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TV Milestones
Dark Shadows
While supernatural events have become fairly commonplace on daytime television in recent decades, Dark Shadows, which aired on ABC between 1966 and 1971, pioneered this format when it blended the vampires, werewolves, warlocks, and witches of fictional Collinsport, Maine, with standard soap opera fare like alcoholism, jealousy, and tangled love. In this volume, author Harry M. Benshoff examines Dark Shadows, both during its initial run and as an enduring cult phenomenon, to prove that the show was an important precursor―or even progenitor―of today's phenomenally popular gothic and fantasy media franchises like Twilight, Harry Potter, and True Blood.
Benshoff demonstrates that viewers of all ages responded to the haunted world of Dark Shadows, making unlikely stars out of the show's iconic characters―reluctant vampire Barnabas Collins, playboy werewolf Quentin Collins, vengeful witch Angelique DuVal, and vampire hunter Dr. Julia Hoffman. Benshoff explores the cultural and industrial contexts of the mid-1960s that gave rise to Dark Shadows and how the show adapted nineteenth-century gothic novels and twentieth-century horror films into a televised serial format. Benshoff also examines the unique aspects of the show's casting and performance modes, its allure as a camp cult text, and the function of the show's many secondary and tertiary texts―including novels, records, games, comic books, and the two feature films, House of Dark Shadows (1970) and Night of Dark Shadows (1971).
In the years since its cancellation, Dark Shadows' enduring popularity has led to a prime-time NBC remake in the early 1990s, recent talk of a Tim Burton and Johnny Depp feature film, and a popular ongoing fan convention. Benshoff's timely study of Dark Shadows will appeal to fans of the show and all film and television history scholars who are interested in the roots of one of today's most popular genres.
Benshoff demonstrates that viewers of all ages responded to the haunted world of Dark Shadows, making unlikely stars out of the show's iconic characters―reluctant vampire Barnabas Collins, playboy werewolf Quentin Collins, vengeful witch Angelique DuVal, and vampire hunter Dr. Julia Hoffman. Benshoff explores the cultural and industrial contexts of the mid-1960s that gave rise to Dark Shadows and how the show adapted nineteenth-century gothic novels and twentieth-century horror films into a televised serial format. Benshoff also examines the unique aspects of the show's casting and performance modes, its allure as a camp cult text, and the function of the show's many secondary and tertiary texts―including novels, records, games, comic books, and the two feature films, House of Dark Shadows (1970) and Night of Dark Shadows (1971).
In the years since its cancellation, Dark Shadows' enduring popularity has led to a prime-time NBC remake in the early 1990s, recent talk of a Tim Burton and Johnny Depp feature film, and a popular ongoing fan convention. Benshoff's timely study of Dark Shadows will appeal to fans of the show and all film and television history scholars who are interested in the roots of one of today's most popular genres.
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144 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 30, 2022
I’ve recently written a book for a series like this—the short, dedicated volume devoted to a single movie, or, in this instance, television series. As should be evident from my reviews of the Marilyn Ross series of pulp fiction, I have a guilty pleasure in remembering Dark Shadows. Both here and elsewhere (Sects and Violence in the Ancient World) I discuss it frequently.
Harry M. Benshoff is surely a fan. I admit to never having viewed the whole series. I only viewed the two feature movies based on it recently. Still, there is something about this series that I find compelling. Benshoff provides the essential data—the who, what, where, why, and how of the series, all within a very short book. He even has time to explore the gay appreciation of the show. There’s a lot to learn here.
Many in my generation grew up on television. Those of us who watched Dark Shadows in its original run probably didn’t realize just how formative this was. As this little book points out, it inspired many other television series, paving the way for other classics such as The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The book was published shortly before the release of the Johnny Depp and Tim Burton version came to theaters, which is a pity. It would be interesting to see what Benshoff might’ve had to say about that.
Harry M. Benshoff is surely a fan. I admit to never having viewed the whole series. I only viewed the two feature movies based on it recently. Still, there is something about this series that I find compelling. Benshoff provides the essential data—the who, what, where, why, and how of the series, all within a very short book. He even has time to explore the gay appreciation of the show. There’s a lot to learn here.
Many in my generation grew up on television. Those of us who watched Dark Shadows in its original run probably didn’t realize just how formative this was. As this little book points out, it inspired many other television series, paving the way for other classics such as The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The book was published shortly before the release of the Johnny Depp and Tim Burton version came to theaters, which is a pity. It would be interesting to see what Benshoff might’ve had to say about that.
July 29, 2019
Didn't go as in depth as I'd hoped, but still pretty solid.
March 31, 2020
This is an academic look at Dark Shadows which is referred to as a cult TV show and a family (gothic) romance. The book is small but quite well done and very interesting. It covers a variety of topics including:
The production history of the show.
Material on Dan Curtis.
Special effects. (By today's standards primitive but they worked for the time.)
The relationship of the show's scripts to classical works such as Frankenstein.
Normative patriarchy.
Elizabeth Stoddard as a Matriarch.
Roger as a weak male figure.
Flubs in saying lines and other flubs during the show.
Women's liberation.
Dark Shadows as camp.
Dark Shadows fandom, books, etc.
The Dark Shadows legacy.
Dark Shadows on the Internet and You Tube.
Dark Shadows and the youth movement.
Why the series was canceled.
Information on the major characters.
How the series got its name.
Plus a lot more. Very interesting insight into the series, its development and its effect on viewers.
The production history of the show.
Material on Dan Curtis.
Special effects. (By today's standards primitive but they worked for the time.)
The relationship of the show's scripts to classical works such as Frankenstein.
Normative patriarchy.
Elizabeth Stoddard as a Matriarch.
Roger as a weak male figure.
Flubs in saying lines and other flubs during the show.
Women's liberation.
Dark Shadows as camp.
Dark Shadows fandom, books, etc.
The Dark Shadows legacy.
Dark Shadows on the Internet and You Tube.
Dark Shadows and the youth movement.
Why the series was canceled.
Information on the major characters.
How the series got its name.
Plus a lot more. Very interesting insight into the series, its development and its effect on viewers.
January 31, 2018
I was expecting a light little read about the series...the typical history and hype. What I discovered was an interesting look at the impact of the series given its time in history and reasons for the huge and varying fan base.
September 7, 2013
Harry M. Benshoff's "Dark Shadows" is a brief study of the 1960s Gothic soap opera from a media studies perspective, and as such is filled with academic jargon that the average reader might find more obscure than illuminating. The book covers the history of the show's production, its major plot lines, cast and characters, connections to Gothic literature and classic horror films, its campiness, feminist, gender-related, and queer readings of the show, merchandise related to the show, its viewer demographics, the rise and fall of its popularity, its influence on later Gothic/supernatural/horror texts, and its fandom during and after its run.
November 5, 2013
A brief but interesting review of the production and influence of the 1960s vampire soap opera "Dark Shadows". The chapters that analyze the style and content of the episodes are insightful and well thought-out. I wish it was longer; I'd like to see some more detailed analysis from Benshoff.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews