daytime television, proved to be the show's undoing. After five years, fans were confused by the constant shifts in time, and ratings began to decline. The last episode of Dark Shadows aired Friday, April 2, 1971.

But, like many of the creatures featured on the program, Dark Shadows would not remain dead.

Dan Curtis directed House of Dark Shadows and Night of Dark Shadows, two feature films based on the series. Both took place in an "alternate universe," slightly different from the TV show, featuring members of the TV cast but telling a different story

Night of Dark Shadows was released in 1971, after the series had gone off the air. It starred David Selby, Kate Jackson, and Lara Parker. Lara played a menacing ghost named Angelique -- though she was not related to the character of the same name from the TV series.

In 1975, Barnabas Collins bared his fangs again, when Dark Shadows went into syndication, attracting an ever-growing legion of fans.

Then, in the 1990s, Dark Shadows truly lived again. Video tapes of the series were released, and an updated version with an all-new cast joined NBC's primetime schedule in 1991.

The revival's cast, which included none of the actors from the original show, was again headed by a movie star: Jean Simmons as Elizabeth. Barnabas was portrayed by Ben Cross, best-known for his performance in the Oscar-winning movie Chariots of Fire. Other cast members included Joanna Going as Victoria Winters, Roy Thinnes as Roger Collins, Barbara Steele as Julia Hoffman, and Lysette Anthony as the evil Angelique. Lara was considered for the role of Julia Hoffman, but producer Dan Curtis chose not to use any members of the original cast--to the extreme disappointment of loyal fans.

Early reviews for the updated Dark Shadows were good, however ratings were relatively low. Fans missed the endearing mistakes and that "live" feeling of the original series--and they missed the cast members who had created such a magical TV classic. In May, NBC announced that Dark Shadows would not be renewed, but once again, cancellation did not kill Dark Shadows. Months after the show left the air, several new collectibles were issued, including two wristwatches and an all-new comic book series. Later attempts at resurrected the series (again without the original cast) on television have failed. However Return to Collinwood, an audio adventure featuring original cast members (including Lara) was released on CD in 2003, and a new series of CDs will debut in the summer of 2006.

In the more than 30 years since Dark Shadows was cancelled, it has remained very much alive through the dedication of loyal fans. Over the years, they have produced even more collectible items than were officially licensed, and hundreds of fans meet at conventions each year. And as the Internet has grown, dozens of fans have shown their devotion by creating websites about the show.

Fan-produced mini-magazines, called fanzines, contain a mixture of fiction, reviews and interviews. One of the oldest is ShadowGram, the official Dark Shadows newsletter, edited by Marcy Robin, a Temple City, California, schoolteacher. Published three to six times each year, ShadowGram contains information obtained directly from the cast and crew of the series. Magazine and newspaper articles about Dark Shadows and its stars are also often reprinted. For more information about ShadowGram, email Marcy Robin at shadowgram@aol.com or send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to her at: P.O. Box 1766, Temple City, CA 91780.

Each year, thousands of fans attend Dark Shadows Festivals, usually held either in New York City, or near the west coast (Los Angeles, Las Vegas, etc.) For more information about the Dark Shadows Festivals, you can send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Dark Shadows Festival, P.O. Box 92, Maplewood, NJ 07040 or click here.

In 1998, Lara Parker exhibited a new talent, as an author. Her first novel, Angelique's Descent, launched a new series of paperbacks based on the show. The exciting book contains a previously untold history of the life of the magical Angelique.

"HarperCollins decided to try out a series of novels and asked me to write the first one," Lara says. "They thought the name of Angelique would help sell the book. I had written several screen plays in writing class but once again, just as Dark Shadows, the TV series was my first professional acting job, the Dark Shadows novel turned out to be first professional writing job."

Then in 2006, Tor Books released her terrific follow-up novel, Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch, set in the 1970s just after the TV show left the air, with extensive flashbacks to the Salem witch trials, where the Collins family first fell under a devastating curse. Featuring familiar, beloved characters like Julia Hoffman, David Collins, and Quentin Collins--plus a flying witch named Miranda--it's a must-read for DS fans.

Episodes of Dark Shadows are available on DVD. For more information about the show, visit Dark Shadows Online, and to purchase DVDs, go to the MPI Home Video site.

Craig Hamrick is a New York-based author and photographer. He has written about television and pop culture for a variety of magazines and websites, including articles in TV Guide, Soap Opera Weekly, FamilyPC, and Computer Shopper; and a monthly column about TV collectibles on America Online. His books include Reruns: The TV Trivia Party Game, The Dark Shadows Collectibles Book, and Big Lou, the biography of actor Louis Edmonds -- star of DS and All My Children. For more information, visit his website, www.craighamrick.com.