Plot: What’s it about?
This four disc collection is the tenth volume in MPI’s line of Dark Shadows, the ever popular soap opera from the late 1960s. The show began as a typical soap opera, but one with a few hints of the supernatural from time to time. As some episodes passed, the overall ratings were quite unimpressive. But the supernatural tinged episodes were hits, which caused a real spike in the number of viewers. So in a move of mere common sense, the decision was made to pull more of a focus toward the supernatural angle. An actor named Jonathan Frid was brought in to play Barnabas Collins, a conflicted vampire. Collins is almost two centuries old, but remains a resident of his original home. Collinwood is his estate, or more to the point, it was his estate, as his modern day relatives have overtaken the location. The family members don’t know Barnabas is a vampire for sure, instead they assume he is a cousin. You know, one of those cousins who happens to a dead ringer for someone, if such a person exists. As his relatives go through the motions of gossip and general misbehavior, Barnabas wrestles with his undead status. He has lost the love of his life and is doomed to lose everyone close to him, so he is often depressed. Will he find any cure or respite, or is Collinwood his eternal suffering?
The first soap opera to be released on DVD wasn’t General Hospital or One Life to Live, instead it was the classic Dark Shadows. The melodrama is on a different scale, with vampires as opposed to handsome hunks and bored housewives, but this is still a soap opera. As a fan of horror movies, but not a fan of soap operas, I approached Dark Shadows with some reservations. After all, I am not into all the love triangles, overheard conversations, and bed to bed romances that soap operas live off of. To be honest, the soap opera genre offers little reason to watch, as plots are recycled on an annual basis. So even with vampires and a dark, depressing tone, Dark Shadows had an uphill battle to win me over. In the end, I wasn’t as impressed with Dark Shadows as its rabid fans, but I found some elements that I liked. Of course, the performance of Jonathan Frid as Barnabas makes the series tick. He wasn’t in the show’s earliest episodes, but when he was introduced, the ratings soared and he was made into the show’s focal attraction. His sympathetic, yet threatening presence really powered the series. MPI has issued a series of Dark Shadows collection, each with four discs and a total of forty episodes. This is the tenth such release, which means you’ll need to watch the previous ones to be up to speed. I have to admit, I had fun with these episodes, so Dark Shadows earns a solid recommendation.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in full frame, as intended. These episodes were shot on a hectic production schedule, which means shots are often misframed and heck, you’ll even notice some out of focus scenes. So it isn’t hard to imagine that the episodes don’t look great, but MPI has taken a lot of effort to make solid transfers. The original masters for some episodes have been lost, which creates added variance, but all the episodes are passable. The prints have debris and grain, but for a soap opera, one of this age to boot, you can’t be that critical. There is some softness too, but detail is more than decent in most episodes. All in all, the episodes look good and I have to think MPI has done the best possible treatment here.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio is around the same lines as the video, which isn’t bad news, as the elements are better than expected. I was worried the soundtracks would be buried in hiss and distortion, but that wasn’t the case. That’s good, as the series has some cool music, which comes through well here, given the source material. In other words, you will notice some inconsistencies, but as far as the basics, the audio is in fine condition. I heard no issues with dialogue, so vocals are clean and never suffer from harshness. I wouldn’t rave about the audio here, but when you consider the age and nature of the elements, the audio is acceptable.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release includes interviews with cast members Alexandra Moltke, John Karlen, Kathryn Leigh Scott, and relatives of other actors. I was pleased to see these interviews, but audio commentary tracks would have been awesome.
