Steineded
How sad is this?
Fairaher
The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.
Darin
One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
TheLittleSongbird
'Dark Shadows' is one of those shows that wholly deserves its popularity and its reputation as a classic. There are a few films based on it, and while they're all watchable in varying ways quality-wise they're mixed.By far the best of them is this, 'House of Dark Shadows'. To me also, it's the only film to be as good as the show, not quite on the same level but almost as good. Its only real problems are some characters not given enough screen time or development, especially Elizabeth and Maggie, and Joan Bennett being very underused as Elizabeth that she doesn't shine anywhere near as much as in the show.'House of Dark Shadows' however is visually an improvement over the show's production values, with the exception of a couple of goofs and bloopers which didn't hurt the film at all. The production and costume design are lavish and splendidly Gothic, and it's all photographed stunningly and boasts some surprisingly good special effects. The music is suitably moody, and evokes a real eeriness.The script has a good balance of the funny and the tense, and the story is never dull, is always fun and has some real nerve-shredding tension and bone-chilling shock. The highlight was the somewhat poetic ending, which is also a masterclass in sheer galvanising horror and incredible Gothic imagery. There is a good deal of gore, but it's used chillingly and is never overused or gratuitous. Dan Curtis directs beautifully and intelligently, never once undermining the tension, suspense or horror and doesn't make the mistakes of not having enough of either or over-crowding the film with them.Most of the characters are interesting, particularly Barnabas and Julia, and the wonderful chemistry between the actors in the show translates every bit as wonderfully here. The acting is uniformly good, with only Bennett not shining as much as she could have done due to being so underused. Jonathan Frid is terrifyingly magnetic, while Grayson Hall, Thayer David and Nancy Barrett are particularly strong in support.All in all, by far the best of the 'Dark Shadows' films and the only one to be as good as the show. 8/10 Bethany Cox
utgard14
Movie version of the Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows with better production values. It's a great-looking movie that makes effective use of location shooting. Dan Curtis, creator of the series as well as many other horror-related films and shows for television in the '70s, directs his first theatrical release here. I've always been a big admirer of Curtis, who did more for horror (and television in general) than he seems to get credit for. The plot for the film comes directly from the TV series. Essentially it retells the story of vampire Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid), the show's most popular character, and his quests for a cure and to be with his reincarnated love. I wouldn't call it a scary movie, though some of the outdoors scenes at night do carry a reasonable amount of spooky atmosphere and tension. Also, the old-age makeup used on a character at one point is well-done and creepy. Nice music, as well. Fans of the series will probably find more to like than most but I think there's a lot here to enjoy, even for those unfamiliar with Dark Shadows.
GL84
When a mysterious stranger arrives at a family castle in a secluded countryside acting as a boardinghouse for girls, the owners come to suspect something might be behind the man's appearance and race to stop his nefarious plans.A Gothic soap opera that's actually pretty decent, if not entirely flawed to some extent. The setting and situations play right into the grandiose Hammer stylings, with basements, crypts, coffins and such, allowing for some pretty chilling situations and scenes that come off rather well, from his attack on the headmaster and the little boy's encounter in the crypt, leaving this one with some rather fun times when it wants to be a horror film. The flaws come about when it's not being a horror film, namely the scenes with the family or their growing distrust of each other, the scenes of him mingling with the family during the dinner or the costume ball and his relationship with his turned servant-girl that make the human drama feel exactly like that, a drama that comes off far too much like a Soap Opera which are just boring and don't really go anywhere. There's also the fact that that the lead vampire is supposed to be sexually desirable but is anything but, and looks quite silly when as a vampire really stretches the film's credibility. Otherwise, this was a pretty good time.Today's Rating-Unrated/PG-13: Violence and Language.
lost-in-limbo
I usually see director Dan Curtis as economical, but in a plain sense (which sees him in a lot of made for TV features) and there's some of that evident in the traditional, but always sophisticated and eerie low-budget (it shows) tragic horror 'House of Dark Shadows'. However amongst the cramp and basic brushes, there's also a stylish guidance to some of the moody imagery (like the visually crisp finale that captures your imagination). The premise about vampirism is quite cookie-cutter involving an old aged vampire seeking his lost love and finding it in the appearance of a young lady that closely resembles his true love. However it does try to turn some conventions upside down, as for the fascinating spin involving a possible cure… but at its core the customary staples of afflicting romance and bloodlust (which is doesn't cop out on) create a certain offbeat charm. Will we ever tire of the sullen lovelorn vampire, with impulsively violent tendencies. No, not really. Sam Hall and Gordon Russell's material is interestingly penned (even with its blunt script); as it doesn't take long to break out the soapy drama and go on to let the explaining stream through as the dreamy story unfolds. This makes the opening if so feel a little creaky and muddled, but soon it shapes up for a tightly driven and crafty fable that achieves a few surprises. Although the cutaway editing falls on the abrupt side, making certain sequences lose some edge (namely those moments focusing on the violence, but still keeping intact its nasty side) and the camera-work can fall in the pattern of loosing focus with a certain blurry haze, but still managing to pull out some fluidly captured frames. Along the way are quickly placed jolts (on the editing's part), but also well drilled suspense and hysteria. The performances are mainly well-judged. Jonathan Frid bestows confidence, and a rigid quality as Barnabas Collins the century old vampire. He looks creepy under all of that heavy make-up in the latter scenes. Thayer David and Grayson Hall stand out in their roles too. The lovely Kathryn Leigh Scott brings the right sort of finesse and innocence to her part and Nancy Barrett makes great of her biting (literally that is) performance. Also Joan Bennett and Roger Davis fair up. Laid on thick is such a menacingly gloomy atmosphere made more so effective by the Gothic engraved art direction of interiors, shadowy locations of the secluded woods and not forgetting the stinging score arrangement that breathes quite heavy. No great shakes, but admirably poignant and uncanny minimum horror.
