Barnabas Collins

Dark Shadows #6

by Marilyn Ross, W.E.D. Ross (AKA)

America's Grooviest Ghoul

Barnabas Collins, the 175-year-old vampire who has taken the country by storm comes alive in this new novel of gothic suspense.

Your blood will grow cold as you read the never-before-told story of the foggy night in 1899 when Barnabas first arrived at Collinwood. You'll chill to the full horror of the real truth about Barnabas - a secret so terrible that it could not be revealed until now...

Genres: Horror, Gothic, Vampires, Fiction, Paranormal, Fantasy, Audiobook

157 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1968

About the author

William Edward Daniel Ross, W. E. Daniel "Dan" Ross (born 1912) is a bestselling Canadian novelist from Saint John, New Brunswick who wrote over 300 books in a variety of genres and under a variety of mostly female pseudonyms such as Laura Frances Brooks, Lydia Colby, Rose Dana, Jan Daniels, Olin Ross, Diane Randall, Clarissa Ross, Leslie Ames, Ruth Dorset, Ann Gilmer, Jane Rossiter, Dan Ross, Dana Ross, Marilyn Ross, Dan Roberts, and W.E.D. Ross. As Marilyn Ross he wrote popular Gothic fiction including a series of novels about the vampire Barnabas Collins based on the American TV series Dark Shadows (1966-71).

Reviews

[Justin Tate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barnabas at last! After Victoria Winters experiences dozens of near-death scares and becomes no closer to resolving her unknown origins, the series forgets all that and adds a vampire. I’ve yet to watch the show, but my understanding is that low ratings prompted the need to jazz things up.

Indeed, the infamous Barnabas Collins is just what the doctor ordered. He’s handsome, he’s scary, he stalks the Blue Whale tavern for pretty young things, whether it’s the 1860’s or the 1960’s. This sixth novel marks his first appearance in the series and there’s no going back. His name headlines all the remaining titles of the 32-book saga.

The transition from Victoria to Barnabas is done well enough. Victoria remains at Collins House inexplicably, with no role to speak of other than they like having her there (but have a funny way of showing it). She’s reading through the family archive of old journals and stumbles across Barnabas’ name. Elizabeth shares what she’s heard of him, but the narration jumps to 1899 so we can experience the mystery and horror from a first hand account.

After Cousin Barnabas shows up at Collinwood for a brief stay, the young women around town begin walking around in a trance and have strange bite marks on their neck. The vampire has his sights set on a very young girl, however, and vows to stay until she’s eighteen so they can be married. Things don’t quite go as planned, however, and the resulting body count is certainly the highest in any of the Dark Shadows books thus far.

Dan “Marilyn” Ross delivers a macabre and atmospheric tale, full of satisfying vampiric dungeons, ominous cemeteries and creepy coffins. I don’t know that he convinced me fully that Barnabas is as attractive as the girls make him out to be, but I actually prefer that. I like my vampires more rough around the edges than pure hunk. The ending serves excellently to set up future frights.

I’m for sure addicted to the series now. Not necessarily because it’s so great, but because it’s such a pleasant way to pass the time. Particularly when listening to Kathryn Scott read the audiobooks. The plots are not complicated and the conflict is easy to digest. You can zone in and out and not miss a beat. Can’t wait to see what direction the story takes next!

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

We finally get to meet Barnabas Collins!! I was expecting to like him more, but that will probably come with time.

He kind of reminds me of Bill Compton from the Sookie Stackhouse books and the True Blood TV show, is anyone else getting those vibes?

I already miss Victoria being in the spotlight, I hope we'll still get to see her in the next books.

[Sansan Gilbreath · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book . It had belonged to my 12 year old self . I’m sure I probably loved it at the time . It was fun to revisit it . That is probably why I gave it 4 stars instead of 3. I also found pictures that my 12 year old self drew in the book 💕

[Melodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved these books when I was 12-years-old! I ran home from school to watch Dark Shadows, and spent my allowance on these books! I reread them over & over.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this sixth novel in Ross’s Dark Shadows series, as different from the first five as the Barnabas TV episodes are from those in the show’s pre-vampire era. Ross had been giving us false paranormal shenanigans with flesh-and-blood villains masquerading as ghouls and phantoms, a la Scooby-Doo, until the previous book in the series, The Curse of Collinwood, in which he introduces the notion of legitimate supernatural beings. Now, with Barnabas Collins, he jumps into the otherworldly and doesn’t look back.

The formerly always-in-peril Victoria Winters has a cameo in this one, as Ross pivots to Barnabas—darker and much more menacing than Jonathan Frid’s Barnabas—as the books’ main driver.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ironically, the first novel with Barnabas Collins is my least favorite of the series so far. For one thing, this is when Barnabas is still a villain, and I really preferred him as more the anti-hero he became later. (The novels are sort of set in their own universe anyway, so many of the characters are not the same as they were in the TV series.) Also, the main plot line is a little sick. Barnabas wants to adopt a preteen girl that resembles his lost love Josette. Then when she's old enough, he wants to marry her. That's just twisted. So she's going to think of him as her father during her formative years, then switch gears and become his wife? Also, the main character, Margaret, came across as a little stupid. I understand the whole "parent will do anything for their child", but she let several people die along the way.

Overall this still had its moments, but I hope the novels improve going forward because Barnabas is pretty much the main character in them from here on out.

[Gary Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are You There, Barnabas? It's Me, Margaret

Spoilers Ahead. Please read only after finishing the novel.

Finally! Barnabas first appeared on television screens in April 1967, but it took Dan "Marilyn" Ross over a year until this November 1968 novel to bring him to the printed page. Whatever the reasons, it proved well worth the wait!

The first four books were each entertaining and engaging, the fifth was a leap forward and proved very good, and this sixth novel achieved the pinnacle of greatness. Just as on the soap--oops, "continuing suspense drama"--Barnabas' stepping onto and assuming immediate command of the stage revolutionized both the television and the novel series.

After five books featuring Victoria Winters, suddenly shifting the spotlight to Barnabas could prove a jarring break from tradition. Ross wisely and strategically opened with a framing sequence featuring Vicky and Elizabeth discussing Collins family lore that leads into the flashback story of Barnabas. Elizabeth recounts for Vicky a story told to her by her grandmother, Margaret Collins (1865-1948). The story begins "after dusk one night in 1902" (p. 9) and concludes in May 1911 (p. 8). And the story she tells made for compelling reading!

(I strongly suggest that the moment you finish the book flip back and reread the opening prologue, which will be so much more meaningful after having come to know these characters.)

Elizabeth's story takes us back to the turn of the century when Collinwood was occupied by Jonas and Margaret Collins, their crippled nine-year-old daughter Greta, aged servant Granny Entwhistle, sister maids Ada and Patience, and handyman Luke, mentally deficient but a gentle giant with a heart as big as all outdoors (a striking contrast to his surly successor Matthew Morgan). Other characters include Margaret's close friend Clare Blandish, a wealthy widow who has made her home a private orphanage, young Judith, an orphan who comes to live at Collinwood as a friend to Greta and who catches the eye of Barnabas, and finally Hare, the vampire's apelike deaf, dumb, and drunken manservant. You'll agree Barnabas found a winner in Willy Loomis a half-century later!

Margaret, aged about 37, is suffering in a loveless marriage to an ambitious, avaricious, and aloof husband, Jonas. Tellingly, they no longer shared a bedroom. Into her life of quiet desperation comes Cousin Barnabas, and her life will never be the same.

If you enjoy the barbed exchanges between Barnabas and Dr. Julia Hoffman on TV, you'll enjoy Margaret's similar interactions with Barnabas, which escalate from respectful deference to boldly reining in and refereeing the vampire's impulses, including his nocturnal neck nibbles, which too often left pale, dead barmaids in their wake. More sinister, and clearly drawing upon the soap's Maggie Evans storyline from spring and summer 1967, was Barnabas' grooming Patience to become the living embodiment of Josette, hypnotizing the lass and enjoying middle-of-the-night candlelight dinners with her wearing Josette's dress and sapphire star necklace.

Margaret is a complex character. She faces a Sophie's Choice moment when she can choose to save Greta only by being complicit in Barnabas' adoption of Judith, a young girl who unfortunately bears a striking resemblance to Josette and whom Barnabas openly admits he intends to marry when she blooms into womanhood a decade hence. Dan Ross conveyed so well Margaret's torn feelings over this ethical dilemma which offered no satisfactory solution.

In my mind's eye I pictured Jonathan Frid as Barnabas and, after Margaret discovered Barnabas' secret and gained the upper hand, I pictured Grayson Hall as Margaret. She proved a formidable foil for the vampire, and their jockeying for position throughout the novel ensured there'd be nary a dull moment.

Margaret's discovering Barnabas' shocking secret is a highlight of the novel. Exposed and vulnerable, Barnabas unburdens himself and discloses to Margaret his hitherto secret origin. It began with a love triangle. Barnabas was in love with Josette and Angelique in love with Barnabas. Angelique filled Barnabas with lies that Josette was betraying him with Jeremiah. Discovering her prevarications, Barnabas "faced her with her villainy. And I was so enraged I made an attempt to kill her. I fired a pistol at her at short range. She thought she had been fatally shot and cursed me and any who loved me." He paused, a haggard expression shadowing his gaunt features. "A bat came flying at me from out of the darkness and bit me in the throat. She involved it with her witchery. And I became one of the living dead from that moment on" (p. 73).

I know Lara Parker will play Angelique in the series, but I'm still back in the summer of '67 so my reading is outpacing my watching of the show. I was fascinated to learn of Angelique's pivotal role in the creation of Barnabas and am now curious to see how closely the Curtisverse and the Rossverse parallel on this primary point of Barnabas' origin.

Is Barnabas a villain in this story? Yes, but one who honors his word and does the right thing in the clinch. Yes, he's cursed to consume blood, and one can explain if not excuse his nightly feedings on unwitting victims, but he crosses into conscious villainy and arguably madness when he consistently abducts Patience to play make-believe with her and then premeditates a nefarious plot to groom the child Judith into becoming his lost love Josette, especially knowing that whomever he loves will also be cursed.

There's a both insightful and inciteful exchange after the reprobate Barnabas reveals his morally repugnant plan for Judith:

Margaret says, "You can cold-bloodedly plan to marry that infant?"
"She will be a young lady in ten years. And that much time is really nothing to me." Barnabas went on confidently. "She shall first be my daughter and then my wife."
"That is absurd!" Margaret protested (p. 77)

Hmm, I can think of a stronger word than "absurd" and suspect you can as well! Barnabas' star-crossed obsession with young Judith brought to mind Woody Allen's obsessive love for his de facto stepdaughter Soon-Yi. Truth can turn out to be stranger than fiction.

But as loathsome as Barnabas' quasi-pedophilic plot was, I contend it was the cold-blooded--literally--murders of Granny Entwhistle and Patience that close the case on whether he was the villain of the piece. Add to that the unnamed victims of his bloodlust, such as the Blue Whale barmaid. Book 'im, Danno.

In light of those murders, did Margaret and Judith do the right thing in stopping Jim from staking Barnabas? From an ethical standpoint, no, weighing one undead mockery of life against the many who already suffered and died because of Barnabas (and the many who would in the future). But from a literary standpoint, yes, I'm glad they stopped Jim because now we have a whopping 26 more novels of Barnabas' exploits to enjoy! Onward to The Secret of Barnabas Collins!

Random Thoughts and Takeaways

Elizabeth and Roger's father is Jonas and Margaret's unnamed older son away studying in Boston (p. 12). And in the Rossverse, he is also father to Elizabeth and Roger's elder brother Mark and younger brother Ernest.

Jonas Collins lived from 1860-1937, dying at age 77 (p. 7). Margaret Collins lived from 1865-1948, passing at age 83. "I was in my first year of college when we lost her," said Elizabeth (p. 7), placing her year of birth c. 1930 assuming she started college at 18.

The established story in the Collins family was "Barnabas was a son of Joshua Collins," [Jonas] said. "He went to England around eighteen-hundred and was never heard of again" (p. 25). But Granny Entwhistle, who was serving at Collinwood at the time, reveals, "Old Joshua pretended he'd gone away... and they told everyone he was in England. But he was in the cellar. They made a secret room for him to hide his shame" (pp. 89-90).

Pastor Arnold Collins writes of Joshua and Barnabas in his diary dating to the summer of 1846. Detecting "dark undertones" and suspecting "witchcraft," he wrote, "I am convinced that [Joshua's] son Barnabas left Collinsport under a cloud. This handsome son met some tragic fate which, while not plainly stated, seems linked with the powers of darkness. There is horror and fear in his father's letters and the suggestion that Barnabas forfeited his soul to the Devil!" (p. 41).

The palms of Barnabas's "claw-like" hands had in them "tufts of coarse black hairs," a "repulsive" observation surprisingly noted only by Margaret (p. 37).

Barnabas is "icy cold" to the touch, life having long fled, and appears even more wizened and corpselike when in his coffin.

Barnabas can and does transform himself into a giant bat like Dracula. He also casts no refection in a mirror (p. 39), except for one instance when Margaret describes Barnabas' reflection resembling a giant bat.

Granny Entwhistle dubbed Barnabas' neck punctures the "Devil's Kiss." Interestingly, the wounds quickly healed and disappeared during the day after the night they were inflicted. Victims were aware and self-conscious of the marks and attempted to conceal them with scarves and high collars.

Barnabas describes Widows' Hill as "the sad setting for the widow's wail and the appearance of the Phantom Mariner (p. 15). The Phantom Mariner was a major plot point in the fourth novel, The Mystery of Collinwood.

The Blue Whale was already in operation under that name as early as the 1910s.

Judith's young artist boyfriend is named Jim Reeves, sharing a name with the popular country singer who tragically died in a plane crash in 1964. Was Ross a fan and named the character as an homage?

I'll close with a pop quiz: Which is the more cringey cover description of Barnabas: (a) "the vampire America loves to hate," (b) "America's grooviest ghoul" or (c) all of the above?

[WhatShouldIRead · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book introduces new characters to the Dark Shadow world. There is Margaret, her husband Jonas and daughter Greta. Much of the book has Jonas in the background and the storyline flows mainly around Barnabas, Margaret, Greta and outsider Judith.

I thought it was well-written and enjoyable but it had an ick factor incorporated into the storyline which I didn't care for. Other than that, it was a good addition to the Dark Shadow paperback series.

And I have to admire those old gothics for creating that 'dark and stormy night' atmosphere. Though not scary, it is still a pleasure to read passages that give really good visuals, such as sleet that scratched the window panes like skeleton fingers!

[Judith Teggelaar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm glad I read this book again as it has been many years since I first enjoyed it. A good tale of the popular vampire from the extremely popular TV show.

[Ronald Wilcox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good back story of how Barnabas Collins returns to Collinsport the first time, set several decades before the time of the series. Too bad this was not part of the storyline of the series

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the 32 Dark Shadows paperbacks, this title is probably the most popular among fans. It introduces Barnabas Collins, the tortured, guilt-ridden vampire of the series. In the TV version Barnabas was chained to his coffin in 1796 and not released until 1967. But here Dan ("Marilyn") Ross offers an alternate timeline in which the vampire was never held captive at all. Rather, the Barnabas of the books is a lonely immortal who has wandered the Earth for centuries.

The story begins in the early 1900's when Barnabas appears unexpectedly at Collinwood. He claims to be a cousin from England. Everyone, of course, remarks on his resemblance to the portrait of his "namesake ancestor," which is really a picture of himself! As in the TV show Barnabas remains obsessed with the memory of his long-dead love, Josette. The daughter of the house, Greta Collins, is a sweet crippled girl who looks like Josette...except for the withered legs. Barnabas initially romances Greta but later transfers his interest to Judith, an adopted child who more closely approximates Josette in appearance. Barnabas shows bad judgment here, since Greta truly loves him whereas Judith does not. Greta may not be a perfect physical specimen, but it is Greta who embodies the spirit and nature of the long-dead icon.

Events are seen through the eyes of Margaret Collins, Greta's mother. Margaret alone discovers the truth about the vampire but keeps silent "for her daughter's sake." That may or may not be the actual reason. Margaret, stuck in a loveless marriage, is secretly attracted to the vampire herself, just as the Julia Hoffman character was on the TV show. Notwithstanding his dark nature repels her. This version of Barnabas Collins is a villain, a fiend, a murderer. He lies pathologically---if his lips are moving, he's lying---and he kills quite a few of his "blood donors." He can be quite heartless. Even his noble speech at the end doesn't redeem him, at least not in MY eyes.

In later books Ross "reforms" Barnabas, emphasizing his heroic qualities. But this original conception of the character is very close to early TV Barnabas, who was first conceived as just a disposable monster.

[Laura Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The further I get into this series the better the books are. This one had great character development and I’m glad I found more!

[Richard Tolleson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In what can only be considered Parallel Time, Barnabas (who finally shows up in the books after being on the cover of the first 5) arrives at Collinwood at the turn of the 20th Century. In one of the creepiest plot device this side of Humbert Humbert, Barnabas adopts a girl and grooms her to eventually become his bride. There's another young invalid girl that Barnabas is courting on the side, even as the then-matriarch of Collinwood, Margaret Collins, makes one bad decision after another regarding her blood-thirsty cousin-in-law. Even for all of that (or maybe because of it) the book delivers a genuine sense of dread in the reader. The sixth book in the Dark Shadows series is fun reading for DS fans, and because it bears little resemblance to the plot of the TV show, will be accessible to people who don't know their Willy Loomis from a hole in the ground.

[Shawn Manning · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably my third go 'round with this book. Had 'em as a kid. I was able to get a good chunk of the series about 25 years ago. Given the large gaps in time, it's like reading them for the first time. The same can be said for the audio editions. Kathryn Leigh Scott does and excellent job as the reader. She does and excellent imitation of the late Joan Bennett, in particular.

The plot itself is standard issue for this series. Barnabas shows up. Bad things happen. Barnabas gets blamed. Etc. There were a lot of missed opportunities here to muddy the waters as far as who really did the misdeeds. The characters really could have been more fleshed out. The one exception to this is Barnabas' servant Hare. He barely qualifies as a character, but god help me I love him. Surly, drunk misanthrope that he is.The worst part is the plan Barnabas has for his adopted daughter. Made my skin crawl.

Finally, the author seems to have run out of ideas and quickly wraps things up in an unsatisfactorily manner.

These books are really for the die hard fan (Guilty your honor). I do look forward to the next batch of audio adaptations

[Annika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considering the speed at which Ross had to write the Dark Shadows novels, they're surprisingly good. And as many people have mentioned in their reviews, Kathryn Leigh Scott's audiobook versions are a real treat. The books, this one included, capture the atmosphere of the show really well and are a fascinating sort of new parallel time version of the Collins family. I wouldn't necessarily recommend the book to people who aren't already Dark Shadows fans, though, and fans should know going in that the books bear little resemblance to the show. The earlier Victoria-centered books largely captured the personalities of the characters, but I didn't think this one captured Barnabas very well. I'll be curious to see how Ross' depiction of Barnabas changes in subsequent books and whether it adjusts to Barnabas' shift from villain to anti-hero on the show.

One additional warning: The book refers to people with mental and physical disabilities in unacceptable ways to modern readers. I suspect the book would have been progressive for its day since Ross at least makes most of these characters sympathetic and multi-faceted, but that doesn't change the fact that the language is hurtful.

[Robert (NurseBob) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another dark and stormy night at Collinswood manor in this flashback to 1901 when the master of the house, Joshua, and his wife Margaret were visited by their distant cousin Barnabas who just happens to be......A VAMPIRE! Oh the winds will howl, the candles will gutter, and the village virgins will swoon as Canada's own Marilyn Ross (pen name for William E. D. Ross) weaves yet another gothic Harlequin thriller based on the iconic TV series. As serious literature it wouldn't even rate a 1-star rating, but Ross' style of gloomy romanticism is contagious enough to make you clutch your pearls and gasp (with good-natured laughter mostly). Loved it!

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to watch Dark Shadows as a kid when I got home from school. Don't remember any of the stories but remember being intrigued by the character of Barnabas Collins. This book was an entertaining read if a bit predictable. It definitely rekindled similar feelings as those I had as a kid. Barnabas was both menacing and comforting (like an old shoe?). Giving it 4 stars for the nostalgia factor, but it's probably really a 3 star book.

[John Peel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A flashback story of Barnabas at the turn of the 20th Century, while he was still ambivalent about being good or evil. He plots to replace his long-lost Josette with one of two young girls, and is willing to kill anyone who might get in his way. In hindsight, of course, it reads like he's somebody other than the star of the show that everyone loved. But at the start, nobody knew which direction he would head in. On the whole, rather a silly entry in the series.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read part of this series back in the 1970s so reading this was nostalgic. The book is only loosely based on the TV show but I enjoyed the story. There were several typos in the reprint edition which I found annoying.

[Sarospice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some may be happy that Barnabas finally appears in this series but the pedophile overtones didn't endear the character to me. Poor Margaret Collins, so like the U.S., she witnesses horrific things going on and does nothing for a decade.... Yeah, the Jan. 6 hearings are on as well...

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally Barnabas Collins is introduced to this book series! Because this novel was written in the 1960s, it uses dated terminology for a character who is intellectually disabled. However, since this book is essential for the next books in the series, this must be tolerated if you intend to proceed.

[Tammie Gunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, used to watch the shows now reading the books.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nostalgic journey back to my childhood when I used to run home every day to watch Sark Shadows. So much fun to fill in the back story!

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd forgotten what a different twist the book series has on the introduction of Barnabas into the picture. Love these Audiobooks

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark Shadows

I liked this book alot,because it was about Barnabas. He was my favorite character. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the tv show years ago.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pro: Well written.
Con: Barnabas wants to bone a nine year old I can't even. The end.

[Mary Jo Rhoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook- Decent addition to the Dark Shadows series. In this one we finally get to meet the vampire family member Barnabas Collins.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, with book #6 in the series, Barnabas Collins makes his first literary appearance.
While the tortured Barnabas is glimpsed here a little bit, for the most part he's very ruthless, viscous, and mean.
The story moves fast, and is full of vampire lore.
Very enjoyable.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another paperback in the early part of the series that has Barnabas on the cover when he has not even yet made his appearance in the book series.

Victoria is obsessed with finding out who her real parents were. She still thinks she's a Collins, and when a very ill and very old Henry Collins comes to basically die, and befriends her, she thinks she might be his grandaughter. A gift of a valuable necklace just builds her belief she's related to him.

Carolyn is off working and living with a girl friend, and David is at a boy's camp, so that conveniently gets those two characters out of the way. Roger drinks as much as ever and he's as rude to people as ever.

Roger hates Uncle Henry. Benjamin is an old companion to Uncle Henry. Benjamin has a rather poorly behaved son who is there with him.

Uncle Henry lives in a specific room which ties him to a specific woman in his past. She died at Collinwood. Victoria looks just like her.

There's the usual Victoria-has-someone-trying-to-kill-her plot and she still has not learned never to go down into the wine cellar alone.

The books are basically repeating themselves at this point. Someone moves in to Collinwood. For some reason they, or their underlings, trying to kill/at least injure Victoria. Burke Devlin helps her look into the matter. The evil doers are found out. Victoria screams a lot and does all the wrong things, putting into constant danger.

There's some kind of major change needed in the series.

[Judy Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sixth book in the Dark Shadows series. Victoria Winters finds an old journal on the book shelves. It belonged to Jonas Collins, dating back to the 1700s. Victoria starts reading when Elizabeth Stoddard walks into the room. She sees what Victoria has and starts to tell her the history of Barnabas Collins.

Margaret Collins, her disabled daughter, Greta and her husband, Jonas lived in Collinwood Mansion. One night there was a knock on the door and Margaret finds herself face to face with Barnabas Collins. He introduced himself as the great grandson of the original Barnabas. She invited him in and he informed her that Jonas had agreed to rent the old house to him so he could work on his experiments. - Greta met cousin Barnabas and instantly had a crush on him. He pushed her out into the night in her wheelchair to enjoy the evenings. Margaret noticed marks on Greta's neck after these outings and confronted Barnabas about them. He denied hurting Greta, as she reminded him of his long lost love Josette.

Margaret finds out that Barnabas is one of the living dead. She wants him to go away, but he has such a healing effect on Greta, that she doesn't expose him. After two women die in questionable ways, Margaret decides she has to get rid of Barnabas.

This is a good story.