''Night of Dark Shadows'' is a 1971

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

Dan Curtis Dan Curtis (born Daniel Mayer Cherkoss; August 12, 1927 – March 27, 2006) was an American director, writer, and producer of television and film, known among fans of horror films for his afternoon TV series ''Dark Shadows'' (1966–1971) and ...

. It is the sequel to ''

House of Dark Shadows A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

''. It centers on the story of

Quentin Collins Quentin Collins is the name of several characters featured in the 1966–1971 ABC cult TV Gothic horror-soap opera ''Dark Shadows''. Variations of the character have been played by actor David Selby. Quentin I The first Quentin Collins is ac ...

and his bride Tracy at the

Collinwood Mansion Collinwood Mansion is a fictional house featured in the Gothic horror soap opera ''Dark Shadows'' (1966–1971). Built in 1795 by Joshua Collins, Collinwood has been home to the Collins family and other sometimes unwelcome supernatural visitors ...

in Collinsport, Maine.

David Selby David Lynn Selby is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for playing Quentin Collins on the daytime soap ''Dark Shadows'' (1968–71) and Richard Channing on the prime-time soap ''Falcon Crest'' (1982–90). ...

Lara Parker Mary Lamar Rickey (born October 27, 1938), better known as Lara Parker, is an American television, stage, and film actress known for her role as Angelique on the ABC-TV serial ''Dark Shadows'' which aired from 1966 to 1971. Early life Parker ...

John Karlen John Karlen (born John Adam Karlewicz; May 28, 1933 – January 22, 2020) was an American character actor who played multiple roles on the ABC serial ''Dark Shadows'' on and off from 1967 to 1971. In 1971, Karlen starred as the male lead in ''Da ...

Kate Jackson Lucy Kate Jackson (born October 29, 1948) is an American actress and television producer, known for her television roles as Sabrina Duncan in the series '' Charlie's Angels'' (1976–1979) and Amanda King in the series ''Scarecrow and Mrs. Kin ...

Grayson Hall Grayson Hall (September 18, 1922 – August 7, 1985) was an American television, film, and stage actress. She was widely regarded for her avant-garde theatrical performances from the 1960s to the 1980s. Hall was nominated for an Academy ...

, and

Nancy Barrett Nancy Barrett (born October 5, 1941) is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Carolyn Stoddard (among other characters) in the 1960s gothic soap opera ''Dark Shadows''. Biography Barrett was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, ...

star. ''Night of Dark Shadows'' was not as successful as ''House of Dark Shadows. This film marked the feature film debut of David Selby and Kate Jackson.

Plot

Handsome young artist

arrives at his newly inherited estate of Collinwood with his beautiful wife Tracy. They meet the housekeeper Carlotta Drake and the caretaker Gerard Stiles. Quentin happens upon a 19th-century portrait of a blonde woman with captivating green eyes that seem to mesmerize him. Carlotta informs him that the woman is Angelique, who had lived there over 100 years earlier. The Collins' friends Alex and Claire Jenkins, who have co-written several successful horror novels, move into a cottage on the estate. Quentin soon begins to be troubled by startling visions and haunting dreams about one of his ancestors, Charles Collins, and his ancestor's mistress Angelique—who had been hanged as a witch in a past century. Carlotta eventually reveals to Quentin that she is the reincarnation of Sarah Castle, a little girl who had lived at Collinwood over 150 years ago, and that Quentin himself is the reincarnation of Charles Collins. Charles had had an affair with Angelique, wife of his brother Gabriel, resulting in her being hanged—and Charles being sealed alive in the family

crypt A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...

with Angelique's corpse. On a trip to New York, the Jenkinses discover a painting of Charles Collins, which bears an uncanny resemblance to Quentin. Convinced that their friends are in grave danger, the couple hurry home to Collinwood, where they are attacked by the ghost of Angelique. Meanwhile, Quentin has become possessed by the spirit of Charles Collins, and attempts to drown Tracy in a disused swimming pool on the estate. Alex and Claire arrive in time to revive her, but Quentin, having no memory of his actions, refuses to believe their wild tale. Carlotta and Gerard conspire to eliminate Quentin's loved ones. Quentin, seeing the scratches on his wrist where Tracy had tried to fend him off, realizes the truth of Alex's warning and rushes to rescue his friends. Gerard has managed to take Tracy prisoner (despite his having been shot in the face by Claire), and Quentin fights with him high atop a train trestle. As Gerard slashes Quentin's cheek with a knife, creating a gash in his left cheek that looks remarkably like the one Charles Collins had, Tracy rushes to try to save her husband. She strikes Gerard with a nearby plank, knocking him off Quentin and onto the edge of the trestle. He teeters on the edge for a moment, then plunges to his death after Tracy pushes him. The group rush back to Collinwood to confront Carlotta. As they arrive, she jumps from the top of the house when she sees the ghostly Angelique beckon her from below. In the end, the two couples prepare to leave Collinwood forever. Alex and Claire leave first, with Quentin and Tracy following. However, instead of driving away, Quentin returns to the house, saying he intends to retrieve some canvases. When he fails to come back, Tracy follows, only to find him now completely possessed by Charles Collins. Angelique enters the room, reborn in the flesh. The camera freezes on Tracy's face as she begins to scream, as Quentin and Angelique advance on her. A UPI news wire shown at the end reveals that Alex and Claire Jenkins have been killed in a car accident. Witnesses reported seeing a ghostly fog filling the car as it veered off the road.

Cast

and Charles Collins *

as Carlotta Drake *

as Alex Jenkins *

as Claire Jenkins *

as Angelique Collins *

as Tracy Collins *

James Storm James Allen Cox (born June 1, 1977) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name James Storm. He is best known for his time in Impact Wrestling. He started his career in 1997 and after working on several independent pr ...

as Gerard Stiles *

Diana Millay Diana Claire Millay (June 7, 1934 – January 8, 2021) was an American actress. She primarily worked in television, guest starring in nearly 100 prime time shows, and played continuing roles on two daytime soap operas, ''Dark Shadows'' and ''Th ...

as Laura Collins *

Christopher Pennock Christopher Pennock (June 7, 1943 – February 12, 2021) was an American actor. He began acting on stage after graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Pennock had been active for over 40 years starring on and off-Broadway theat ...

as Gabriel Collins *

Thayer David Thayer David (born David Thayer Hersey; March 4, 1927 – July 17, 1978) was an American film, stage, and television actor. He was best known for his work on the ABC serial ''Dark Shadows'' (1966–1971), and as the fight promoter Miles ...

as Reverend Strack * Monica Rich as Sarah Castle *

Clarice Blackburn Clarice Blackburn (February 26, 1921 – August 5, 1995) was an American actress best-known for playing three characters on the cult series ''Dark Shadows''. Early years Blackburn was born in San Francisco, California, but because her f ...

as Mrs. Castle

Production

After the success of ''House of Dark Shadows'' (the 1970 feature film version of Dan Curtis's gothic

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulations of the wealthy Collins family of Collinsport ...

''), MGM was ready to back a follow-up film in 1971. Curtis originally wanted to do a direct sequel and revive the

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

Barnabas Collins Barnabas Collins is a fictional character, a featured role in the ABC daytime serial ''Dark Shadows'', which aired from 1966 to 1971. Barnabas is a 175-year-old vampire in search of fresh blood and his lost love, Josette. The character, original ...

. Actor

Jonathan Frid Jonathan Frid (December 2, 1924 – April 14, 2012) was a Canadian actor, best known for his role as vampire Barnabas Collins on the gothic television soap opera ''Dark Shadows''. Biography Early life and career Frid was born of Scottish ...

, however, refused to play the role again for fear of being typecast. Realizing it would be a mistake to recast the popular character, Curtis worked with writer Sam Hall to concoct an all-new storyline. On March 29, 1971, filming began on ''Curse of Dark Shadows'', later retitled ''Night of Dark Shadows'' for its release. Without the headaches of producing the television series concurrently, the production crew was able to achieve a far more polished product than that of the previous year. In order to give the production some authenticity, spiritualist

Hans Holzer Hans Holzer (26 January 1920 – 26 April 2009) was an Austrian-American author and parapsychologist. He wrote more than 120 books on supernatural and occult subjects for the popular market as well as several plays, musicals, films, and doc ...

was employed as an advisor to the production, though his actual contribution to the finished product proved minimal. The story was very loosely based on the "parallel-time" sequence of the TV series and centered on the show's other popular male lead, Quentin Collins, played by David Selby. ''Night of Dark Shadows'' was shot in six weeks on a budget of $900,000 and released in 1971, after the show had left the air. It was not unsuccessful but was less successful than its predecessor. Hall's script, developed in conjunction with Curtis, was a wistful tale of gothic romance and supernatural reincarnation, bolstered by credible performances from David Selby, Kate Jackson, and Grayson Hall. When filming completed without major problems, Curtis set about editing the final film, which proved far denser and more complex than ''House of Dark Shadows.'' One reason often cited for the film's lack of performance is that MGM forced Curtis to cut over 35 minutes from his finished film, and gave him only 24 hours to do the job. Thus, the film went from approximately 129 minutes to about 94 minutes, which, according to some, caused the film to lose its coherence. Much of the excised footage was recovered in 1999, but was without sound. This material consists of 16 never-before-seen sequences, extending over a dozen existing scenes, reinstating the darker mood and restoring the original structure and continuity. Highlights of the discovery include flashback between the doomed lovers Charles and Angelique, two new scenes featuring menacing groundskeeper Gerard Stiles, several romantic interludes between Quentin and Tracy, a candlelit "

exorcism Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be ...

" sequence in the gallery (the film's original climax), and the "

hanging Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging i ...

" sequence, as well as several other scenes with intensity on par with an R-rated film.''The Dark Shadows Movie Book'': Producer/director Dan Curtis' original shooting scripts from ''

'' and ''Night of Dark Shadows'', edited by

Kathryn Leigh Scott Kathryn Leigh Scott (born Marlene Kringstad;Biography:Kathryn Leigh Scott". Retrieved on September 28, 2010 January 26, 1943) is an American television and film actress and writer who is best remembered for playing several roles on ''Dark Shadows ...

and Jim Pierson, Pomegranate Press Ltd., 1998,

Home media

''Night of Dark Shadows'' and ''

'' were released on VHS on September 1, 1998, and on DVD and Blu-ray on October 30, 2012 by

Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video ...

References

External links