Dark Shadows

[Jeff of Earth-J]

I’d like to start this continuation of the Dark Shadows discussion from the old board with a look at some of the new and upcoming Dark Shadows audio stories from Big Finish Productions. There aren’t nearly as many Dark Shadows audio adventures as there are Doctor Who ones, but the Doctor Who series has been around longer. The Dark Shadows audios are a mixed bag. The first release was a full-cast sequel titled “Return to Collinwood”. Later they began to release a series of interconnected sequential stories grouped in short “seasons”. More recently they’ve been going back to the timeline of the original television show and telling interstitial one-shots. As the Dark Shadows series seems to be catching on, Big Finish seems to be ramping up their production schedule. “Curse of the Pharaoh” was released in September, and the next four are set for monthly release beginning in January at a special subscription rate.

CURSE OF THE PHARAOH:

“Curse of the Pharaoh” stars Nancy Barrett (reprising her role as Carolyn Stoddard) and Marie Wallace (perhaps best known as “Eve” on the TV show) in a new role, famed Egyptologist Dr. Gretchen Warwick. The story doesn’t specify, but I assume it takes place shortly after the end of the series original TV series, circa 1970 or so. Both actresses are kind of rusty and sound as old as they are, not as young as they (Caroline, anyway) are supposed to be. Barrett was always a better actress than Wallace, and that remains true. Wallace’s shortcomings are spotlighted in this “dramatic reading” in which she plays other bit parts, most of the male (Bob the bartender at The Blue Whale, Eliot Stokes on the telephone, Carolyn’s father in flashback), which she performs in a gruff kind of storybook voice as if reading aloud to a child. The story itself is a sequel to the unpopular “Leviathan” television storyline. If you’ve never heard a Dark Shadows audio and thinking of trying one out, there are better ones to start with than this.

KEY: OB = Old Board; UR = Un-Reviewed

Return to Collinwood - 169

SEASON ONE:
S1.1 The House of Despair - 1
S1.2 The Book of Temptation - OB
S1.3 The Christmas Presence - 264
S1.4 The Rage Beneath - 7

SEASON TWO: Kingdom of the Dead - 7

DRAMATIC READINGS:

1. Angelique’s Descent-Pt. 1 - OB
2. Angelique’s Descent-Pt. 2 - OB
3. Clothes of Sand - OB
4. The Ghost Walker - OB
5. The Skin Walkers - OB
6. The Path of Fate - OB
7. The Wicked & the Dead - OB
8. Echoes of Insanity - OB
9. Curse of the Pharaoh - 1
10. Final Judgment - 1
11. Blood Dance - 1
12. The Night Whispers - 1
13. London’s Burning - 2
14. The Doll House - 30
15. The Blind Painter - 87
16. The Death Mask - 88
17. The Creeping Fog - 89
18. The Carrion Queen - 89
19. The Poisoned Soul - 96
20. The Lost Girl - 96
21. The Crimson Pearl - 114
22. The Voodoo Amulet - 129
23. The House by the Sea - 170
24. Dress Me in Dark Dreams - 154
25. The Eternal Actress - 162
26. The Fall of House Trask - 163
27. Operation: Victor - 166
28. Speak No Evil - 166
29. The Last Stop - 166
30. Dreaming of the Water - 167
31. The Haunted Refrain - 167
32. A Collinwood Christmas - 167, 264
33. The Phantom Bride - 167
34. Beneath the Veil - 167
35. The Enemy Within - 167
36. The Lucifer Gambit - 167
37. The Flip Side - 167
38. Beyond the Grave - 168
39. Curtain Call - 168
40. The Harvest of Souls - 170
41. The Happier Dead - 168
42. The Carriage Damned - 168
43. The Devil Cat - 168
44. The Darkest Shadow - 173

SEASON THREE: Bloodlust - 170-172, 181, 269

45. Panic - 173
46. The Curse of Shurafa - 173
47. In the Twinkling of an Eye - 173
48. Deliver Us from Evil - 173
49. Tainted Love - 173
50. ...And Red All Over - 175

Echoes of the Past - 176

Blood & Fire - 176

Haunting Memories - 177

Phantom Melodies - 178

Dreams of Long Ago - 178

THE TONY & CASSANDRA MYSTERIES:
The Mystery at Crucifix Heights - 179
The Mystery of La Danse Macabre - 179
The Mystery of Flight 493 - 180
The Mystery of Karmina Sonata - 180

SHADOWS OF THE NIGHT:
Trio - 180
Honeymoon from Hell - 180
Retreat -180
1:53 AM - 180

MAGGIE & QUENTIN - THE LOVERS' REFRAIN:
The Girl Beneath the Water - 180
The Sand That Speaks HIs Name - 180
The Hollow Winds That Beckon
The Paper to the Flame

GOTHIC PAPERBACK LIBRARY

1. Dark Shadows - p183
2. Victoria Winters - p183
3. Strangers at Collins House - p183
4. The Mystery of Collinwood - p184
5. The Curse of Collinwood - p184
6. Barnabas Collins - p185
7. The Secret of BC - p185
8. The Demon of BC - p185
9. The Foe of BC - p185
10. The Phantom of BC - p185
11. BC vs. the Warlock - p186
12. The Peril of BC - p186
13. BC and the Mysterious Ghost - p187
14. BC and Quentin's Demon - p188
15. BC and the Gypsy Witch - p188
16. B, Q and the Mummy's Curse - p188
17. B, Q and the Avenging Ghost - p242
18. B, Q and the Nightmare Assassin - p244
19. B, Q and the Crystal Coffin
20. B, Q and the Witch's Curse
21. B, Q and the Haunted Cave
22. B, Q and the Frightened Bride
23. B, Q and the Scorpio Curse
24. B, Q and the Serpent
25. B, Q and the Magic Potion
26. B, Q and the Body Snatchers
27. B, Q and Dr. Jekyll's Son
28. B, Q and the Grave Robbers
29. B, Q and the Sea Ghost
30. B, Q and the Mad Magician
31. B, Q and the Hidden Tomb
32. B, Q and the Vampire Beauty
33. House of Dark Shadows - p241

ROB STAEGER: p189

NEWSPAPER STRIPS: p241

[Jeff of Earth-J]

When Quenton returned and had his first conversation with Beth, he said something along the lines of, "You're still here? I would have thought you would have left with your mistress... what was her name? Jenny?" At that time the writers were dropping hints (red herrings?) that the person locked in the tower room was Edward's wife. Either Quentin was being completely disingenuous or the writers hadn't quite nailed down just who was in the tower at that point (or maybe they course corrected on the fly). In any case, it was either his sister-in-law or his wife he pretended not to know.

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

A few things about Jenny. 

1) Tim Burton has said he was a huge Dark Shadows fan as a kid, and you can really see a throughline from Jenny to how Helena Bonham Carter's hairstyle in his movies, particularly Sweeney Todd.

2) From her backstory so far, she really does seem like Edward's wife and Jamison & Nora's mom. She's jealous of Judith, who said they would be "like sisters" then hid her away in the tower. (Because she went mad? Or did she go mad because she was locked away?) 

3) Interestingly, she's the one with the attachment to the cradle, when in the future, it's the ghost of Beth that's attached to it. 

[Tracy of Moon-T]

Matthew Hall, son of Grayson and Sam Hall is selling items from Dark Shadows.

https://msbhall.wordpress.com/2023/01/16/another-edition-of-the-gre...

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

I've seen a bit more -- up to episode 722. So it turns out Jenny is QUENTIN'S wife, not Edward's! I'm a little confused about how that worked out, but OK, whatever, she kills Quentin immediately. Now, this being Dark Shadows, that doesn't mean he stays dead -- Barnabas enlists Angelique to bring him back to life. So, soon after Judith and Carl spend the afternoon debating who might have killed him (despite what Judith told the police), Quentin appears in a rocking chair in Rachel's room, rocking silently with a frozen look on his face.

Also, Jamison seems to have been possessed by Quentin and using his gramophone, which is a very familiar sight at this point, what with David getting the same treatment back in 1969. Now that Quentin is alive again (I guess?), it remains to be seen whether the possession will continue.

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

Oh, wow.. that's awesome!

Tracy of Moon-T said:

Matthew Hall, son of Grayson and Sam Hall is selling items from Dark Shadows.

https://msbhall.wordpress.com/2023/01/16/another-edition-of-the-gre...

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

Slow progress on Dark Shadows, but I've seen through episode 724 now. Angelique has brought Quentin back as a zombie (pre-Romero style). He scares Carl, but Barnabas gets him back into his coffin using Martinique magic and buries him. He gets out, kidnaps Rachel and throws her into his grave, but then is fought off by Sandor. Sandor fights him again when Quentin returns to the Old House. Barnabas is asleep in his coffin downstairs. Rachel is DISTRAUGHT.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Okay, that's the "major plot development" I alluded to.

Important new character next episode.

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

Up to episode 728 now! We've got a new Reverend Trask, and his daughter! Trask, particularly, seems like a really strong villain. Respectable, but despicable and abusive to the children in his charge. Edward was going to have Jamison and Nora sent away to his school while he was away, but Jamison ran off, and when he returned convinced Edward to give it further consideration before sending them away. Governess Rachel was one of the former student's in Trask's school, and she gives Barnabas the lowdown on how awful it was there. 

And yet, Trask managed to raise Quentin back from the dead and give him back his soul, which was possessing Jamison's body. Impressive!

Also, Nora's seeing her mom's face in the fireplace. The last time anyone did that, it was Laura, the Phoenix -- who is regularly resurrected, so it sounds like it could be her again... or rather, her, from before the last time we saw her.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

"We've got a new Reverend Trask..."

With the introduction of Reverend Gregory Trask it's time to update the list of "Dark Shadows Literary & Cinematic Sources". 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - (Victoria Winters)

The Crucible by Arthur Miller - (1795, Victoria, Abigail and Trask)

"The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe - (1795, Barnabas and Trask)

"Dover Beach" by Matthew Arnold - (Roger recites this poem while under Angelique's spell)

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - (Adam)

The Bride of Frankenstein by Universal Studios - (Eve)

The Bible - (Adam & Eve)

"The Premature Burial" by Edgar Allan Poe - (Elizabeth)

The Wolfman by Universal Studios - (Chris Jennings)

"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe - (Quentin)

Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens - (Worthington Hall)

"...and his daughter!"

Gregory Trask and/or his daughter Charity are featured in four audio dramas from Big Finish:

The Wicked & the Dead - (Rev. Trask & Carl Collins)

The Carrion Queen - (Rev. Trask & Angelique)

The Poisoned Soul - (Charity Trask & [redacted])*

The Fall of the House of Trask - (Rev. Trask & Charity)

*The Poisoned Soul features a character you haven't met yet, one also played by Nancy Barrett.

"Governess Rachel was one of the former student's in Trask's school..."

A backstory for Rachel! Up until this point, she was little more than a stand-in for Josette.

"Nora's seeing her mom's face in the fireplace. The last time anyone did that, it was Laura, the Phoenix"

You'll find out soon enough. Look for new characters to be introduced in 730 and 731. 

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

Holy moly -- I can't believe it's been so long since I posted. I haven't seen a ton of episodes since then, but I've seen a few. I'm up to episode 737 now. Laura returned, as Edmund's wife who ran off with Quentin, then was immolated by fire-priests in Alexandria -- but is now back, unharmed. The kids have been shipped off to Trask's school, and Trask has tracked down Rachel (hidden in the mausoleum), and brought her back to the school too, under threat of a murder trial. (She and her boyfriend, Sexy Charles Grodin, apparently killed someone when they escaped years ago? But this is very likely a set-up. Nonetheless, Rachel will be blamed.) Trask is SUPER handsy with Rachel. Ick.

Laura came out to the school, trying to retrieve the kids, and used her phoenix powers to set the joint on fire. Everyone's evacuated, and Nora's back home. Rachel and Jamison are with the rest of the kids in Rockport right now. 

Aaaand... Angelique told Quentin that Laura has an urn with fire inside it that keeps her alive and regenerating; he and Magda scheme to find the urn, which he does (it's hidden under the weathervane-ish statue in the garden), and he pours sand into it to snuff the flame, with the hopes of killing Laura for good.

Still loving the show, but between Mardi Gras and getting slammed with work, progress has been slow. (And with a long vacation coming up in a couple weeks, expect another stall in the near future.) 

[Jeff of Earth-J]

"Holy moly -- I can't believe it's been so long since I posted."

I can. "Laura returned, as Edmund's wife..."

Edward's wife...

"...who ran off with Quentin"

It strikes me that Quentin is "Burke" to Edward's "Roger."

They're presenting Laura backstory like Ursula Andress's in She (1965).

Tim Shaw = more backstory for Rachel.

"...expect another stall in the near future."

[PowerBook Pete, the Mad Mod]

"Tim Shaw"? Is Dark Shadows where the 13th Doctor got the name for the Stenza warrior?