Dark Shadows TV Series Comes To DVD (Entire Series Set)

[Shawn Francis]

TV SHOWS ON DVD (http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Dark-Shadows-The-Complete-Original-Series/16432): TV SHOWS ON DVD: With a May 11th theatrical debut of the new Dark Shadowsfilm (directed by Tim Burton and starring Eva Green, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jackie Earle Haley, Helena Bonham Carter, and Johnny Depp as "Barnabas"), it's probably no surprise that new DVD releases are being planned of the original Dan Curtis-created TV series which started it all. While MPI Home Video hasn't provided any official announcements yet, a trio of advance purchase listings added to Amazon.com gives readers a heads-up about what the studio's new plans are. All 3 titles are scheduled forApril 10th, and it's clear that the first 2 single-disc titles are meant for casual fans. The big title, however, is certainly aimed for the most passionate Dark
Shadows fans!

Here's what's up for pre-order:

Dark Shadows - The Best of Barnabas (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006Z7Z3PO?tag=tvshowsondvdcom&link_code=as3&creativeASIN=B006Z7Z3PO&creative=373489&camp=211189) (180 minutes; $14.98 SRP)
Dark Shadows - Fan Favorites (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006Z7Z3ZO?tag=tvshowsondvdcom&link_code=as3&creativeASIN=B006Z7Z3ZO&creative=373489&camp=211189) (180 minutes; $14.98 SRP)
Dark Shadows - The Complete Original Series (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006Z7Z3KY?tag=tvshowsondvdcom&link_code=as3&creativeASIN=B006Z7Z3KY&creative=373489&camp=211189) (estimated 5000 minutes; $599.98 SRP)

That last listing is certainly the big shocker of the group! When Universal Studios Home Entertainment released their 20-season set of Law & Order - The Complete Series, we were all amazed at a 104-DVD set with over 450 hour-long episodes. However, MPI's various "volume" sets ofDark Shadowswould clock in at roughly two dozen more discs than that, covering over 1200 half-hour episodes that were broadcast every weekday from 1966 to 1971. So, while we don't know what the official disc count forThe Complete Original SeriesDVD set will be until MPI issues their official announcement, it certainly looks like this will be the new record-holder!

Amazon's discounting this enormous set to $419.99 as of this writing (subject to change without notice, at Amazon's discretion), which happens to be less than the bigLaw & Ordercollection. A quick calculation shows that to be less than 35 cents per episode (plus we're not sure yet, but there's obviously a great chance it will include all the extras that the previous DVD sets have had in the past). It's a big amount of bucks at once, but even so you've got to see that this is a LOT of bang for your buck! We can't wait to bring you all the detailed info about this package, and the package art as well. Stay tuned, of course, and we'll bring that to you just as soon as we can!

[Erick H.]

Wow,that complete series set is gonna take a while to get through.Are there still missing episodes from the early days of the show or are all the eps. available now ? I'm not current on my Dark Shadows info.

[startide]

[B]
Dark Shadows - The Complete Original Series (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006Z7Z3KY?tag=tvshowsondvdcom&link_code=as3&creativeASIN=B006Z7Z3KY&creative=373489&camp=211189) (estimated 5000 minutes; $599.98 SRP)

:lol:

I pity the poor bugger who has to review that for their DVD review site.

[f.ramses]

What, exactly constitutes as the "Original Series"? I don't know a lot about this show but I know it's said that there were 1225 episodes and a 5000 minute run time isn't even 1/5th of what I'd expect for that many. I know those are initial details from a retailer so I'm hoping they're not correct but I don't know what "Original" refers to so I wonder... If this has all 1225 episodes I will seriously consider buying it though!

[Shannafey]

I've never gotten a chance to see this series. I know a lot of people like it, but it is still a soap opera and that leaves me skeptical that it will be that enjoyable to me! I couldn't even imagine trying to get through that many episodes!! I think I might bite on the fan favorites one though, since it'll give a good taste of the series for cheap. I bought the newer series for aobut $5 used and still haven't touched it!

[Dobby]

With my luck I'll blow $500 and get a bunch of floaters. I've also gotten damaged DVDs that were in they're DVD holders also. I'll wait till I see what kind of packaging they use. I really want to buy this I love this show!

[maybrick]

I love Dark Shadows, but it really is a series where you're much better off renting them as you watch. It went on so long that you'll NEVER get your money's worth by buying it. Unless you're an absolute diehard fan I doubt you'd watch every episode more than three times in your life time. I first began watching the show back in the 4th grade and close to 30 years later I've still only seen every episode (post Barnabas' intro) once.

To newbies: It may be a task to get through the series. The production values and effects are poor, the acting skill is fair to middling, there are plenty of gaffes due to the virtually live nature of the shoots, and the repetition of already known information in the stories can be quite irritating. It often takes forever to get to where you already know where the story is going to go. A simple plot point can be dragged out for an entire week or two's worth of episodes. But still, there's a charm about the show that cannot be denied.

[rxfiend]

That's with soap operas in general though. Has to drag to fill out the excessive amount of episodes a series puts out. While I would love to get this set, I don't think I would ever be able to devote that much time into it. Bad enough I got stacks of movies that I have yet to watch and bought years ago. lol

[startide]

To newbies: It may be a task to get through the series. The production values and effects are poor, the acting skill is fair to middling, there are plenty of gaffes due to the virtually live nature of the shoots, and the repetition of already known information in the stories can be quite irritating. It often takes forever to get to where you already know where the story is going to go. A simple plot point can be dragged out for an entire week or two's worth of episodes.

You've never watched other soaps I take it then?

[maybrick]

You've never watched other soaps I take it then?

I certainly have. But even in comparison to soap operas made 20 years ago Dark Shadows drags.

[startide]

I certainly have. But even in comparison to soap operas made 20 years ago Dark Shadows drags.

You do realise your description of Dark Shadows as a soap describes the Bold and the Beautiful episode I saw yesterday? So 40 years have passed since Dark Shadows was on TV and soaps haven't changed a bit! Age shall not weary them... So I guess that makes it a timeless classic. :)

[rhett]

Wow, thanks for sharing that news, Shawn. That's seriously epic. In a way soap operas are really the best artistic window into a time and place simply because they run every single weekday and almost without fail for years at a time. Considering they are the longest form of storytelling across multiple mediums (The Guiding Light started in radio in 1937 and went on TV all the way to 2009 -- that's 72 years and over 16,000 TV episodes later!) I always thought it would be fascinating to sit through a year or two from a different time. It would really be like a trip to another era. As far as I know there are no other soap operas that are on DVD in a complete form like that. Not sure if I'd be willing to drop that kind of cash on it, but I sure am interested!

[maybrick]

You do realise your description of Dark Shadows as a soap describes the Bold and the Beautiful episode I saw yesterday? So 40 years have passed since Dark Shadows was on TV and soaps haven't changed a bit! Age shall not weary them... So I guess that makes it a timeless classic. :)

You know what? Don't take this too harshly, but seriously, fuck off. I was merely trying to help people who have never seen Dark Shadows before and wouldn't know what to expect. It doesn't really matter if what I say applies to other things just as long as it's applicable to the subject at hand. Most people who aren't chicks don't usually make a habit of watching The Bold and the Beautiful, or really anybody else for that matter. If you didn't notice lately, most soap operas have gone off the air for lack of viewers. And for what it's worth, I've never seen actors botch lines as badly on later soaps than I've seen them do on a regular basis on DS. Most modern directors would have the good sense to do a second take, but Dan Curtis was much too thrifty for that. He was basically the "One shot Beaudine" of Daytime television. Unless somebody dropped dead of a heart attack or fell through a floorboard he kept the cameras rolling. Also, soaps are meant to be watched in 30 minute installments once a day. When you put them on VHS or DVD and watch them back to back as you can with Dark Shadows, it makes their limitations all that much more noticeable.

[X-human]

Unless somebody dropped dead of a heart attack or fell through a floorboard he kept the cameras rolling.

Nah, he'd probably just write it into the next day's script as a plot point. :D

I've never seen any of the series, and normally I like to watch/read as much as I can for an adaptation like Tim Burton's, but Dark Shadows makes that too enormous of a task. Where's the best place to start? When did it pick up steam?

[maybrick]

Nah, he'd probably just write it into the next day's script as a plot point. :D

I've never seen any of the series, and normally I like to watch/read as much as I can for an adaptation like Tim Burton's, but Dark Shadows makes that too enormous of a task. Where's the best place to start? When did it pick up steam?

Generally, most diehard fans agree that the golden age of dark shadows began with the arrival of Barnabas Collins and lasted until the 1890s flashback storyline involving Quentin Collins ended, but I'm personally a fan of the later "parallel time" episodes. I think probably the best place to get a good condensed version of the Barnabas storyline is to go with the 1991 revival series, although once you get to the last episode you'll be a bit sad that they cancelled the series.

[Dobby]

I recall a shitload of episodes where nothing happened. Yet I constantly found myself glued to the TV. I always loved the atmosphere of this show. Now I just need to figure out what to do with my handful of sets I own. Expensive as hell to purchase wish I had just waited.

[startide]

You know what? Don't take this too harshly, but seriously, fuck off. I was merely trying to help people who have never seen Dark Shadows before and wouldn't know what to expect. It doesn't really matter if what I say applies to other things just as long as it's applicable to the subject at hand. Most people who aren't chicks don't usually make a habit of watching The Bold and the Beautiful, or really anybody else for that matter. And for what it's worth, I've never seen actors botch lines as badly on later soaps than I've seen them do on a regular basis on DS. Most modern directors would have the good sense to do a second take, but Dan Curtis was much too thrifty for that.

No need to be nasty.

FWIW, I don't actually watch Bold, but I see bits and pieces from time to time, and I am well familiar with the formula.

I've never seen Dark Shadows, but, it's a soap! Soaps are soaps, irrespective of their particular setting and theme, and despite what you may think, you'd be amazed at how much things haven't changed!!

[maybrick]

I've never seen Dark Shadows, but, it's a soap! Soaps are soaps, irrespective of their particular setting and theme, and despite what you may think, you'd be amazed at how much things haven't changed!!

I'm actually trying not to be nasty, but if you've never seen Dark Shadows before then how can you honestly say for certain that nothing has changed? Get back to me after you've sat through a volume or ten.

[Myron Breck]

I love that you haven't seen Dark Shadows or Bold but are sure that they are the same thing. Seriously, it makes this whole conversation makes me pretty happy. :)

Honestly, I too have never had the chance to see this series and am quite interested in this release (less so about the Burton/Depp rehash). I'll have to rent it though--$400+ is too rich for a blind buy.

[dave13]

this is making me curious. i think i'll track down a few episodes and take a look, at least so i have an idea of what it's all about.

[maybrick]

I love that you haven't seen Dark Shadows or Bold but are sure that they are the same thing. Seriously, it makes this whole conversation makes me pretty happy. :)

:lol:

I know it may seem weird (or maybe not) but there's been a LOT of advancements in television production in the last half century. And yes, that even includes soap operas. A modern production simply could never get away with being as slapdash as Dark Shadows was 40+ years ago. But that's a lot of it's charm. ;)

[startide]

I'm actually trying not to be nasty, but if you've never seen Dark Shadows before then how can you honestly say for certain that nothing has changed? Get back to me after you've sat through a volume or ten.

I read your description of Dark Shadows - which pretty much summed up every soap I've seen in the last 25 years.

In addition to that, Bold is very popular here in Australia, which means that over the last 10 years or so I've seen numerous cast members interviewed, news stories (yes, news stories!!) and behind the scenes stuff on a number of local TV shows (on the same network it airs) and what you described - that's what happens. Yes, the acting has obviously improved, they don't stuff up their lines much any more, and maybe the production values have changed a little, but in terms of how it's shot, they basically do one take and move on, and honestly, second takes are rare. True, that is all based on Bold observation, but if they operate like that, I imagine the production on the others (Days, Young and the Restless, etc) is very similar. Not to mention that Bold is only half an hour, the others I've seen (including the dearly departed Passions) are full hour shows and they shoot five episodes a week. I can only imagine those shooting schedules!!

So I've never seen Dark Shadows, but based on what I've seen and heard, things haven't progressed as much as you think.

I was just thinking about Passions the other day in fact, wondering if it had been released on DVD (it hasn't), but thought better of it. There's only so much Tabitha and Timmy you can take, and I imagine watching Dark Shadows back to back wouldn't be that different. Not that I was a Passions devotee (it was more memories of it on Buffy, TBH), but I think the idea of soaps on DVD is more appealing that the reality. How people can watch each episode over the course of a week amazes me. The bits of Bold I see are mind numbingly boring, though I can certainly see why they're addictive. :eek:

[maybrick]

So I've never seen Dark Shadows, but based on what I've seen and heard, things haven't progressed as much as you think.


Actually, soaps have progressed EXACTLY as much as I think and you've pretty much summed up the ways that they have. It is you who is reading way more into what I've said than what I intended, otherwise you would have dropped it by now. Yes, I agree many of the problems Dark Shadows has are common with soap operas in general. But ultimately, SO WHAT? Does that automatically make my observations any less valid to a person who has never bothered to watch a soap opera before until deciding to check out this show? I'm not trying to compare it to other soaps, I merely described what Dark Shadows was like. I'm sorry my short description didn't meet your approval. :rolleyes:

Again, get back to me once you've actually watched Dark Shadows.

[Dobby]

Dark Shadows - Fan Favorites (180 minutes; $14.98 SRP) Mmmmm I was thinking that's like what 4 episodes or something. No way that will do this show any justice at all. Kind of a waste of money buying that unless I'm wrong. Anybody have any additional info on these sets?

[dave13]

Dark Shadows - Fan Favorites (180 minutes; $14.98 SRP) Mmmmm I was thinking that's like what 4 episodes or something. No way that will do this show any justice at all. Kind of a waste of money buying that unless I'm wrong. Anybody have any additional info on these sets?

i know next to nothing about the show, but i was thinking the same thing. at 20 minutes a show, that's six episodes. six, out of 1200. about as comprehensive as a highlight reel. not something i'd spend money on. if it's anything like the other soaps i've seen (my mom watched Y&R for a few years when i was growing up - one tv in the house meant i watched it a lot too), then it's kind of necessary to watch several consecutive episodes to really get any kind of mileage out of it.

[Dobby]

i know next to nothing about the show, but i was thinking the same thing. at 20 minutes a show, that's six episodes. six, out of 1200. about as comprehensive as a highlight reel. not something i'd spend money on. if it's anything like the other soaps i've seen (my mom watched Y&R for a few years when i was growing up - one tv in the house meant i watched it a lot too), then it's kind of necessary to watch several consecutive episodes to really get any kind of mileage out of it.


Yeah buying this would be like throwing a hot dog into a cave.

[dave13]

Yeah buying this would be like throwing a hot dog into a cave.

:lol: i have NO idea what that means!

[deepred]

Yeah buying this would be like throwing a hot dog into a cave.

:lol: i have NO idea what that means!

Hysterical! Me either but I know I will use it the next time I want to make someone scratch their head. LOL

[ZoSo]

Hysterical! Me either but I know I will use it the next time I want to make someone scratch their head. LOL

It's USUALLY a term used when referring to sexual intercourse with a "loose" woman, but here it makes no sense. :)

[baggio]

So, is anybody buying the complete set?

It's only $431.99 :D


http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Shadows-Complete-Original-Edition/dp/B007PZ6SYK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338920785&sr=8-1

[DVDBone]

I bought the limited edition set when it first came as a complete blind buy. I was born in the late 70s so I really had no experience with the show as a kid. I'm 76 eps in (watching at least 1 a night) and I have to say that I'm enjoying the hell out of it. There's no spooky vampires or even really any ghosts yet but the drama between the Collins' family and Burke Devlin make for some captivating TV. Of course it's a soap opera so things are drawn out a bit too long but I haven't regretted the purchase yet. I'll let you know my final thoughts in ~3 years when I get through the remaining 1,150 episodes ...

[maybrick]

I was born in the 70s as well but I had seen the show as a kid. When you were born makes absolutely no difference. Dark Shadows was rerun much like any other old program. You just had to be in the right place at the right time.

[Katatonia]

The entire set is the Amazon deal of the day today: http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/discussion/AB8O4FGOWLM1I/

It's still $279.99 however.

[JGrendel]

Guess who's getting the complete set for christmas from their parents? Yay me!!!!