Editing Dark Shadows

{{short description|American Gothic soap opera}}
{{about|the 1960s ABC soap opera|other uses|Dark Shadows (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = Dark Shadows (original television series) logo.svg
| caption              = 
| genre                = {{Unbulleted list|
[[Soap opera]]|
[[Gothic fiction|Gothic]]|
[[Horror fiction|Horror]]
}}
| runtime              = 20-22 minutes
| producer             = Robert Costello
| creator              = [[Dan Curtis]]
| developer            = [[Art Wallace]]
| writer               = [[Gordon Russell (writer)|Gordon Russell]]<br>[[Sam Hall (writer)|Sam Hall]]<br>[[Ron Sproat]]<br>Violet Welles<br>[[Malcolm Marmorstein]]<br>Art Wallace<br>Joe Caldwell<br>[[Francis Swann]]<br>Ralph Ellis
| starring             = [[Joan Bennett]]<br>[[Louis Edmonds]]<br>[[Nancy Barrett]]<br>[[Denise Nickerson]]<br>[[Mitchell Ryan]]<br>[[Alexandra Isles|Alexandra Moltke]]<br>[[Grayson Hall]]<br>[[Kate Jackson]]<br>[[Jonathan Frid]]<br>[[Kathryn Leigh Scott]]<br>[[David Selby]]<br>[[Clarice Blackburn]]<br>[[Lara Parker]]<br>[[Thayer David]]<br>[[John Karlen]]<br>David Henesy
| composer             = [[Robert Cobert]]
| country              = United States
| company              = Dan Curtis Productions
| network              = [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
| first_aired          = {{Start date|1966|6|27}}
| last_aired           = {{End date|1971|4|2}}
| num_episodes         = 1,225
| num_seasons          = 6
| list_episodes        = List of Dark Shadows episodes
}}

'''''Dark Shadows''''' is an American [[Gothic fiction|Gothic]] [[soap opera]] that aired weekdays on the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] television network from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulations of the wealthy Collins family of [[Collinsport]], [[Maine]], where a number of supernatural occurrences take place.

The series became popular when [[vampire]] [[Barnabas Collins]] ([[Jonathan Frid]]) was introduced ten months into its run. It would also feature [[ghost]]s, [[werewolf|werewolves]], [[zombie]]s, man-made monsters, [[witch]]es, [[warlock]]s, [[time travel]], and a [[Parallel universe (fiction)|parallel universe]]. A small company of actors each played many roles; as actors came and went, some characters were played by more than one actor. The show was distinguished by its melodramatic performances, atmospheric interiors, numerous dramatic plot twists, broad cosmos of characters, and heroic adventures. Unusual among the soap operas of its time, which were aimed primarily at adults, ''Dark Shadows'' developed a large [[teenager|teenage]] audience and a dedicated [[cult following]]. By 1969, it had become ABC's highest-rated daytime series.

The original network run of the show amassed 1,225 episodes. The success of the series spawned a media franchise that has included two feature films (''[[House of Dark Shadows]]'' in 1970 and ''[[Night of Dark Shadows]]'' in 1971), a [[Dark Shadows (1991 TV series)|1991 TV remake]], [[Dark Shadows (2004 TV pilot)|an unsprouted 2004 remake pilot]], a [[Dark Shadows (film)|2012 film reboot]] directed by [[Tim Burton]], and numerous spin-off novels and comics. Since 2006, the series has continued as a [[Dark Shadows (audio drama)|range of audio dramas]] produced by [[Big Finish Productions]], featuring members of the original cast including [[David Selby]], [[Lara Parker]], and [[Kathryn Leigh Scott]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bigfinish.com/hubs/v/dark-shadows|title=Hubs - Big Finish|work=bigfinish.com|access-date=2015-01-15|archive-date=2015-01-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150121033141/http://www.bigfinish.com/hubs/v/dark-shadows|url-status=live}}</ref>

''[[TV Guide]]''{{'}}s list of all-time Top Cult Shows ranked the series #19 in 2004,<ref>[http://forums.tannerworld.com/showthread.php?t=4001 TV Guide's 25 Top Cult Shows&nbsp;— TannerWorld Junction] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090104213337/http://forums.tannerworld.com/showthread.php?t=4001 |date=2009-01-04 }} TannerWorld Junction: May 26, 2004</ref> and #23 in 2007.<ref name="TopCultShows">[https://www.tvguide.com/news/top-cult-shows-40239.aspx TV Guide Names the Top Cult Shows Ever&nbsp;— Today's News: Our Take] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812080754/http://www.tvguide.com/news/top-cult-shows-40239.aspx |date=2012-08-12 }} [[TV Guide]]: June 29, 2007.</ref>

==History==
Creator [[Dan Curtis]] claimed he had a dream in 1965 of a mysterious young woman on a train. The following day Curtis told his wife Norma Mae Curtis of the dream and pitched the idea as a TV series to [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]. Network officials greenlit production and Curtis began hiring crew members.{{sfn|Hamrick|Jamison|2012|page=3}}

[[Art Wallace]] was hired to create a story from Curtis's dream sequence. Wallace wrote the [[story bible]] ''Shadows on the Wall'',<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Wall-Art-Wallace/dp/B000M78HJC|title=Shadows on the Wall|first=Art|last=Wallace|author-link=Art Wallace|year=1995|orig-year=1966|publisher=[[Pomegranate (publisher)|Pomegranate]]|location=[[Portland, Oregon]]|asin=B000M78HJC|access-date=2019-08-02|archive-date=2021-05-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525082542/https://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Wall-Art-Wallace/dp/B000M78HJC|url-status=live}}</ref> the proposed title for the show, later changed to ''Dark Shadows''.<ref name="DTV Story 1">{{cite web|first=Roger|last=Newcomb|title='Dark Shadows' Premiered 50 Years Ago Today on ABC|work=[[List of soap opera media outlets|We Love Soaps]]|publisher=[[Blogger (website)|Blogger]]|location=United States|date=June 27, 2016|url=https://www.welovesoaps.net/2016/06/dark-shadows-premiered-50-years-ago.html|access-date=August 1, 2019|archive-date=August 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190802050535/https://www.welovesoaps.net/2016/06/dark-shadows-premiered-50-years-ago.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Robert Costello]] was added as a [[line producer]], and Curtis took on the creator and executive producer roles. [[Lela Swift]], [[John Sedwick]], and [[Henry Kaplan]] all agreed to be directors for the new series. [[Robert Cobert]] created the musical score and [[Sy Tomashoff]] designed the set.

===Broadcast history===
Perhaps one of ABC's first truly popular daytime series, along with the game show ''[[Let's Make a Deal]]'' (which had moved from its original home [[NBC]] in 1968), ''Dark Shadows'' found its demographic niche in teenagers coming home from school in time to watch the show at 4 p.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern]]/3 p.m. [[Central Time Zone|Central]], where it aired for almost all of its network run, the exception being a 15-month stretch between April 1967 and July 1968, when it aired a half-hour earlier. Originally, it was aired in black-and-white, but the show went into color starting with the episode broadcast on August 11, 1967. It became one of ABC's first daytime shows to win the [[Nielsen rating|rating]] for its timeslot, leading to the demise of NBC's original ''[[Match Game]]'' and [[Art Linkletter]]'s long-running ''[[Art Linkletter's House Party|House Party]]'' on [[CBS]], both in 1969.

''Dark Shadows'' began with a 4.1 rating in the 1965–66 TV season, tying for thirteenth place out of eighteen daytime dramas. The audience figures only improved slightly, to 4.3, in 1966–67. 1966 was a volatile year for soaps, and many ended their runs between the premiere date of ''Dark Shadows'' in June and the month of December. By that time, six months had passed, and ''Dark Shadows'' had failed to gain major traction. In June, it ranked #13 out of 18 soaps, and by December, the lower-rated offerings were gone and the show officially ranked #13 out of 13 soaps. "The show was limping along, really limping", head writer Sam Hall remembered, "and ABC said, 'We're canceling it. Unless you pick up in 26 weeks, you're finished.' [Series creator Dan Curtis] had always wanted to do a vampire picture, so he decided to bring a vampire — [[Barnabas Collins]] — to the series."<ref name="barnabasratings">{{Cite web|url=https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/uncategorized/dark-shadows-the-classic-vampire-soap-opera-141834|title=Dark Shadows Remembered: 6 Surprising Facts About TV's Classic Supernatural Soap Opera|date=October 24, 2019|access-date=September 15, 2017|archive-date=June 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609230541/https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/uncategorized/dark-shadows-the-classic-vampire-soap-opera-141834|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Jonathan Frid Barnabas Collins Dark Shadows 1968.JPG|thumb|upright=0.85|[[Jonathan Frid]] as [[Barnabas Collins]], a 200-year-old vampire]]
Barnabas ([[Jonathan Frid]]) was introduced in April 1967. With a time slot change to 3:30 Eastern/2:30 Central, many more teenagers found the program. By May 1968, the series was still in last place (out of 12 offerings), but rose to a 7.3 rating, the rough equivalent of gaining the viewership of three million households in the span of one year. ''Dark Shadows'' returned to its 4 p.m. Eastern/3 p.m. Central time slot in July 1968, without losing much of its audience. ''[[One Life to Live]]'', which was launched by ABC in July 1968 in the 3:30 slot, also sought to reach the newfound young demographic.

The series reached its peak in popularity during a storyline set in the year 1897, broadcast from March 1969. By the end of May, ''Dark Shadows'' was ABC's most popular soap opera, and by late 1969 it was reaching between 7 and 9 million viewers on any given day, and ranking 11th out of a total 15 daytime dramas in that time period.<ref>Leigh Scott, Kathryn (ed.) (2012). ''The Dark Shadows Companion: 25th Anniversary Collection''. Pomegranate Press, 1990. pg. 151; {{ISBN|0-938817-25-6}}.</ref><ref>[[List of US daytime soap opera ratings#1960s]]</ref>

In November 1969, the 1897 storyline came to an end. With ratings at an all-time high, the writers were under pressure to hold the audience.<ref>Leigh Scott, Kathryn (ed.), The Dark Shadows Companion: 25th Anniversary Collection. Pomegranate Press, 1990. pg. 157; {{ISBN|0-938817-25-6}}.</ref> Fans tended to dislike the portrayal of Barnabas as the pawn of some greater power in the next storyline, known as "The Leviathans". They were more interested in the archetypes of classic horror—the vampire, the witch, the werewolf—than in off-camera suggestion.<ref>Thompson, Jeff, The Television Horrors of Dan Curtis: "Dark Shadows," "The Night Stalker" and Other Productions, McFarland & Co Inc, 2009. pp. 65. {{ISBN|9780786436934}}.</ref> The launch of ''[[Somerset (TV series)|Somerset]]'' in March 1970, a much-publicized spin-off of NBC's ''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]'',  also hurt the series considerably.

The release of the film ''[[House of Dark Shadows]]'' in September of that year is also thought to have caused TV ratings to fall, possibly due to parents, attending the film with their children, discouraging their choice of television viewing material due to the amount of blood spilled on screen.<ref>Leigh Scott, Kathyrn (ed.), The Dark Shadows Companion: 25th Anniversary Collection. Pomegranate Press, 1990. pp. 177. {{ISBN|0-938817-25-6}}.</ref> Beginning in the fall of 1970, several ABC stations across the country dropped the show due to falling viewership. Within six months, ratings dropped from 7.3 to 5.3., though the ratings improved in its final weeks.<ref>Leigh Scott, Kathyrn; Jim Pierson (ed.), Dark Shadows Almanac. Pomegranate Press, 1995. pp. 104. {{ISBN|0-938817-18-3}}.</ref> The series was canceled on April 2, 1971, and replaced the following Monday with a new version of the game show ''[[Password (American game show)|Password]]''. The last minute of the final episode included a voiceover by actor [[Thayer David]] wrapping up many of the plotlines on the show.<ref>{{Citation|last=Classic Horrors|title=Dark Shadows: Final Scene (4-2-1971)|date=2017-04-02|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMZFHOKvkME |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/MMZFHOKvkME| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|access-date=2018-01-18}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

The original cast reunited in 2003 for a special reunion play recorded for [[MPI Media Group|MPI]], and in 2004 resumed production of [[Dark Shadows (audio drama)|''Dark Shadows'' audio dramas]] for [[Big Finish Productions|Big Finish]].<ref name=RetFan11/> These dramas have been ongoing for 10 seasons.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bigfinish.com/hubs/v/dark-shadows|title=Hubs - Big Finish Audio|website=www.bigfinish.com|access-date=2018-01-18|archive-date=2018-01-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125215335/https://www.bigfinish.com/hubs/v/dark-shadows|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Storylines===
{{Main|Dark Shadows (televised storylines)}}

====1966/7====
: '''Victoria Winters' Parentage''', episode 1 to 92
:: [[Victoria Winters]] and her role as governess is inspired by title character in [[Charlotte Brontë]]'s [[Gothic fiction|Gothic]] novel ''[[Jane Eyre]]''.<ref name="Scott-p134">Leigh Scott, Kathryn; Jim Pierson (ed.), Dark Shadows Almanac. Pomegranate Press, 1995. pp. 134. {{ISBN|0-938817-18-3}}.</ref>

: '''Burke Devlin's Revenge For His Manslaughter Conviction''', episode 1 to 201
:: Burke Devlin and his motivation for returning is reminiscent of [[Alexandre Dumas]]' novel ''[[The Count of Monte Cristo]]''.<ref>In episode 28, Burke Devlin is seen reading this novel. It similarity to events is commented upon, i.e. a man returning to his home town to wreak revenge.</ref>

: '''Roger Collins' Mysterious Car Crash''', episode 13 to 32

: '''The Murder of Bill Malloy''', episode 46 to 126

: '''Laura Collins the Phoenix''', episode 123 to 192

: '''Jason McGuire Blackmails Elizabeth Collins Stoddard''', episode 193 to 275

: '''The Arrival of the Vampire Barnabas Collins''', episode 211 to 220
::Elements of this storyline are inspired by the novel [[Dracula]]''[[Dracula]]'' by [[Bram Stoker]].

: '''The Kidnapping of Maggie Evans''', episode 221 to 261

: '''Julia Hoffman's Attempt to Cure Barnabas''', episode 265 to 351

: '''Barnabas Terrorizing Julia Hoffman''', episode 352 to 365

====1795====
: '''Angelique Bouchard's Vampire Curse on Barnabas''', episode 366 to 426

: '''Victoria Winters's Witchcraft Trial''', episode 400 to 461
:: The witchcraft trial involving Victoria Winters is inspired by [[Arthur Miller]]'s play ''[[The Crucible]]''. Reverend Gregory Trask's fate is inspired by [[Edgar Allan Poe]]'s short story "[[The Cask of Amontillado]]."<ref name="Scott-p134" />

: '''Nathan Forbes' Manipulation of Millicent Collins''', episode 419 to 460
:: Nathan Forbes's manipulation of Millicent Collins is reminiscent of the 1938 play and the 1944 film ''[[Gaslight (1944 film)|Gaslight]]''.

====1968/9====
: '''The Mystery of Jeff Clark''', episode 461 to 665

: '''The Creation of Adam''', episode 466 to 636
:: The character of Adam is inspired by [[Mary Shelley]]'s horror novel ''[[Frankenstein]]''.<ref name="Scott-p134" />

: '''The Dream Curse''', episode 477 to 548

: '''Elizabeth's Fear of Being Buried Alive''', episode 513 to 672
:: This storyline is inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's short story "[[The Premature Burial]]."<ref name="Scott-p134" />

: '''Nicholas Blair's Scheme to Create A Master Race''', episode 549 to 633/634

: '''Chris Jennings' Werewolf Curse''', episode 627 to 700

: '''The Ghosts of Quentin Collins and Beth Chavez Haunt Collinwood''', episode 639 to 700
:: The character of [[Quentin Collins]] and his role is inspired by Peter Quint in [[Henry James]]'s Gothic novel ''[[The Turn of the Screw]]''.<ref name="Scott-p134" />

====1897====
: '''Barnabas’ Mission to Save David Collins''', episode 700 to 839
:: The heartbeat that tortures Quentin is inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's short story "[[The Tell-Tale Heart]]."<ref name="Scott-p134" />

: '''Jenny Collins, the Mad Woman in the Attic''', episode 707 to 748
:: Jenny Collins is inspired by the character of [[Bertha Mason]] from Charlotte Brontë's gothic novel ''Jane Eyre''.<ref name="Scott-p134" />

: '''Laura Collins the Phoenix''', episode 728 to 761
:: Worthington Hall and Gregory Trask's running of it is inspired by [[Charles Dickens]]'s novel ''[[Nicholas Nickleby]]''.<ref name="Scott-p134" />

: '''Magda Rakosi's Werewolf Curse on Quentin''', episode 749 to 834
:: The portrait of Quentin Collins is inspired by [[Oscar Wilde]]'s Gothic novel ''[[The Picture of Dorian Gray]]''.<ref name="Scott-p134" />

: '''Gregory Trask's Manipulation of Judith Collins''', episode 762 to 884
:: Gregory Trask's fate is inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Cask of Amontillado".<ref name="Scott-p134" />
:: Minerva Trask's murder is inspired by [[The Manchurian Candidate (1962 film)|''The Manchurian Candidate'']].

: '''The Hand of Count Petofi''', episode 778 to 814
:: The hand of Count Andreas Petofi is inspired by [[W. F. Harvey|William Fryer Harvey]]'s short story "[[The Beast with Five Fingers]]".  Quentin's torture is inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s short story "[[The Pit and the Pendulum]]."<ref name="Scott-p134" />

: '''The Creation of Amanda Harris''', episode 812 to 850
:: The theme of an artist's falling in love with his own creation who is brought to life by supernatural forces is reminiscent of the classic Greek myth of ''[[Pygmalion (mythology)|Pygmalion]]''.

: '''Josette's Return''', episode 844 to 885

: '''Count Petofi Body Swaps with Quentin''', episode 849 to 883
:: The character of Count Petofi is based on the real-world [[Count of St. Germain]], a Georgian-era courtier and man of science who claimed to be, and possibly was, the son of [[Francis II Rákóczi]]. In the 19th century, Theosophist legends claimed that he attained the secret of immortality.<ref name="Scott-p134" /><ref>"Saint Germain" (claimed by the Church Universal and Triumphant to have been dictated by Saint Germain to Mark Prophet) Studies in Alchemy Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA: 1974 Summit Lighthouse. See occult biographical sketch of history of Saint Germain, pages 80–90</ref>

====1969/70====
: '''Barnabas Falls Under the Control of the Leviathans''', episode 886 to 950
:: This storyline is inspired by [[H. P. Lovecraft]]’s shared universe known as "[[Cthulhu Mythos|The Cthulhu Mythos]]," and particularly by the short story "[[The Dunwich Horror]]".<ref name="Scott-p134" />

: '''The Mystery of Grant Douglas and Olivia Corey''', episode 888 to 934
:: This storyline is inspired by the Greek mythological tale of [[Orpheus|Orpheus and Eurydice]].<ref name="Scott-p134" />

: '''Chris Jennings' Werewolf Curse''', episode 889 to 978

: '''The Leviathan Child''', episode 891 to 929

: '''Jeb Hawkes the Leviathan Leader''', episode 935 to 980

: '''The Ghosts of Gerard Stiles and Daphne Harridge Haunt Collinwood''', episode 1071 to 1109
:: This storyline is inspired by Henry James's Gothic novel ''The Turn of the Screw''.<ref name="Scott-p134" />

====1970 Parallel Time====
: '''The Death of Angelique Collins''', episode 969 to 1060
:: This storyline is inspired by [[Daphne du Maurier]]'s Gothic novel ''[[Rebecca (novel)|Rebecca]]''.<ref name="Scott-p134" />

: '''Cyrus Longworth's Experiment''', episode 978 to 1035
:: This storyline is inspired by [[Robert Louis Stevenson]]'s "chilling shocker" short novel ''[[Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]''.<ref name="Scott-p134" />

====1995====
: '''The Destruction of Collinwood''', episode 1061 to 1070

====1840====
: '''Barnabas' Infatuation with Roxanne Drew''', episode 1081 to 1150

: '''The Head of Judah Zachery''', episode 1117 to 1138

: '''Judah Zachery's Possession of Gerard Stiles''', episode 1139 to 1197

: '''Quentin Collins' Witchcraft Trial''', episode 1162 to 1197

====1841 Parallel Time====
: '''Bramwell Collins' and Catherine Harridge's Love Affair''', episode 1186 to 1245
:: This storyline is inspired by [[Emily Brontë]]'s Gothic novel ''[[Wuthering Heights]]''.<ref name="Scott-p134" />

: '''The Cursed Room Lottery''', episode 1194 to 1245
:: This storyline is inspired by [[Shirley Jackson]]'s short story "[[The Lottery]]."<ref name="Scott-p134" />

==Production==
===Casting===
{{main|List of Dark Shadows characters}}
[[Alexandra Isles]] (then Alexandra Moltke), a young actress with little experience, was cast in the role of Victoria Winters,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2006-08-28-0608280144-story.html|title='Dark Shadows' still holding onto its place in the sun|first=Steve|last=Rothaus|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|publisher=[[Tribune Publishing]]|location=[[Chicago]]|date=August 28, 2006|access-date=July 27, 2019 |archive-date=July 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730025733/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2006-08-28-0608280144-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> an orphan who journeys to the mysterious, fictional town of [[Collinsport|Collinsport, Maine]], to unravel the mysteries of her past.

Veteran film star [[Joan Bennett]] was cast as Victoria's employer [[Elizabeth Collins Stoddard]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cleveland.com/tv-blog/2016/06/50_frightfully_fun_facts_for_the_50th_anniversary_of_dark_shadows.html|title=50 frightfully fun facts for the 50th anniversary of 'Dark Shadows'|first=Mark|last=Dawidziak|work=[[Cleveland.com]]|publisher=[[Advance Publications]]|location=[[Cleveland]]|date=June 27, 2016|access-date=July 29, 2019|archive-date=July 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730025732/https://www.cleveland.com/tv-blog/2016/06/50_frightfully_fun_facts_for_the_50th_anniversary_of_dark_shadows.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> a woman who had not left her home in over eighteen years. Stage actor [[Louis Edmonds]] was cast as Elizabeth's brother, a widower, Roger Collins.{{sfn|Hamrick|Jamison|2012|page=128}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Big Lou: The Life and Career of Actor Louis Edmonds|first=Craig|last=Hamrick|publisher=[[iUniverse]]|location=[[Bloomington, Indiana]]|year=2004|isbn=978-0595297160}}</ref> Another stage actress, [[Nancy Barrett]], was cast as Elizabeth's headstrong daughter Carolyn Stoddard,{{sfn|Hamrick|Jamison|2012|page=4}} and child actor David Henesy was cast as Roger's troubled son [[David Collins (Dark Shadows)|David Collins]].{{sfn|Hamrick|Jamison|2012|page=4}}

As production on the series continued, many new and mysterious characters, played by unfamiliar actors and actresses, were introduced. Two early cast changes brought stage actors [[David Ford (actor)|David Ford]] and [[Thayer David]] into the ensemble. Thayer David would go on to play several villains over the course of the series. [[Michael Currie (actor)|Michael Currie]], as Constable Jonas Carter, was replaced by veteran actor [[Dana Elcar]], as Sheriff George Patterson. Most of the actors played multiple characters, and those characters often returned through flashbacks, through the use of parallel timelines, or as ghosts.

====Main cast====
Character names noted with '''*''' indicates appearance of a counterpart in an alternate reality known as ''Parallel Time'' during episodes 969 to 1060 or 1186 to 1245.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! rowspan="2"|Actor
! rowspan="2"|Character(s)
! rowspan="2"|Episodes
! colspan="6"|Years
|-
! class=unsortable style="width:10%;"|[[List of Dark Shadows episodes#1966|1966]]
! class=unsortable style="width:10%;"|[[List of Dark Shadows episodes#1967|1967]]
! class=unsortable style="width:10%;"|[[List of Dark Shadows episodes#1968|1968]]
! class=unsortable style="width:10%;"|[[List of Dark Shadows episodes#1969|1969]]
! class=unsortable style="width:10%;"|[[List of Dark Shadows episodes#1970|1970]]
! class=unsortable style="width:10%;"|[[List of Dark Shadows episodes#1971|1971]]
|-
| [[Joan Bennett]]
| [[Elizabeth Collins Stoddard]]*<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Naomi Collins]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Judith Collins Trask]]<br>Flora Collins*
| 391
| colspan="6" {{yes2|'''1 to 1245'''}}
|-
| [[Louis Edmonds]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Roger Collins]]*<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Joshua Collins]]*<br>Edward Collins<br>[[Daniel Collins (Dark Shadows)|Daniel Collins]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Amadeus Collins]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Brutus Collins]]
| 323
| colspan="6" {{yes2|'''1 to 1245'''}}
|-
| [[Kathryn Leigh Scott]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Maggie Evans]]*<br>[[Josette du Pres|Josette DuPres Collins]]<ref group="Note">Parallel counterpart played by Mary Cooper during episodes 1206 to 1238.</ref><br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Rachel Drummond]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Kitty Soames]]
| 310
| colspan="5" {{yes2|'''1 to 1108'''}}
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[Alexandra Isles]]
| [[Victoria Winters]] #1 <ref group="Note">Played by Betsy Durkin during episodes 630 to 650; and Carolyn Groves during episodes 662 to 665.</ref>
| 335
| colspan="3" {{yes2|'''1 to 627'''}}
| colspan="3" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[Mitchell Ryan]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Burke Devlin]] #1
| 107
| colspan="2" {{yes2|'''1 to 248'''}}
| colspan="4" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[Nancy Barrett]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Carolyn Stoddard]]<ref group="Note">Played by Diana Walker during episode 578.</ref><br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Millicent Collins]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Charity Trask]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Pansy Faye]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Leticia Faye]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Melanie Collins]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Amanda Collins]]
| 408
| colspan="6" {{yes2|'''2 to 1245'''}}
|-
| [[Joel Crothers]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Joe Haskell]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Nathan Forbes]]
| 166
| colspan="4" {{yes2|'''2 to 666'''}}
| colspan="2" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| Frank Schofield
| Bill Malloy
| 15
| colspan="1" {{yes2|'''3 to 126'''}}
| colspan="5" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| David Henesy
| [[David Collins (Dark Shadows)|David Collins]]*<br>[[Daniel Collins (Dark Shadows)|Daniel Collins]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Jamison Collins]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Tad Collins]]
| 277
| colspan="5" {{yes2|'''4 to 1165'''}}
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[David Ford (actor)|David Ford]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Sam Evans]] #2 <ref group="Note">Played by Mark Allen during episodes 5 to 22.</ref><br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Andre DuPres]]
| 108
| colspan="3" {{yes2|'''35 to 530'''}}
| colspan="3" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[Thayer David]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Matthew Morgan]] #2 <ref group="Note">Played by George Mitchell during episodes 6 to 16.</ref><br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Ben Stokes]]*<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Timothy Eliot Stokes]]*<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Sandor Rakosi]]<br>[[Andreas Petofi]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Mordecai Grimes]]
| 225
| colspan="6" {{yes2|'''38 to 1245'''}}
|-
| [[Dana Elcar]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|George Patterson]] #1 <ref group="Note">Played by Vince O'Brien during episodes 148 to 174, 328 and 503 to 675; Angus Cairns during episodes 341 and 342; and Alfred Sandor during episode 615.</ref>
| 35
| colspan="2" {{yes2|'''54 to 329'''}}
| colspan="4" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[Clarice Blackburn]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Sarah Johnson]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Abigail Collins]]<br />[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Minerva Trask]]
| 79
| colspan="5" {{yes2|'''67 to 1104'''}}
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[Conard Fowkes]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Frank Garner]]
| 19
| colspan="2" {{yes2|'''92 to 180'''}}
| colspan="4" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[Diana Millay]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Laura Collins]]
| 61
| colspan="2" {{yes2|'''123 to 191'''}}
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="1" {{yes2|'''730 to 760'''}}
| colspan="2" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[Vince O'Brien]]
| Lt. [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Dan Riley]]<br>George Patterson #2
| 11
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="3" {{yes2|'''148 to 174, 328, 503 to 533 & 658 to 675'''}}
| colspan="4" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[John Lasell]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Peter Guthrie]]
| 25
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="1" {{yes2|'''160 to 186'''}}
| colspan="4" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[John Harkins (actor)|John Harkins]]
| Lieutenant [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Costa]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Garth Blackwood]]<br>Mr. [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Strack]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Horace Gladstone]]
| 16
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="1" {{yes2|'''174'''}}
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="2" {{yes2|'''878 to 1010'''}}
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[Dennis Patrick]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Jason McGuire]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Paul Stoddard]]
| 66
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="1" {{yes2|'''193 to 276'''}}
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="2" {{yes2|'''888 to 953'''}}
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[John Karlen]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Willie Loomis]] #2 <ref group="Note">Played by James Hall during episodes 199 to 205.</ref><br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Carl Collins]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Desmond Collins]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Kendrick Young]]
| 180
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="5" {{yes2|'''206 to 1245'''}}
|-
| [[Jonathan Frid]]
| [[Barnabas Collins]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Bramwell Collins]]
| 593
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="5" {{yes2|'''211 to 1245'''}}
|-
| [[Robert Gerringer]]
| Dr. [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Dave Woodard]]<ref group="Note">Played by Richard Woods during episodes 219 and 229; and [[Peter Turgeon]] during episodes 335 to 362.</ref>
| 29
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="1" {{yes2|'''231 to 334'''}}
| colspan="4" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| Sharon Smyth
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Sarah Collins]]
| 37
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="2" {{yes2|'''255 to 415'''}}
| colspan="3" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[Anthony George]]
| Burke Devlin #2<br>[[Jeremiah Collins]]
| 48
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="1" {{yes2|'''262 to 384'''}}
| colspan="4" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[Grayson Hall]]
| [[Julia Hoffman]]*<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Natalie DuPres]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Magda Rakosi]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Julia Collins]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Constance Collins]]
| 474
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="5" {{yes2|'''265 to 1245'''}}
|-
| [[Jerry Lacy]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Tony Peterson]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Reverend Trask]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Gregory Trask]]<br>Mr. [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Trask]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Lamar Trask]]
| 109
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="5" {{yes2|'''357 to 1198'''}}
|-
| [[Lara Parker]]
| [[Angelique Bouchard Collins]]*<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Alexis Stokes]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Catherine Harridge]]<br>[[Angelique Bouchard Collins|Cassandra Blair Collins]]
| 269
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="5" {{yes2|'''368 to 1245'''}}
|-
| [[Addison Powell]]
| Judge [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Matigan]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Eric Lang]]<br>Judge [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Wiley]]
| 39
| colspan="2" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="1" {{yes2|'''404 to 543'''}}
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="1" {{yes2|'''1162'''}}
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[Roger Davis (television actor)|Roger Davis]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Peter Bradford]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Jeff Clark]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Ned Stuart]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Dirk Wilkins]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Charles Delaware Tate]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Harrison Monroe]]
| 128
| colspan="2" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="3" {{yes2|'''404 to 968'''}}
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[Craig Slocum]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Noah Gifford]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Harry Johnson]] #1 <ref group="Note">Played by Edward Marshall during episode 669.</ref>
| 17
| colspan="2" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="2" {{yes2|'''439 to 659'''}}
| colspan="2" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[Robert Rodan]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Adam]]
| 78
| colspan="2" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="1" {{yes2|'''485 to 636'''}}
| colspan="3" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[Humbert Allen Astredo]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Nicholas Blair]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Evan Hanley]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Charles Dawson]]
| 100
| colspan="2" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="4" {{yes2|'''521 to 1196'''}}
|-
| [[Don Briscoe]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Tom Jennings]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Chris Jennings]]*<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Tim Shaw]]
| 96
| colspan="2" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="3" {{yes2|'''554 to 1001'''}}
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[Marie Wallace]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Eve]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Jenny Collins]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Megan Todd]]
| 64
| colspan="2" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="3" {{yes2|'''596 to 971'''}}
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[Denise Nickerson]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Amy Jennings]]*<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Nora Collins]]<br/>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Amy Collins]]
| 71
| colspan="2" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="3" {{yes2|'''632 to 1049'''}}
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[David Selby]]
| [[Quentin Collins#Quentin II|Quentin Collins II]]*<br>[[Quentin Collins#Quentin I|Quentin Collins I]]*
| 311
| colspan="2" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="4" {{yes2|'''646 to 1230'''}}
|-
| [[Terrayne Crawford|Terry Crawford]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Beth Chavez]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Edith Collins]]
| 63
| colspan="2" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="4" {{yes2|'''646 to 1186'''}}
|-
| Lisa Richards
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Sabrina Stuart]]*
| 28
| colspan="2" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="3" {{yes2|'''692 to 1033'''}}
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[Michael Stroka]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Aristede]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Bruno Hess]]*<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Laszlo Ferrari]]
| 64
| colspan="3" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="2" {{yes2|'''791 to 1158'''}}
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[Donna McKechnie]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Amanda Harris]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Olivia Corey]]
| 24
| colspan="3" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="2" {{yes2|'''812 to 934'''}}
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[Christopher Bernau]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Philip Todd]]
| 23
| colspan="3" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="2" {{yes2|'''888 to 968'''}}
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[Geoffrey Scott (actor)|Geoffrey Scott]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Sky Rumson]]
| 13
| colspan="4" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="1" {{yes2|'''923 to 980'''}}
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[Christopher Pennock]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Jeb Hawkes]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Cyrus Longworth]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Sebastian Shaw]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Gabriel Collins]]*
| 126
| colspan="4" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="2" {{yes2|'''935 to 1237'''}}
|-
| Elizabeth Eis
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Nelle Gunston]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Buffie Harrington]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Mildred Ward]]
| 15
| colspan="4" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="1" {{yes2|'''951 to 1161'''}}
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| Donna Wandrey
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Roxanne Drew]]*
| 34
| colspan="4" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="1" {{yes2|'''1039 to 1177'''}}
| colspan="1" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
|-
| [[Jim Storm (actor)|Jim Storm]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Gerard Stiles]]*
| 81
| colspan="4" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="2" {{yes2|'''1063 to 1209'''}}
|-
| [[Kathleen Cody (actor)|Kathy Cody]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Carrie Stokes]]*<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Hallie Stokes]]
| 49
| colspan="4" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="2" {{yes2|'''1066 to 1237'''}}
|-
| [[Kate Jackson]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Daphne Harridge]]*
| 70
| colspan="4" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="2" {{yes2|'''1067 to 1238'''}}
|-
| [[Virginia Vestoff]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Samantha Drew Collins]]*
| 29
| colspan="4" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="2" {{yes2|'''1110 to 1193'''}}
|-
| Lee Beery
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Joanna Mills]]
| 11
| colspan= "4" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan= "2" {{yes2| '''1181 to 1193'''}}
|-
| [[Keith Prentice]]
| [[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|Morgan Collins]]<br>[[List of Dark Shadows characters#1966–1971: Dark Shadows|James Forsythe]]
| 40
| colspan="5" style="background: #ececec; color: grey; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na"|
| colspan="1" {{yes2|'''1186 to 1245'''}}
|}

===Locations===
Both theatrical films, ''[[House of Dark Shadows]]'' (1970) and ''[[Night of Dark Shadows]]'' (1971), were shot primarily on location at the [[Lyndhurst (house)|Lyndhurst]] estate in [[Tarrytown, New York]]. For the TV series, [[Essex, Connecticut]] was the locale used for the town of Collinsport. Among the locations sited there are the Collinsport Wharf, Main Street, and the Evans Cottage. [[The Griswold Inn]] in Essex was used for the Collinsport Inn, and the town post office was used for the Collinsport Police Station. The Collinwood stand-in mansion used for the TV series is the [[Carey Mansion]] in [[Newport, Rhode Island]], until August 2009 used by [[Salve Regina University]]. The exteriors for the "Old House," aka Collins House (the original Collinwood mansion) were filmed at Spratt Mansion, which was also located on the Lyndhurst estate; this mansion was destroyed by fire in 1969. The [[Lockwood-Mathews Mansion]] in [[South Norwalk]], [[Connecticut]], was also used for some scenes in ''House of Dark Shadows''. The mausoleum shots for ''House of Dark Shadows'' were filmed in the famous [[Sleepy Hollow Cemetery]], not far from the Lyndhurst Mansion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.visitsleepyhollow.com/historic-sites/lyndhurst |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305215448/http://www.visitsleepyhollow.com/historic-sites/lyndhurst |title=Lyndhurst, a Gothic Revival mansion |access-date=March 14, 2015 |archive-date=March 5, 2014}}</ref>

All of the interiors of the TV series were shot on sound stages at various [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]-owned studios in Manhattan. The early episodes were shot at ABC Studio TV-2 at 24 West 67th Street, and the rest of the episodes were shot at the smaller ABC Studio TV-16 at 433 West 53rd Street, now demolished; as of 2022, it is the site of a six-story, 60-unit apartment building.

===Music===
Of particular note is [[Robert Cobert]]'s music score, which broke new ground for a television program. In September 1969, the original soundtrack to ''Dark Shadows'', credited to the Robert Cobert Orchestra and featuring 16 tracks written or co-written by Cobert, reached no. 18 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] album chart. The song "Quentin's Theme" earned Cobert a nomination for the [[Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition|Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Theme]], but lost to [[John Barry (composer)|John Barry]]'s theme for ''[[Midnight Cowboy]]'' at the [[12th Annual Grammy Awards]]. A recording of "Quentin's Theme" by [[Charles Randolph Grean|the Charles Randolph Grean Sounde]] was released as a single, and in August 1969, when the TV series was something of a phenomenon, it peaked at no. 13 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart, no. 3 on its [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|Easy Listening]] chart, and no. 5 for 3 weeks in [[RPM (magazine)|Canada]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.6055.pdf| title=RPM Top 100 Singles - July 21, 1969}}</ref>

==Reception==
===Critical response===
''Dark Shadows'' had a rocky beginning. Critics were quick to deem the series boring for its heavy use of unknown actress [[Alexandra Isles]] and the slow pace. ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', in its review on June 29, 1966, of the first episode of ''Dark Shadows'': "Writer [[Art Wallace]] took so much time getting into his story that the first episode of the [[Gothic fiction|Neo Gothic]] soaper added up to one big contemporary yawn."{{sfn|Hamrick|Jamison|2012|page=4}} The earliest episodes concerned menacing but unfulfilled conflicts, threatened revenge, then an attempted murder, and, finally, a murder. The supernatural elements that later made the show a hit, were slow to appear and only hinted at until episodes 52 and 70 in which the audience finally sees compelling evidence of a ghost.
=== Audience and Fandom ===
[[File:David_Selby_at_The_Dark_Shadows_Festival_(6064054182).jpg|thumb|David Selby at The Dark Shadows Festival]]
''Dark Shadows'' developed a broad and dedicated viewership, despite receiving mixed reviews during its original broadcast. Teenagers and college students made up a notable portion of the fanbase, often organizing their schedules around the show. The series also found a loyal audience among housewives, retirees, and genre fans, particularly due to its late-afternoon timeslot.<ref name="Benshoff" /> Scholars have suggested that the show's appeal stemmed from its unique combination of gothic romance and horror, which resonated with both young and traditional daytime television viewers.<ref name="Svitavsky" /> Contemporary media accounts highlighted the show's popularity with younger demographics,<ref>Barthel, Joan. "Out in Detergent Land: A Hard Day’s Fright." ''The New York Times'', 30 July 1967, p. 85.</ref> and reviewers at the time noted its distinct tone.<ref name=":0">Brow, Rick. "Dark Only Suspense in New Soap Opera." ''Los Angeles Times'', 29 June 1966, p. D19.</ref> Over the decades, the fan community has remained active, organizing conventions, producing fanzines, and sustaining online discussion forums. The annual ''Dark Shadows Festival'' continues to be a centerpiece of fan activity. 

===Ratings===
{{Main|List of American daytime soap opera ratings}}

{{Div col|colwidth=22em}}

====1965–1966 season====
* 1. ''[[As the World Turns]]'' (13.9)
* 13. ''Dark Shadows'' (4.1)
* 16. ''[[Never Too Young]]'' (3.9)

====1966–1967 season====
* 1. ''As the World Turns'' (12.7)
* 12. ''Dark Shadows'' (4.3)
* 13. ''[[A Flame in the Wind]]'' (4.0)

====1967–1968 season====
* 1. ''As the World Turns'' (13.6)
* 12. ''Dark Shadows'' (7.3)
* 13. ''[[One Life to Live]]'' (4.3)

====1968–1969 season====
* 1. ''As the World Turns'' (13.8)
* 11. ''Dark Shadows'' (8.4)
* 14. ''[[Hidden Faces (American TV series)|Hidden Faces]]'' (3.3)

====1969–1970 season====
* 1. ''As the World Turns'' (13.6)
* 12. ''Dark Shadows'' (7.3)
* 19. ''[[The Best of Everything (TV series)|The Best of Everything]]'' (1.8)

====1970–1971 season====
* 1. ''As the World Turns'' (12.4)
* 16. ''Dark Shadows'' (5.3)
* 18. ''[[A World Apart (TV series)|A World Apart]]'' (3.4)
{{Div col end}}

==Media==
===Home media===
[[Lost television broadcast#Soap operas|Unlike some other soap operas of its era]], the episodes of ''Dark Shadows'' all were preserved in some format, although one episode exists only as an audio recording and several color episodes only have black and white kinescopes available.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Guiley |first1=Rosemary Ellen |title=The Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves, and Other Monsters |date=2005 |publisher=Facts on File |location=New York |isbn=9781438130019 |page=99 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5soL2qxSBDgC&dq=%22dark+shadows%22+kinescopes+audio&pg=PA99 |access-date=2021-08-21}}</ref>

[[MPI Media Group|MPI Home Video]] currently holds the home media rights to the series. All episodes were issued on [[VHS]] from 1989 through 1995. Episodes 210–1245 ([[Barnabas Collins]]' arrival through to the end of the series) have been released on [[DVD]] in 26 ''Collections'' from 2002 through 2006. Episodes 1–209 were released in 2007 under the title of ''Dark Shadows: The Beginning''. On April 3, 2012, MPI re-released the 32 ''Collections''. The first (and sometimes, the second) collection (from Barnabas's introduction) has been released internationally, but due to generally low sales, this has been the extent of the international release of the series.

On April 10, 2012, MPI released a "Limited Edition Complete Series" box set in the shape of a coffin. The 131 DVDs are housed in 22 individual plastic cases, with the spines looking upward to show the entire body of Barnabas lying asleep in his coffin. Only 2,500 numbered copies of these were made, with each set including a limited edition card signed by original series star Jonathan Frid. A similar but unlimited "Deluxe Edition" set was subsequently released on July 10, 2012, without the limited edition card signed by Jonathan Frid and without the serial limitation number plate on the bottom of the box.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Dark-Shadows-The-Complete-Original-Series/16735 |title=Dark Shadows DVD news: Update about Dark Shadows&nbsp;— The Complete Original Series |publisher=TVShowsOnDVD.com |access-date=May 3, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501141400/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Dark-Shadows-The-Complete-Original-Series/16735 |archive-date=May 1, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Dark-Shadows-Complete-Series/12182|title=Dark Shadows&nbsp;– The Complete Original Series DVD Information|publisher=TVShowsOnDVD.com|access-date=June 8, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120613201137/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Dark-Shadows-Complete-Series/12182|archive-date=June 13, 2012}}</ref>

===Films===
{{main|House of Dark Shadows|Night of Dark Shadows}}
[[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] released a feature film titled ''House of Dark Shadows'' in 1970. [[Dan Curtis]] directed it, and [[Sam Hall (writer)|Sam Hall]] and [[Gordon Russell (writer)|Gordon Russell]] wrote the screenplay. Many cast members from the soap opera, including Jonathan Frid, [[Grayson Hall]], [[Roger Davis (television actor)|Roger Davis]], and [[Kathryn Leigh Scott]], reprised their roles. 1971 saw the release of ''Night of Dark Shadows'', also directed by Dan Curtis and written by Curtis and Sam Hall. Actors included [[David Selby]], Grayson Hall, [[Kate Jackson]], and [[Lara Parker]], among others.

During the filming of ''House of Dark Shadows'' in 1970, several actors were written out of the TV series so that they would be available to shoot the movie. Kathryn Leigh Scott was absent from 30 episodes (986 to 1015); Jonathan Frid was absent from 28 episodes (983 to 1010); Grayson Hall was absent from 21 episodes (986 to 1006); [[John Karlen]] was absent from 21 episodes (990 to 1010); [[Nancy Barrett]] was absent from 20 episodes (991 to 1010): Louis Edmonds was absent from 17 episodes (991 to 1008); [[Don Briscoe]] was absent from 15 episodes (986 to 1000); Joan Bennett was absent from 15 episodes (991 to 1006); and David Henesy was absent from 9 episodes (993 to 1001).

===Novels===
There have been two series of ''Dark Shadows'' novels. The first, released during the show's original run, were all penned by romance writer [[Marilyn Ross]], a pseudonym for author Dan Ross, and were published by [[Paperback Library]]. Ross also wrote a [[novelization]] of the theatrical film ''House of Dark Shadows''.

{| class="wikitable"
! No.
! Title
! Release Date
! Notes
|-
| 1
| ''Dark Shadows''
| December 1966
| A partial re-telling of [[Victoria Winters]]' arrival in Collinsport. Originally printed with an illustrated cover, subsequent editions featured a photographic cover featuring Alexandra Moltke with Jonathan Frid, although the character of Barnabas Collins does not appear in the book. This is also the case with books 2 to 4. [[Collinwood Mansion|Collinwood]] is referred to here as Collins House.
|-
| 2
| ''Victoria Winters''
| March 1967
|
|-
| 3
| ''Strangers at Collins House''
| September 1967
| Partially takes place in 1916.
|-
| 4
| ''The Mystery of Collinwood''
| January 1968
|
|-
| 5
| ''The Curse of Collinwood''
| May 1968
| The only book in series not to be printed with a purely photographic cover, and the first to feature Barnabas Collins (who does not appear in the book) on the cover. The cover features a photo of Jonathan Frid as Barnabas superimposed over the illustrated cover art from ''Dark Shadows''. 
|-
| 6
| ''Barnabas Collins''
| November 1968
| First book to feature Barnabas Collins. In the television series Barnabas was chained to his coffin in 1796 and not released until 1967; here Ross offers an alternate timeline in which the vampire was never held captive at all. Takes place in the early 1900s.
|-
| 7
| ''The Secret of Barnabas Collins''
| January 1969
| Takes place in 1870.
|-
| 8
| ''The Demon of Barnabas Collins''
| April 1969
| The first book to present Barnabas in a heroic vein rather than as the villain, following the trend set by the television series.
|-
| 9
| ''The Foe of Barnabas Collins''
| July 1969
| Features the character of Chris Jennings, although presented here as a villain rather than the sympathetic victim depicted in the television series. It also features a rare appearance by [[Angelique Bouchard Collins|Angelique]]. Takes place in 1910.
|-
| 10
| ''The Phantom and Barnabas Collins''
| September 1969
| Takes place in 1880.
|-
| 11
| ''Barnabas Collins vs. the Warlock''
| October 1969
| A homage to [[Henry James]]' 1898 novella ''[[The Turn of the Screw]]'', a text also used in the television series for inspiration.
|-
| 12
| ''The Peril of Barnabas Collins''
| November 1969
|
|-
| 13
| ''Barnabas Collins and the Mysterious Ghost''
| January 1970
|
|-
| 14
| ''Barnabas Collins and Quentin's Demon''
| February 1970
| Introduces the character of [[Quentin Collins]] to the range. Takes place in 1895.
|-
| 15
| ''Barnabas Collins and the Gypsy Witch''
| March 1970
| Takes place in the 1890s.
|-
| 16
| ''Barnabas, Quentin and the Mummy's Curse''
| April 1970
|
|-
| 17
| ''Barnabas, Quentin and the Avenging Ghost''
| May 1970
|
|-
| 18
| ''Barnabas, Quentin and the Nightmare Assassin''
| June 1970
| Takes place in 1870.
|-
| 19
| ''Barnabas, Quentin and the Crystal Coffin''
| July 1970
| A homage to [[Edgar Allan Poe]]'s 1844 short story "[[The Premature Burial]]", a text also used in the television series for inspiration.
|-
| 20
| ''Barnabas, Quentin and the Witch's Curse''
| August 1970
| Takes place in 1900.
|-
| 21
| ''Barnabas, Quentin and the Haunted Cave''
| September 1970
| Takes place in 1690.
|-
| 22
| ''Barnabas, Quentin and the Frightened Bride''
| October 1970
| Takes place in 1920.
|-
|
| ''House of Dark Shadows''
| October 1970
| Novelization. Several scenes cut from the film version were included. It also featured 16 pages of black and white photos from the film's production.
|-
| 23
| ''Barnabas, Quentin and the Scorpio Curse''
| November 1970
|
|-
| 24
| ''Barnabas, Quentin and the Serpent''
| December 1970
| Takes place in 1870.
|-
| 25
| ''Barnabas, Quentin and the Magic Potion''
| January 1971
| This story marks a sudden shift in the characterization of Quentin Collins, who up to this point in the range had been portrayed as an enemy of Barnabas.
|-
| 26
| ''Barnabas, Quentin and the Body Snatchers''
| February 1971
| This is the only book in the series told in the omniscient point of view. It also features a rare appearance by [[Julia Hoffman]]. As suggested by its title, a homage to [[Jack Finney]]'s 1955 science fiction novel ''[[The Body Snatchers]]''.
|-
| 27
| ''Barnabas, Quentin and Dr. Jekyll's Son''
| April 1971
| As suggested by its title, a homage to [[Robert Louis Stevenson]]'s 1886 novella ''[[Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]'', a text also used in the television series for inspiration. Takes place in 1908.
|-
| 28
| ''Barnabas, Quentin and the Grave Robbers''
| June 1971
| Takes place in 1930.
|-
| 29
| ''Barnabas, Quentin and the Sea Ghost''
| August 1971
| Features a rare appearance by Julia Hoffman and Professor Timothy Eliot Stokes.
|-
| 30
| ''Barnabas, Quentin and the Mad Magician''
| October 1971
|
|-
| 31
| ''Barnabas, Quentin and the Hidden Tomb''
| December 1971
| Takes place in 1866.
|-
| 32
| ''Barnabas, Quentin and the Vampire Beauty''
| March 1972
|
|-
|
| ''The Secret of Victoria Winters'' <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.darkshadowsonline.com/victoria/secret_story.html|title=The Secret of Victoria Winters: novella|website=www.darkshadowsonline.com|access-date=2020-03-16|archive-date=2019-09-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190908120950/http://www.darkshadowsonline.com/victoria/secret_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 1993
| Novella by Craig Hamrick.<br>Story by Dan "Marilyn" Ross.
|}

The second series of novels were written by [[Lara Parker]], Stephen Mark Rainey, and [[Elizabeth Massie]].

{| class="wikitable"
! width="15" | #
! width="394" | Title
! width="125" | Release Date
! width="400" | Author(s)
|-
| 1
| ''Angelique's Descent''
| December 1998
| Lara Parker
|-
| 2
| ''Dreams of the Dark''
| October 1999
| Stephen Mark Rainey and Elizabeth Massie<br>''Introduction by'' Lara Parker
|-
|
| ''The Labyrinth of Souls''
| 2002
| Stephen Mark Rainey<br>Self published. Available in e-format.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stephenmarkrainey.com/dslabyrinth.htm|title=Dark Shadows: The Labyrinth of Souls|website=www.stephenmarkrainey.com|access-date=2020-03-13|archive-date=2021-01-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125133201/http://www.stephenmarkrainey.com/dslabyrinth.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| 3
| ''The Salem Branch''
| July 2006
| Lara Parker
|-
| 4
| ''Wolf Moon Rising''
| August 2013
| Lara Parker
|-
| 5
| ''Heiress of Collinwood''
| November 2016
| Lara Parker
|}

===Other books===
{| class="wikitable"
! width="420" | Title
! width="125" | Release Date
! width="400" | Notes
|-
| ''Barnabas Collins in a Funny Vein''
| December 1969
| Joke book.
|-
| ''Dark Shadows Cookbook''
| 1970
| Non-fiction cookbook compiled by Jody Cameron Malis
|-
| ''The Dark Shadows Book of Vampires and Werewolves''
| August 1970
| Collection of short stories.
|-
| ''Barnabas Collins: A Personal Picture Album''
| December 1970
| Non-fiction book.
|-
| ''My Scrapbook Memories of Dark Shadows''
| December 1986
| Non-fiction book by [[Kathryn Leigh Scott]].
|-
| ''Dark Shadows in the Afternoon''
| July 1991
| Non-fiction book by Kathleen Resch
|-
| ''The Dark Shadows Companion: 25th Anniversary Collection''
| January 1993
| Non-fiction book by Kathryn Leigh Scott.
|-
| ''The Dark Shadows Program Guide''
| 1995
| Non-fiction book compiled by Ann Wilson
|-
| ''The Dark Shadows Almanac: 30th Anniversary Tribute''
| August 1995
| Non-fiction book by Kathryn Leigh Scott.
|-
| ''The Dark Shadows Collectibles Book''
| 1998
| Non-fiction book by Craig Hamrick.
|-
| ''The Dark Shadows Movie Book''
| July 1998
| Non-fiction book by Kathryn Leigh Scott.
|-
| ''The Dark Shadows Almanac: Millennium Edition''
| 2000
| Non-fiction book by Kathryn Leigh Scott
|-
| ''Dark Shadows 35th Anniversary Memories''
| May 2001
| Non-fiction book by Kathryn Leigh Scott.
|-
| ''Barnabas & Company: The Cast of the TV Classic Dark Shadows''
| August 2003
| Non-fiction book by Craig Hamrick and R.J. Jamison.
|-
| ''Dark Shadows: The First Year''
| 2006
| Non-fiction book compiled by Jim Pierson, Nina Johnson, O. Crock and [[Sy Tomashoff]]
|-
| ''Dark Shadows: Return to Collinwood''
| April 2012
| Non-fiction book by Kathryn Leigh Scott.
|}

===Magazines===
During its original run, ''Dark Shadows'' was featured in many magazines, including ''Afternoon TV'', ''[[Castle of Frankenstein]]'', ''Daytime TV'', and ''[[Famous Monsters of Filmland]]''. Even after the show ended, it received coverage in genre magazines of the 1970s, like ''[[Curtis Magazines#Monsters of the Movies|Monsters of the Movies]]''.

In 2003, a two-part article titled "Collecting ''Dark Shadows'': Return to Collinwood", written by Rod Labbe, appeared in ''Autograph Collector'' magazine; it was the first major article to chronicle the show in years. In 2005, ''Scary Monsters Magazine'' devoted an entire issue (#55) to ''Dark Shadows''. Included were full-length interviews with cast members [[Marie Wallace]], David Selby, and Kathryn Leigh-Scott, as well as "Don't Open That Coffin! A Baby Boomer's Adventures in the Land of ''Dark Shadows''!" Both the ''Autograph Collector'' and ''Scary Monsters'' articles were penned by freelance writer Rod Labbe, who once ran a fan club for [[Dennis Patrick]] (Jason McGuire, Paul Stoddard) in 1969–70.{{citation needed|date=July 2013}}

Labbe also contributes to ''Fangoria'' magazine and is did a series of full-length interviews with surviving original cast members, leading up to the release of the 2012 film. Labbe's interview with [[Jerry Lacy]], who played the nefarious Reverend Trask, appeared in issue #296. His second, with Kathryn Leigh Scott, was in issue #304. The latest, a [[Christopher Pennock|Chris Pennock]] (Jeb Hawkes, a.k.a. "The Leviathan") profile, ran in issue #310. He also interviewed Marie Wallace (Eve and Jenny Collins). A lengthier version of Scott's interview can be found on her website.{{citation needed|date=July 2013}}

===Comics===
[[File:Dark Shadows comic by Ken Bald - Barnabas Collins.png|thumb|right|Detail from ''Dark Shadows'' newspaper comic strip. Art by Ken Bald]]
From March 14, 1971, to March 11, 1972, the [[Newspaper Enterprise Association]] syndicated a ''Dark Shadows'' [[comic strip]] by illustrator [[Ken Bald|Kenneth Bruce Bald]] (credited as "K. Bruce" because of contractual obligations) to dozens of newspapers across the United States.<ref name=DScomicstripbook>{{cite book| last = Bald| first = Kenneth Bruce| author-link = Ken Bald| title = Dark Shadows: The Comic Strip Book| publisher = Pomegranate Press, Ltd.| year = 1996| location = Beverly Hills, California| url = http://www.pompress.com/| isbn = 0-938817-39-6| access-date = 2008-01-16| archive-date = 2008-01-13| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080113074733/http://www.pompress.com/| url-status = live}}</ref> In 1996, Pomegranate Press, Ltd. published ''Dark Shadows: The Comic Strip Book'' ({{ISBN|0-938817-39-6}}), which collected the entire 52-week run of the daily and Sunday strip.

[[Gold Key Comics]] released 35 issues of a regular ''Dark Shadows'' [[comic book]], mostly written by [[John Warner (comics)|John Warner]], which ran for years after the cancellation of the series on ABC (1969–1976); and in 1991, [[Innovation Publishing]] released a short-lived comic book series based on the [[NBC]]-TV revival show. [[Hermes Press]] has released a five-volume archive reprint series of the Gold Key series in 2010–2011. Additionally, [[Dynamite Entertainment]] launched a new monthly series of ''Dark Shadows'' comic books in October 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsarama.com/comics/Dark-Shadows-return-dynamite-110822.html |title=Soap Vampire Barnabas Collins Returns in DARK SHADOWS Comic |publisher=Newsarama.com |access-date=2012-05-03}}</ref>

===Other media===
There have also been [[bubble gum card]]s, fake vampire teeth, [[model kit]]s,<ref name=RetFan11>{{cite magazine |last=Labbe |first=Rod |date=November 2020 |url=https://retrofan.org/ |title=David Selby: Beyond the Shadows |magazine=RetroFan |issue=11 |pages=3–9}}</ref> two board games, a few coloring books, two jigsaw puzzles, and a [[View-Master]] reel.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.darkshadowsonline.com/view.html|title=Dark Shadows Collector's Site--Viewmaster Reels|website=www.darkshadowsonline.com|access-date=2016-10-13|archive-date=2016-06-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160622113541/http://www.darkshadowsonline.com/view.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Syndication===
Due to an FCC rule prohibiting networks from keeping their syndication holdings, it wasn't until 1975 that the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]-spun [[Worldvision Enterprises]] released 130 episodes to syndication. Eventually, all but the pre-Barnabas and approximately the last year's episodes were part of the package. During the 1980s, [[PBS]] was heavily involved in rebroadcasting the series. In 1992, the cable network the [[Syfy|Sci-Fi Channel]] (now Syfy) acquired the entire run of episodes. The channel stopped airing ''Dark Shadows'' in 2003.<ref name=syndication>{{cite web |url=https://www.salon.com/2002/05/20/dark_shadows/ |title=Dark Shadows |last=Millman |first=Joyce |date=21 May 2002 |work=Salon |access-date=15 November 2020 |archive-date=26 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126071505/https://www.salon.com/2002/05/20/dark_shadows/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Online streaming site [[Netflix]] carried the series previous to 2012, but then dropped all but 160 episodes. The series was completely removed in early 2014.<ref name=Ns>{{cite web |url=http://www.collinsporthistoricalsociety.com/2012/02/dark-shadows-vs-netflix.html |title=Dark Shadow Vs Netflix |last=Barnabas |first=Cousin |date=4 June 2014 |publisher=Collinsport Historical Society |access-date=15 November 2020 |archive-date=16 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116212117/http://www.collinsporthistoricalsociety.com/2012/02/dark-shadows-vs-netflix.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Nd>{{cite web |url=http://www.collinsporthistoricalsociety.com/2013/12/netflix-to-lose-dark-shadows-in-new-year.html |title=Netflix to Lose Dark Shadows in New Year |last=Barnabas |first=Cousin |date=1 January 2014 |publisher=Collinsport Historical Society |access-date=14 November 2020 |archive-date=27 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927174010/http://www.collinsporthistoricalsociety.com/2013/12/netflix-to-lose-dark-shadows-in-new-year.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In June 2012, episodes 210-249 of ''Dark Shadows'', covering the introduction of Barnabas Collins, were made available for streaming online video on [[Hulu]], then a free service like [[YouTube]]. In October 2013, 200 episodes were offered on [[Hulu|Hulu Plus]], the new Hulu subscription service. As of April 2015, the non-subscription part of the service was discontinued and some of it was merged into the subscription side, dropping the Hulu Plus title and going by simply Hulu. After several years, the series was removed as of the summer of 2020.<ref name=Hulu>{{cite web |url=http://www.collinsporthistoricalsociety.com/2013/10/hulu-expands-its-dark-shadows-library.html |title=Hulu Expands Its DARK SHADOWS Library |last=Barnabas |first=Cousin |date=9 October 2013 |publisher=Collinsport Historical Society |access-date=16 November 2020 |archive-date=28 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128131800/http://www.collinsporthistoricalsociety.com/2013/10/hulu-expands-its-dark-shadows-library.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Both the original soap opera and prime-time versions have aired on the [[Catchy Comedy|Decades TV Network]]. Decades was known for its Halloween marathons of the show throughout the late 2010s that the network called The Binge. In 2018, 260 episodes of the program started airing at 12AM ET/11PM Central on weeknights.<ref name=Decades>{{cite web |url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/283098/celebrate-halloween-with-decades-tv-260-episodes-of-the-cult-gothic-soap-dark-shadows/ |title=Celebrate Halloween with Decades TV & 260 Episodes of the Cult Gothic Soap DARK SHADOWS |last=Millican |first=Josh |date=26 September 2018 |publisher=Dread Central Media |access-date=15 November 2020 |archive-date=9 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220309035836/https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/283098/celebrate-halloween-with-decades-tv-260-episodes-of-the-cult-gothic-soap-dark-shadows/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The MPI Media Group, who has the rights to the show's distribution, started a pay streaming service dedicated specifically to the program in October 2017.<ref name="dark shadows TV">{{cite web |url=http://onvideo.org/mpi-announces-dark-shadows-streaming-service/ |title=MPI Announces 'Dark Shadows' Streaming Service |date=31 October 2017 |publisher=OnVideo |access-date=15 November 2020 |archive-date=28 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728233842/https://onvideo.org/mpi-announces-dark-shadows-streaming-service/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In January 2018, [[Amazon Prime]] was the first streaming service to carry every episode at once. However, in late 2019 it moved to the site's [[Amazon Freevee|IMDb TV]] Channel accompanied by commercials.<ref name=Ps>{{cite web |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/tv/3479145/1225-episodes-dark-shadows-just-hit-amazon-prime-streaming/ |title=All 1,225 Episodes of "Dark Shadows" Just Hit Amazon Prime Streaming |last=Squires |first=John |date=18 January 2018 |publisher=Bloody Disgusting |access-date=14 November 2020 |archive-date=21 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121103500/https://bloody-disgusting.com/tv/3479145/1225-episodes-dark-shadows-just-hit-amazon-prime-streaming/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The free ad-supported [[Tubi]] TV acquired rights to all 1,225 episodes in January 2020 and in September, the similar [[Pluto TV]] added a ''Dark Shadows'' channel.<ref name=Tubi>{{cite web |url=http://www.collinsporthistoricalsociety.com/2020/01/you-can-now-watch-dark-shadows-for-free.html |title=You Can Now Watch Dark Shadows for Free ... Legally! |last=Barnabas |first=Cousin |date=31 January 2020 |publisher=Collinsport Historical Society |access-date=15 November 2020 |archive-date=21 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121152254/http://www.collinsporthistoricalsociety.com/2020/01/you-can-now-watch-dark-shadows-for-free.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Pluto>{{cite web |url=https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/pluto-tv-adds-eight-new-channels/ |title=Pluto TV Adds Eight New Channels |last=Barnes |first=Jess |date=1 September 2020 |publisher=Cord Cutters News |access-date=15 November 2020 |archive-date=30 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130233538/https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/pluto-tv-adds-eight-new-channels/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Audio drama===
{{Main|Dark Shadows (audio drama)}}
Based on a 2003 stage play performed at a ''Dark Shadows'' convention, ''Return to Collinwood'' is an audio drama written by Jamison Selby and Jim Pierson, and starring David Selby, Kathryn Leigh Scott, John Karlen, Nancy Barrett, Lara Parker, [[Roger Davis (television actor)|Roger Davis]], Marie Wallace, Christopher Pennock, Donna Wandrey, [[Jim Storm (actor)|James Storm]], and [[Terrayne Crawford|Terry Crawford]]. The show is available on CD.

====Big Finish Productions====
In 2006, [[Big Finish Productions]] continued the ''Dark Shadows'' saga with an original series of audio dramas, starring the original cast. The first season featured David Selby (Quentin Collins), Lara Parker (Angelique), Kathryn Leigh Scott ([[Maggie Evans]]), and John Karlen ([[Willie Loomis]]). [[Robert Rodan]], who played Adam in the original series, also appears in the fourth story, playing a new character. Barnabas Collins is played by [[Andrew Collins (actor)|Andrew Collins]]. A second series was released in 2010. In addition to the cast's returning from Series One, ''[[Dark Shadows: Kingdom of the Dead|Kingdom of the Dead]]'' also featured [[Lysette Anthony]], [[Alec Newman]], [[Lizzie Hopley]], Jerry Lacy, and [[David Warner (actor)|David Warner]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bigfinish.com/news/Bumper-Year-for-Dark-Shadows|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305150644/http://bigfinish.com/news/Bumper-Year-for-Dark-Shadows|url-status=dead|title=Errors - Big Finish|archive-date=March 5, 2012|website=www.bigfinish.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3675479&o=all&op=1&view=all&subj=48155129132&aid=-1&id=631148714 |title=Dark Shadows Audio Dramas&nbsp;— Photos from recording |publisher=Facebook.com |access-date=2012-05-03 |archive-date=2016-02-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203063535/https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3675479&o=all&op=1&view=all&subj=48155129132&aid=-1&id=631148714 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bigfinish.com/news/David-Warner-Joins-Dark-Shadows!|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305150649/http://bigfinish.com/news/David-Warner-Joins-Dark-Shadows%21|url-status=dead|title=Errors - Big Finish|archive-date=March 5, 2012|website=www.bigfinish.com}}</ref>
Big Finish has also produced a series of dramatic story readings based on the series, with arguably the most notable being the 2010 release ''[[The Night Whispers]]'', in which Jonathan Frid reprised the role of Barnabas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/the-night-whispers-147|title=12. The Night Whispers - Dark Shadows - Audiobooks - Big Finish|work=bigfinish.com|access-date=2014-03-05|archive-date=2014-03-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305205908/http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/the-night-whispers-147|url-status=live}}</ref>

In January 2015, Big Finish began releasing the full-cast ''Dark Shadows'' serial ''Bloodlust'' in twice-weekly installments, as to emulate the initial soap opera format of the show.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bigfinish.com/ranges/v/dark-shadows---bloodlust|title=Dark Shadows - Bloodlust|work=bigfinish.com|access-date=2015-01-15|archive-date=2015-02-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206112417/http://www.bigfinish.com/ranges/v/dark-shadows---bloodlust|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Legacy and Cultural Impact ==

=== Cultural Significance ===
[[File:Alex Stevens werewolf Dark Shadows 1969.JPG|thumb|Werewolf in Dark Shadows]]
''Dark Shadows'' is noted for introducing gothic horror themes into the traditionally domestic setting of the daytime soap opera. The series featured supernatural elements such as vampires, werewolves, witches, and time travel. These unconventional elements helped distinguish the show from other daytime television programs during the 1960s, contributing to its reputation as a cult television phenomenon. Scholars have highlighted the show's role in bringing "monster culture" into the home,<ref name="Svitavsky">Svitavsky, William L. “Dark Shadows: Monster Culture on Daytime Television.” ''Journal of Popular Film and Television'', vol. 50, no. 3, 2022, pp. 130–140.</ref> and have praised its overall intricate world-building,<ref name="Higgins">Higgins, Andrew. “The Gothic World-Building of Dark Shadows.” In ''Exploring Imaginary Worlds: Essays on Media, Structure, and Subcreation'', edited by Mark J. P. Wolf and Scott Adams, Routledge, 2022.</ref> which has been credited with influencing serialized storytelling in later genre television. Scholars have noted that the narrative engaged with psychological themes such as identity, trauma, repression, and guilt—most prominently through the character of Barnabas Collins. The shows blending of horror and melodrama elements has been read as a metaphor for Cold War-era social tensions and changing cultural norms of the time.<ref name="Svitavsky" /><ref name="Benshoff">Benshoff, Harry M. ''Dark Shadows''. Wayne State University Press, 2011.</ref> 

=== Influence on Genre Television ===
The narrative structure and genre-blending approach of ''Dark Shadows'' have been cited as influential in shaping modern television. The series' use of long-form serialized storytelling, and its integration of horror and melodramatic elements were precursors to elements now common in contemporary television series. Dark Shadows emphasis on character-driven horror within a serialized framework served as a template for various cult and fantasy television series. Scholars have pointed to its lasting impact on shows such as ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', ''[[The Vampire Diaries]]'', ''[[Supernatural (American TV series)|Supernatural]]'', and ''[[American Horror Story]]'', all of which build on the format and tone pioneered by ''Dark Shadows.'' <ref name="Higgins" /><ref name="Benshoff" />  

=== Lasting Impact and Revivals ===
''Dark Shadows''' dramatic and theatrical aesthetic contributed to its long enduring cultural presence. The show's distinctive tone, often marked by its visible low-cost production quirks, became part of its charm and overall identity. Reviews from the time acknowledged its suspenseful atmosphere and visual departure from other daytime serials.<ref name=":0" /> While some critics dismissed it as overly dramatic, its stylistic boldness and genre experimentation helped foster a strong fanbase. Over time, the contrast between its critical reception and audience loyalty became central to its cult status. The series has inspired several revivals, including a 1991 remake, a 2004 TV pilot, and a 2012 film adaptation.<ref name="Svitavsky" /><ref name="Benshoff" />
[[File:Dark Shadow - The Revival (logo).svg|thumb|Dark Shadows- The Revival 1991 logo]]

====1991 TV series====
{{Main|Dark Shadows (1991 TV series)}}
In 1991, [[MGM Television]] produced a short-lived prime-time remake that aired on NBC from January 13 to March 22. The revival was a lavish, big-budget, weekly serial combining Gothic romance and stylistic horror. Although it was a huge hit at its introduction (watched by almost 1 in 4 households, according to official ratings during that time period), the onset of the [[Gulf War]] caused NBC to continually preempt or reschedule the episodes, resulting in declining ratings.{{citation needed|date=July 2013}} It was canceled after the first season. The final episode ended with a cliffhanger: Victoria Winters ([[Joanna Going]])'s learning that Barnabas Collins ([[Ben Cross]]) was a 200-year-old vampire.

It also starred veterans [[Jean Simmons]] (as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard) and [[Roy Thinnes]] (as Roger Collins), British [[Character actor|character actress]] Lysette Anthony (as Angelique Collins), [[Barbara Steele]] (as Julia Hoffman), and [[Joseph Gordon-Levitt]] (as David Collins).

====2004 TV pilot====
{{Main|Dark Shadows (2004 TV pilot)}}
Plans for another revival series (or film) have been discussed off and on since the 1991 series' demise, including a TV miniseries to wrap up the plotlines of the canceled NBC series and a feature film, co-written by Dan Curtis and Barbara Steele, utilizing the 1991 cast. In 2004, a pilot for a new [[The WB|WB]] network ''Dark Shadows'' series, starring [[Marley Shelton]] as Victoria Winters and Alec Newman as Barnabas Collins, was written and shot, but never picked up. The pilot has been screened at the ''Dark Shadows'' Festival conventions with Dan Curtis Productions' blessing, and it can now be found online. This pilot was produced by [[Warner Bros. Television Studios|Warner Bros. Television]].<ref>{{cite web |author=rose-294 |date=1 July 2005 |title=Dark Shadows (TV Movie 2005) |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0887892/?ref_=nv_sr_4 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316104447/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0887892/?ref_=nv_sr_4 |archive-date=16 March 2016 |access-date=30 June 2018 |work=IMDb}}</ref>
====2012 film====
{{main|Dark Shadows (film)}}
In 2012, [[Warner Bros.]] produced a film adaptation of the soap opera. [[Tim Burton]] directed the film, and [[Johnny Depp]], finally realizing one of his childhood fantasies, starred as Barnabas Collins. However, the film treated the stories comedically, and was not the hoped-for major success.

====''Reincarnation''====
In September 2019, it was announced that [[The CW]] and Warner Bros. Television were developing a continuation of the original series called ''Dark Shadows: Reincarnation'', written by [[Mark B. Perry]]. Perry would also serve as [[executive producer]] along with Amasia Entertainment's Michael Helfant, Bradley Gallo and Tracy Mercer, as well as Tracy and Cathy Curtis. Perry said, "As a first-generation fan, it's been a dream of mine to give ''Dark Shadows'' the ''[[Star Trek]]'' treatment since way back in the '80s when ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation|Next Generation]]'' was announced, so I'm beyond thrilled and humbled to be entrusted with this resurrection."<ref>{{cite news |last=Fleming |first=Mike Jr. |date=September 9, 2019 |title='Dark Shadows' Gets New Blood With Sequel Series In the Works At the CW From Writer Mark B. Perry |url=https://deadline.com/2019/09/dark-shadows-cw-warner-bros-television-barnabas-collins-mark-b-perry-dan-curtis-1202729676/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190910021909/https://deadline.com/2019/09/dark-shadows-cw-warner-bros-television-barnabas-collins-mark-b-perry-dan-curtis-1202729676/ |archive-date=September 10, 2019 |access-date=September 9, 2019 |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]] |location=United States}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Porter |first=Rick |date=September 9, 2019 |title='Dark Shadows' Sequel in the Works at The CW |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/dark-shadows-sequel-works-at-cw-1238439 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190911184135/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/dark-shadows-sequel-works-at-cw-1238439 |archive-date=September 11, 2019 |access-date=September 9, 2019 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |publisher=Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group ([[Valence Media]]) |location=United States}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Otterson |first1=Joe |date=September 9, 2019 |title=''Dark Shadows'' Sequel Series in Development at CW |url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/dark-shadows-the-cw-1203329640/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200628191944/https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/dark-shadows-the-cw-1203329640/ |archive-date=June 28, 2020 |access-date=June 28, 2020 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Burt |first=Kayti |date=September 10, 2019 |title=''Dark Shadows'' TV Show in Development at The CW |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/dark-shadows-tv-show-in-development-at-the-cw/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630173741/https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/dark-shadows-tv-show-in-development-at-the-cw/ |archive-date=June 30, 2020 |access-date=June 28, 2020 |website=[[Den of Geek]]}}</ref> In November 2020, ''[[TVLine]]'' reported that the series was no longer in development.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mitovich |first=Matt Webb |date=November 4, 2020 |title=Matt's Inside Line: Scoop on ''Titans'', ''Virgin River'', ''Supernatural'', ''S.W.A.T.'', ''Chicago Fire'', ''Dark Shadows'' and More |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/matts-inside-line-scoop-titans-190212040.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127015317/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/matts-inside-line-scoop-titans-190212040.html |archive-date=November 27, 2020 |access-date=March 22, 2021 |website=[[TVLine]]}}</ref> In August 2021, Perry revealed that the project was retooled with the intention to shop it to networks again.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jenkins |first=Jason |date=August 19, 2021 |title="Dark Shadows: Reincarnation" – Mark B. Perry Reveals the Sequel Series That May Still Come to Life [Phantom Limbs] |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/exclusives/3679280/dark-shadows-reincarnation-mark-b-perry-reveals-sequel-series-may-still-come-life-phantom-limbs/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819221404/https://bloody-disgusting.com/exclusives/3679280/dark-shadows-reincarnation-mark-b-perry-reveals-sequel-series-may-still-come-life-phantom-limbs/ |archive-date=August 19, 2021 |access-date=August 20, 2021 |work=[[Bloody Disgusting]]}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[List of vampire television series]]
*[[Strange Paradise]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=Note}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Sources===
* {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZEL22AIPqKAC&q=%22Denise+Nickerson%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA3|title=Barnabas & Company: The Cast of the TV Classic Dark Shadows|first1=Craig|last1=Hamrick|first2=R. J.|last2=Jamison|publisher=[[Author Solutions|iUniverse]]|location=[[Bloomington, Indiana]]|year=2012|isbn=978-1475910346}}

===Bibliography===
* ''The Dark Shadows Companion: 25th Anniversary Collection'', edited by Kathryn Leigh Scott, foreword by Jonathan Frid, Pomegranate Press, 1990. {{ISBN|0-938817-25-6}}
* ''Dark Shadows Almanac'', edited by Kathryn Leigh Scott & Jim Pierson, Pomegranate Press, 1995. {{ISBN|0-938817-18-3}}
* ''Dark Shadows: The Comic Strip Book'', by [[Ken Bald|Kenneth Bruce Bald]] (illustrator), Pomegranate Press, 1996. {{ISBN|0-938817-39-6}}

===Further reading===
* Borzellieri, Frank. "The Physics of Dark Shadows". Cultural Studies Press, 2008. {{ISBN|978-0-9815407-0-2}}
* Clute, John and Grant, John. ''The Encyclopedia of Fantasy''. St. Martin's Press, 1999. p 823. {{ISBN|0-312-19869-8}}
* Hamrick, Craig and Jamison, R. J. ''Barnabas & Company: The Cast of the TV Classic Dark Shadows''. iUniverse, 2012. {{ISBN|978-1-4759-1034-6}}
* Jones, Stephen. ''The Essential Monster Movie Guide: A Century of Creature Features on Film, TV and Video''. Watson-Guptill, 2000. p.&nbsp;99. {{ISBN|0-8230-7936-8}}
* Krensky, Stephen. ''Vampires''. Lerner Publications, 2007. p.&nbsp;48. {{ISBN|0-8225-5891-2}}
* Mansour, David. ''From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of The Late 20th Century''. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2005. p.&nbsp;109. {{ISBN|0-7407-5118-2}}
* McNally, Raymond T. and Florescu, Radu R. ''In Search of Dracula: The History of Dracula and Vampires''. Houghton Mifflin Books, 1994. p.&nbsp;270. {{ISBN|0-395-65783-0}}
* Mitchell, Charles P. ''The Complete H. P. Lovecraft Filmography''. Greenwood Press, 2001. p 220. {{ISBN|0-313-31641-4}}
* Riccardo, Martin V. ''Vampires Unearthed: The Complete Multi-media Vampire and Dracula Bibliography''. Garland Publishing, Incorporated, 1983. p.&nbsp;19. {{ISBN|0-8240-9128-0}}
* Schemering, Christopher. ''The Soap Opera Encyclopedia''. Ballantine Books, 1985. p.&nbsp;61. {{ISBN|0-345-32459-5}}
* Senn, Bryan and Johnson, John. ''Fantastic Cinema Subject Guide: A Topical Index to 2500 Horror, Science Fiction, and Fantasy Films''. McFarland & Co, 1992. p.&nbsp;551. {{ISBN|0-89950-681-X}}
* South, Malcolm. ''Mythical and Fabulous Creatures: A Source Book and Research Guide''. Greenwood Press, 1987. p.&nbsp;260. {{ISBN|0-313-24338-7}}
* Sullivan, Jack. ''The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural''. Viking, 1986. p.&nbsp;422. {{ISBN|0-670-80902-0}}
* Terrance, Vincent. ''The Complete Encyclopedia of Television Programs, 1947–1979''. A. S. Barnes & Company, 1979.
* Worland, Rick. ''The Horror Film: An Introduction''. Blackwell Publishing, 2006. p.&nbsp;93. {{ISBN|1-4051-3902-1}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{IMDb title|0059978|title=Dark Shadows (1966–1971)}}
* {{IMDb title|0101075|title=Dark Shadows Revival (1991)}}
* {{IMDb title|1077368|title=Dark Shadows (2011)}}
* [http://www.darkshadowsonline.com/ ''Dark Shadows'' Online]
* {{isfdb series|id=27794|title=''Dark Shadows'' books}}
*[http://www.thespectrum.com/story/entertainment/2016/10/24/50-years-dark-shadows-still-looms-large/92694770/ Interview with “Dark Shadows” cast members Lara Parker and Kathryn Leigh Scott accessed October 29, 2016.]

{{Dark Shadows|state=collapsed}}
{{US daytime soaps}}
{{Dynamite Entertainment}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Dark Shadows| ]]
[[Category:1966 American television series debuts]]
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