Marie Wallace Recovers

As we previously reported, actress Marie Wallace (Eve) was recently injured in a fall onstage and has been recovering in a New York City hospital. Dark Shadows cast mate Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans) shares this update from Marie: 

"Please tell our friends and fans that I'm recovering very well, and feeling stronger each day. I appreciate all their loving and healing thoughts. There's no room for flowers here in rehab but I would certainly appreciate a note or card."

If you would like to send Marie a get well card or message, you can do so at this address: Marie Wallace Pollock, Kateri House, 150 Riverside Drive, Room 1305A, New York, NY 10024.

Dark Shadows 2013 Cruise Information

The Dark Shadows Festival have released more information about their 2013 Dark Shadows Halloween Cruise, which will take place from October 27-November 3 2013. 

Departing from New Jersey's Cape Liberty Cruise Port, the ship Explorer of the Seas will embark on a seven-day round trip to Bermuda. In attendance will be Dark Shadows stars Lara Parker (Angelique) and Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans), with planned activities including a Halloween costume party, rare video screenings, dramatic performances by the actors and other surprises.

Inside Staterooms are priced from $749.00 per person; Ocean View Staterooms from $949.00 per person; Balcony Staterooms from $1099.00 per person; and Suites from $1399.00 per person. Rates are per person based on double occupancy and include all port charges plus the Dark Shadows registration fee. Government fees and taxes of $125.00 per person are additional. All meals are included in these prices.

Attendees who reserve their cabin with a refundable deposit by January 31 will be invited to join Kathryn Leigh Scott and Lara Parker for a private party on board, and will also receive an exclusive Dark Shadows celebrity gift bag. For more information or to make a reservation, call toll free 1-800-828-4813 or visit the event newly-launched event website by clicking here. A printable flyer is available by clicking here.

We're Now On Facebook!

If you're on Facebook, you can now keep up with all the latest Dark Shadows developments via our newly-launched Dark Shadows News Page, featuring headline breaking news, daily trivia and more. To visit and like our page to receive updates, click here.

And for more dispatches from Collinwood in 140 characters or less, there's also our Dark Shadows News Twitter feed, delivering daily dispatches to over 3,000 Dark Shadows fans worldwide. To follow us, click here.

Dr. Mabuse Trailer Released

We recently reported on the new independent film Dr. Mabuse, which features Dark Shadows stars Jerry Lacy (Reverend Trask), Lara Parker (Angelique) and Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans). The first cast image from the production is now online and can be seen above. 

Pictured are (L to R): John C Smith as the Apocalypse Man, Derek Mobraaten as Tom Smith, Julian Grant as Edward Hull, Bahia Garrigan as Christina Novello, Jerry Lacy as Dr. Mabuse, Nathan Wilson as Inspector Carl Lohemann, David Graham as City General Oscar Lang, Linden Chiles as Inspector Norbert Von Wenk, Vivian Brasch as Lady Levana, Kathryn Leigh Scott as Madame Von Harbau, Lara Parker as Madame Carrozza and Annie Waterman as Madame Hecate. Click on the image for a larger view.

The first teaser trailer for the film can be viewed in the window below. Dr. Mabuse is due for release in 2013 and more information can be found on the production's official website. To view our gallery of behind the scenes stills, click here.

Win Dark Shadows Movie Blu-Rays!

Both original Dark Shadows feature films have just been released on Blu-Ray and, courtesy of our friends at Warner Home Entertainment, we have two sets of both to give away.

House of Dark Shadows starred Jonathan Frid in a vivid retelling of Barnabas' introduction story, while Night of Dark Shadows starred David Selby as a troubled artist haunted by memories of the eternal Angelique, played by Lara Parker. For your chance to win, just answer this simple question:

What was the name of the Tarrytown mansion used for Collinwood in both films? Send your answer, along with your name and postal address, to webmaster@collinwood.net by November 12. 

Readers can order House of Dark Shadows on Blu-Ray online by clicking here and Night of Dark Shadows on Blu-Ray by clicking here.

Postcards From Collinwood

Here are some fantastic rare vintage images of Seaview Terrace, the Rhode Island mansion used for the exterior of Collinwood in Dark Shadows. Reader Bill Branch shares these beautiful postcards, showing the property at various points during its history.

The first picture shows the house shortly after its construction, when it was known as the Edson Bradley Estate; The third shows the house during its time as a school for girls, Burnham-by-the-Sea, during the 1960s; The fourth was taken in the mid-1960s, around the time filming took place on Dark Shadows. To see more rare photographs of the house, click here.

Click on the thumbnails for a larger view. Courtesy of the Bill Branch collection.

Dark Shadows Cruise For 2013

The Dark Shadows Festival has confirmed that it host a Dark Shadows-themed ocean cruise in 2013, celebrating of 30 years of events. The cruise will run from October 27-November 3, 2013, sailing from the New York area to Bermuda.

In attendance will be original series actors Lara Parker (Angelique) and Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans), with planned activities including "Dark Shadows performances, screenings, autographs, question-and-answer sessions, group activities, games, contests and tours of Bermuda."

More details will be announced soon, with a special discount rate offered for advance reservations for stateroom sleeping quarters, which also covers all meals for the entire week of travel. Unique Dark Shadows souvenirs will also be offered to attendees.

News Bites

• UK Dark Shadows fans can catch Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans) at next month's Memorabilia collector's show, taking place from November 24-25 at the NEC Birmingham. Kathryn will be signing photographs and other merchandise. For more information, click here.
• Jerry Lacy (Reverend Trask) is currently appearing at Santa Monica's Edgemar Centre for the Arts in the new play Surviving Mama. The production runs until November 18 and tickets can be purchased online by clicking here.
• Movieline has investigated the mystery surrounding the creation of Barnabas Collins, with original Dark Shadows writer Malcolm Marmorstein staking his claim to having devised the character: "I told [series creator] Dan [Curtis], 'We have to pretend we're doing a vampire for the very first time. Let's get a young, blond guy, because our audiences are very young. They'll fall in love with him." Producer Robert Costello is also interviewed, offering a blunt rebuttal: "I don't think he contributed more than anyone else. He was part of a team and from that team came Barnabas. If he was as good as he seems to think he was, he wouldn't have been fired." To read the full article, click here.
  “I don’t think he contributed more than anyone else," Dark Shadows producer Bob Costello says of Marmorstein. "He was part of a team and from that team came Barnabas. If he was as good as he seems to think he was, he wouldn’t have been fired."
  
  Read More at: http://movieline.com/2012/10/08/who-created-barnabas-collins-dark-shadows-johnny-depp-tim-burton-jonathan-frid-dan-curtis/#utm_source=copypaste&utm_campaign=referral
  I told Dan, ‘Absolutely, but we need different ground rules. No one in the town of Collinsport has heard of Dracula. They wouldn’t recognize Bela Lugosi. We have to pretend we’re doing a vampire for the very first time.
  
  Read More at: http://movieline.com/2012/10/08/who-created-barnabas-collins-dark-shadows-johnny-depp-tim-burton-jonathan-frid-dan-curtis/#utm_source=copypaste&utm_campaign=referral
  I told Dan, ‘Absolutely, but we need different ground rules. No one in the town of Collinsport has heard of Dracula. They wouldn’t recognize Bela Lugosi. We have to pretend we’re doing a vampire for the very first time.
  
  Read More at: http://movieline.com/2012/10/08/who-created-barnabas-collins-dark-shadows-johnny-depp-tim-burton-jonathan-frid-dan-curtis/#utm_source=copypaste&utm_campaign=referral
• And finally, we were sorry to hear the news that Sharon Smyth's (Sarah Collins) mother passed away on October 24 at the age of 99. Our condolences go out to Sharon and her family.

Picture of the Week: Necking In The Afternoon

This week, it's a 1982 TV Guide advertisement for Dark Shadows, promoting Barnabas' new lease of life in syndication. Throughout the 1980s, distributors Worldvision scored a hit with the show's huge back catalogue and Dark Shadows soon became a fixture on many PBS stations, as The Los Angeles Times reported in 1987:

"'It has really made our late night,'  said Larry White of KFME-TV Channel 13 in Fargo, N.D." Others were in agreement. "'It's our top membership program,' said Neal Hecker of public television station WNYC Channel 31 in New York."

If you would like to submit an image for Picture of the Week, email webmaster@collinwood.net.

Dark Shadows Movie Effects Revealed

Digital effects house The Senate have released a promotional reel dissecting their work on the recent Dark Shadows feature film. To discover how shots of Collinsport, the Collinwood mansion and the ghostly vision of Josette were achieved, check out the video in the window below.

Meanwhile, Dark Shadows has continued to do good business on the US home video market following its release earlier this month. Industry website The Numbers reports that the film shifted 428,000 units during its first week in stores. Dark Shadows is available now on Blu-Ray at a discount price by clicking here and on DVD by clicking here.

Get Well Wishes For Marie Wallace

We are sad to report that actress Marie Wallace (Eve) has suffered an injury while performing theatre in Connecticut. Marie was appearing in The Last Romance at the Seven Dials Theatre on Saturday night when she fell from the stage, breaking her shoulder.

In a message to fans earlier today, Marie said: "Thank you to all my wonderful friends and fans who have sent me so many healing and loving messages. I'm in great hands in a New York hospital with a great surgeon who will be operating on my smashed right shoulder this afternoon."

On behalf of Dark Shadows fans everywhere, we wish Marie a very speedy recovery. If you would like to write her a get well message, you can do so via her official website.

Movie Visual Companion Preview Pictures

The long-awaited behind the scenes guide for the recent Dark Shadows movie, The Visual Companion, is finally released next week and, courtesy of Titan Books, we're delighted to share some exclusive preview images from the book. 

Shown below are director Tim Burton posing with actors Gully McGrath, Jonny Lee Miller, Michelle Pfeiffer and Chloe Grace Moretz, along with early concept artwork for Widows' Hill and Collinwood. Click on the pictures for a larger view.

Dark Shadows: The Visual Companion by Mark Salisbury is published on 26th October 2012, by Titan Books priced £29.99, and will be released in the US in November. UK readers can order the book now at a discount price by clicking here. US readers can pre-order the book at a discount price by clicking here.

 
Photographs are ™ & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Dark Shadows Complete Series Half-Price DVD Bargain

The Dark Shadows: The Complete Original Series DVD box set is now available for today only at an amazing 50% discount, saving over $300.00 from the recommended retail price. The 131-disc set contains all 1,225 original episodes in a coffin-shaped box. To order now, click here.

Additionally, the individual Dark Shadows DVD volumes are currently available at a 44% discount. Each four-disc set contains up to 40 episodes, with bonus interviews and other special features. To order any volume, click on the hyperlinked titles below:

Pre-Barnabas episodes: Dark Shadows: The Beginning DVD Collection 1, Collection 2, Collection 3, Collection 4, Collection 5, Collection 6; Barnabas' arrival onwards: Dark Shadows DVD Collection 1, Collection 2, Collection 3, Collection 4, Collection 5, Collection 6, Collection 7, Collection 8, Collection 9, Collection 10, Collection 11, Collection 12, Collection 13, Collection 14, Collection 15, Collection 16, Collection 17, Collection 18, Collection 19, Collection 20, Collection 21, Collection 22, Collection 23, Collection 24, Collection 25, Collection 26

Win The Dark Shadows Movie On Blu-Ray!

The Dark Shadows movie is out on Blu-Ray and DVD in the United Kingdom today, and Warner Bros UK have released some special online content to mark the release, which can be viewed in the panel below. Courtesy of Warner, we have a copy of Dark Shadows on Blu-Ray to give away to one lucky reader. For your chance to win, just answer the following question:

What is the name of the rival cannery business Angelique runs in the film?

Send your answer with your name and postal address to webmaster@collinwood.net by October 28. This prize draw is open to UK residents only.

UK readers can order Dark Shadows on Blu-Ray by clicking here and on DVD by clicking here.

Angelique on Exhibit

As we reported yesterday, the Lyndhurst Estate in Tarrytown, New York is running a month of special Dark Shadows-themed tours. The historic property was used as a location in both 1970s Dark Shadows feature films. Actress Lara Parker (Angelique) has made a very special donation for the event, and has given the estate a full-size replica of her portrait from Night of Dark Shadows. 

Lara received the canvas as a gift after filming wrapped in 1971 and still has it after 40 years. The portrait can be seen at Lyndhurst throughout October, along with other Dark Shadows exhibits. For tour details, visit Lyndhurst's official website.

Both original Dark Shadows movies will be released on Blu-Ray and DVD for the first time later this month. For more information and to order online, click here.