New Dark Shadows Comic Book Collection

Hermes Press have sent us information on their latest Dark Shadows title, once again drawing from the archives of Gold Key's 1960s comic books. Dark Shadows: The Best of the Original Series is a 336 page trade paperback collection of twelve original stories, featuring digitally-restored artwork and bonus content.

Beginning with the very first issue, published back in 1969, the book also features the contents of issues 4, 6, 8, 11, 14, 17-18, 24 and 31-33. These have been selected by comics historian Dr. Jeff Thompson, who comments that these entries each "feature a moment, a nuance, an illustration, or a turn of phrase that distinguishes it... these are the twelve greatest Dark Shadows comic book stories." 

The book is due out at the end of the month and can be pre-ordered at a discount price by clicking here.

12A UK Rating For Dark Shadows Movie

Following on from last week's confirmation of a PG-13 US rating for the Dark Shadows movie, earlier today the British Board of Film Classification passed the film for general release. Dark Shadows was passed without cuts, receiving a 12A rating. 

The BBFC website notes that the film contains "moderate violence, horror, gore, sex references and soft drug use" and confirms the film's running time at 113 minutes.

A Deadly Handshake From Barnabas In New Movie Still

Following on from yesterday's great batch of Dark Shadows movie stills, here's a new photo of Johnny Depp's Barnabas, standing beneath his painting in the Collinwood mansion. Click on the image for a larger view.

Elsewhere, the film's screenplay writer Seth Grahame-Smith dismissed previous reports that legendary actor Christopher Lee's character in the story will be Bill Malloy, a key figure in the original show's early months. "I'm not saying who Christopher Lee plays in Dark Shadows, but it's not who IMDB would have us believe," Seth wrote yesterday on Twitter. Empire magazine have described Lee as playing a "king of the fishermen."

And speaking of Twitter, don't forget you can keep up with all the latest Dark Shadows news via our dedicated Twitter feed, bringing daily dispatches, trivia and more. To follow us, click here.

Image © Warner Bros. Entertainment Ltd.

UK Dark Shadows DVD Release Cover and Contents

DVD company Metrodome have unveiled final cover artwork for their new release Dark Shadows: The Original TV Series – The Barnabas Collins Episodes. The Region 2 DVD set is due out at the end of the month across the United Kingdom. For a larger view, click on the image below.

The three-disc set features 20 consecutive episodes from the arrival of Barnabas Collins in 1967 (210-230), plus a selection of bonus features taken from previous US releases. These are an Introduction to Dark Shadows; Behind the Scenes interviews with cast and crew; Inside the Shadows with series creator Dan Curtis; On Location hosted by Nancy Barrett (Carolyn Stoddard); Nightmares and Dreams, compiling memorable scenes; plus an interview with Jonathan Frid (Barnabas Collins). To order online, click here.

Give Blood For Barnabas!

The American Red Cross has recruited Johnny Depp's Barnabas Collins to help their blood donation drive as part of a special promotion for the new Dark Shadows movie, beginning next week.

Blood donors at participating Red Cross drives from April 16th until May 8th will have the opportunity to win a private screening of Dark Shadows in their hometown for up to 50 friends, along with merchandise from the film. For more information and to register online to give blood, click here.

Barnabas Looms Large In New Shadows Stills

Warner Bros have released another batch of photographs from the new Dark Shadows movie, spotlighting Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins. The first two, shown above, feature him in modern dress with young David Collins (Gully McGrath), and amidst a haul of treasure in his eighteenth century clothes.

Additional pictures below show nanny Victoria Winters (Bella Heathcote) arriving at the Collinwood mansion, with Mrs Johnson (Ray Shirley) taking a nap; Barnabas holding court at the dinner table; Barnabas being comforted by his cousin Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer); Barnabas and the witch Angelique (Eva Green); Barnabas and Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Grace Moretz) in her bedroom; Barnabas in Carolyn's room; Carolyn and young David; and finally, Barnabas spying on an intimate moment for Roger Collins (Jonny Lee Miller). Click on the images for larger views.

The US rating for Dark Shadows has also been confirmed this week, with the film receiving the anticipated PG-13 certificate for "comic horror violence, sexual content, some drug use, language and smoking."

And in other movie news, an Amazon listing for the download version of Danny Elfman's Dark Shadows original score reveals the individual durations of the album's tracks, with a combined time of 52 minutes 45 seconds. To read more, click here, but be warned that spoilers lie ahead.

Images © Warner Bros. Entertainment Ltd.

Barnabas Hits The Road In New Shadows Movie Photo

Warner Bros have released a new still from the Dark Shadows movie, featuring a bloody-mouthed Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins. Click on the image for a larger view. The film's UK promotional campaign has just begun with the unveiling of a new trailer, which can be watched in the window below.

Image © Warner Bros. Entertainment Ltd.

People News Bites

• Dark Shadows fans have launched a campaign to get Jonathan Frid (Barnabas Collins) awarded a place on Canada's Walk of Fame. Now retired at 87, Jonathan remains active, attending Dark Shadows events and recently filming a cameo for the new movie. To nominate Jonathan, click here.
• Matt Hall, the son of Grayson Hall (Dr. Julia Hoffman) continues to update his blog with childhood memories of his parents and visiting the Dark Shadows studio. His latest post is a fascinating pen portrait of the show's long-serving makeup artist Vincent Loscalzo, which can be read by clicking here.
• The 1977 miniseries Washington: Behind Closed Doors comes to DVD this June, featuring an impressive line-up of Dark Shadows talent, including Thayer David (Professor Stokes), Lara Parker (Angelique) and David Selby (Quentin Collins). To pre-order the set at a discount price, click here.
• And finally, if you're in Los Angeles this weekend, you can catch Dark Shadows actresses Lara Parker and Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans) at the Monsterpalooza convention in Burbank. They'll be signing books and photographs from 11.30am–1.30pm on Saturday. For more information about the event, click here.

Picture of the Week: Diana Despairs

This week it's a rare press shot (complete with vintage printing mark-ups) of actress Diana Millay (Laura Collins), taken back in January 1964. In the early sixties Diana had a busy career in episodic television, making many appearances in productions filmed on the west coat. 

"So many of these Hollywood shows deliberately aim for the mediocre," she opined in an outspoken 1961 interview for The Modesto Bee. "You never find this attitude in New York... I think sometimes bad material is a challenge." Clearly on a roll, Diana explained: "I'm a glutton for work. Unless a script is absolutely terrible, I do it. Of course, I'd prefer good material, but I'd rather work than not work, and in television you can't sit around waiting for good scripts."

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

Dark Shadows Premieres For Los Angeles And London

There's now only a month to go until the new Dark Shadows movie hits cinemas and dates for the film's premieres have just been announced. 

Dark Shadows will receive its worldwide premiere on Monday May 7 at Los Angeles' Grauman's Chinese Theater. Original series actress Lara Parker (Angelique), who has a cameo in the film announced that she will be attending on her relaunched website – "Red carpet time!" David Selby (Quentin Collins) is also planning to attend.

There will also be a London premiere for Dark Shadows on May 9, with the venue to be confirmed. This news was confirmed by Orange film news, who are running a competition to win tickets. Both events will be attended by members of the cast and crew. More news as we get it.

New Movie Still Shows Barnabas In a Tight Spot

Warner Bros. have released a new photograph from the Dark Shadows movie, featuring Johnny Depp's Barnabas struggling to find a cosy nook. Click on the image for a larger view. In other movie news, the promotional campaign for Dark Shadows continues apace, with billboard adverts now in place in Los Angeles and New York's Times Square. 

Image © Warner Bros. Entertainment Ltd.

Just For Fun...

Here's a classic take on some of the character graphics from the new Dark Shadows movie. Click on the image for a larger view.

DeviantArt Launches Shadows Movie Portrait Contest

The art sharing website DeviantArt has launched a special Dark Shadows contest, inviting users to create a portrait of Johnny Depp as vampire Barnabas Collins, with the winner judged by director Tim Burton. The first prize is a $3,500 cash prize and the winner's artwork presented in a gilded frame, plus Dark Shadows movie merchandise.

The contest runs until April 24 and is only open to residents of the United States. For more information and to download a digital assets pack to create an entry, click here.

Dictator Moves To Avoid Dark Shadows Clash

Deadline Hollywood reports that Paramount Pictures have postponed the release of their comedy The Dictator. The Sacha Baron Cohen film was originally set to debut on May 11, head-to-head with the new Dark Shadows movie, but will now reach cinemas on May 16. 

Deadline say that the comedic elements of the Dark Shadows trailer have prompted the decision: "Paramount didn’t want to risk cannibalizing the comedy audience by bashing heads with a rival on the same opening weekend."

With The Dictator seen off, Dark Shadows is now the only major studio release in that week, though is likely to encounter heavyweight competition from superhero flick The Avengers, out on May 4. However, the move does indicate industry insiders' confidence in Dark Shadows as a major release in the summer's movie slate, and bodes well for the film's fortunes as the box office.

Dark Shadows a Franchise? "The Possibilities Are Limitless"

UK newspaper The Times ran an extended piece on the Dark Shadows movie in yesterday's edition, interviewing director Tim Burton, screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith and original series actress Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans). Burton spoke about his childhood connection with the show and the character of Barnabas:

"It was something that affected me... when I was at that awkward age of 13, 14 and 15. I felt like I didn’t fit into the world, so this kind of weird vampire, this weird, out-of-place person, had an impact on me. Besides Johnny Depp, myself and Michelle Pfeiffer (Elizabeth Collins Stoddard), none of the rest of the cast knew what it was. I couldn’t really show it to them, because they’d just go, ‘What the hell is this?’ You had to be there to get the vibe of it."

The director also outlined his unique approach to recreating the Dark Shadows atmosphere: “I never really considered it to be a vampire movie. It’s just a movie with a character in it that happens to be a vampire," Burton explains. "Studios don’t like to hear me say this, but it’s all a bit of an experiment... Is Dark Shadows a comedy? Is it a dark Gothic drama? Is it both? I’ve never thought about it in those terms. Because it’s more about trying to get a vibe right... in a weird, melodramatic, soap opera-y way. I’ve made something that I can’t quite categorise."

Speaking about the storyline, Seth Grahame Smith emphasised the desire to make the situations identifiable: "Despite all the witches, ghosts and vampires, it’s a family drama and a story about a family that’s lost its way, and of Barnabas reminding them who they are."Asked about the possibility of Dark Shadows spawning a movie franchise, Grahame-Smith is enthusiastic: "It's rooted in soap opera, and the supernatural. Without wanting to spoil anything, even if people pass away, they don’t pass away... with over 1,200 episodes to draw from, in terms of characters and plot lines, the possibilities are limitless."