House of Dark Shadows was on TCM last night

[Earth 2 Chris]

I just happened to flip past as Robert Osbourne was introducing it. I recorded it, but went to bed about a half-an-hour in.

So, this is a condensed retelling of the Barnabas story? I've never seen this movie. Man, they crammed A LOT into the first half hour though.

How's the rest of it?

Chris

[PNGwynne]

^Unfortunately, in my opinion, rushed & uneven.

I love the show & can enjoy the films, but I've always thought that, if you were not familiar with the soap, one would not find the films very engaging.

[ShadowAvenger]

It still holds up for me even if it does seem rushed in some parts.

[Dark Shadow]

I watched this movie this past October for the first time in a long time, and I have to agree that this film was way too jam packed. I also agree that if you're not familiar with the characters (and storyline) it could be confusing. Seems to me that Dan Curtis was trying to compete with Hammer Films, hence the excessive blood, seething female vampire and rampant death.

This movie, along with Night Of Dark Shadows, will be released on DVD later this year. My understanding is that NODS will have all of the edited footage restored into the flow of the film, which is great since the movie makes no sense without it. Unfortunately, the cropped footage from HODS has never been recovered so the release will be the same footage that has been previously released on VHS.

[mego73]

Wow, how in the world did I miss that? I usually look over TCM's schedule for stuff like that. BTW, both Night and House can be rented from Amazon instant video (streaming).

[Dark Shadow]

As a side note...I watched Dan Curtis' Bram Stoker's Dracula with Jack Palance for the first time last week. Yikes! It was not great. Ham & cheese sandwich.

Interesting point though was that Curtis' version was the first movie based on Dracula to feature the reincarnation/lost love theme (Curtis stated that he incorporated it directly from the Dark Shadows Barnabas/Josette storyline) which would be copied several times later on, including the Francis Ford Coppola version with Oldman/Hopkins/Reeves & Ryder.

Dan Curtis certainly left his mark on the vampire genre!

[Earth 2 Chris]

I actually liked Curtis' Dracula. I thought it was better than some of Hammer's later efforts overall. Palance played Drac like an animal to be pitied somewhat. Kind of like a wild dog that must be destroyed. Coopola totally ripped off the reincarnation angle from this version.

Chris

[danadoll]

I actually liked Curtis' Dracula. I thought it was better than some of Hammer's later efforts overall. Palance played Drac like an animal to be pitied somewhat. Kind of like a wild dog that must be destroyed. Coopola totally ripped off the reincarnation angle from this version.

Chris

Perhaps, Coppola never read the book and just thought that Dan Curtis did it right (reincarnation and all)? LOL! I quite liked HOD too, but I agree...It did seem very rushed and mashed together near the end (not to mention, they killed off way more characters than they did in the show).

Dana

[Thor]

I liked Dan Curtis' Dracula too. I must day Palance's was one of the most physically agressive versions I've seen.

[Earth 2 Chris]

^Agreed. He really conveyed the power of Dracula. I could believe he had been Vlad the Impaler as well. He was like a noble savage.

Chris

[Dark Shadow]

^ RE: DC's Drac

I was really enjoying it up until the point where he began having his initial flashbacks, then it all seemed to go down hill from there for me. It just really seemed out of character for a middle-aged smitten war lord Vlad/Palance to be spinning around in circles with a beautiful woman on a warm sunny spring day. Had he been in his late teens or early 20's, it might have seemed less silly to me. But watching this action performed by a matured 50+ year old...it tickled me funny-bone it did.

I think had I seen it first at a younger age (instead of in my slightly beyond middle-aged cynical present state of mind) I might have had a different reaction. Same with HODS. Had I not a strong past connection with the film, I'm sure I would never be able to sit through it these days without having my patience raked over once or twice.

Just curious, when was the first time you watched Palance's version of Drac, and how recent was your latest viewing?

I bought the DC Macabre Collection boxset recently, having never seen any of the four movies, and so far have watched Dracula & Turn of The Screw. I did like TOTS, and can see how heavily influenced the original Quentin Collins storyline was by this tale (Quint/Quentin). Can't help but love the Robert Cobert scores from both movies. Looking forward to Jeckyl/Hyde & Dorian Gray.

I also picked up the complete series of Kolchak...haven't seen these since their original air dates...really looking forward to watching them again!

[Earth 2 Chris]

I had never seen it before, and bought it on DVD a few years back when Wal-Mart stocked a number of vampire and werewolf movies due to Twilight. It has it's problems, and it's no closer to the novel than most of the Drac movies, but I did feel Palance brought an air of menace to the role. I preferred their take on a tragic love story over Coopola's treatment of it, that had Gary Oldman crying like a little baby with his half-bat makeup on. They made him TOO sympathetic in that one, me thinks...

I haven't seen the other films in the set you mention. I need to get that Kolchak set too!

Chris

[PNGwynne]

I'm not so keen on DC's Dracula, but I like the Dorian Gray adaptation very much. Perhaps the best IMO since the classic MGM version.

I've never seen the DC Jeckyll & Hyde with Palance..., just stills.

[Dark Shadow]

I hear ya E2C! I really liked FFC's Dracula when I watched it the first few times. Having not seen it since about 2000 or so, I watched it this past Halloween and it was tough for me to sit through. It doesn't hold up very well at all. I had the opposite experience with the Lugosi Dracula. Hadn't watched it in years because I found it hard to maintain my attention on the movie. Often shut it off halfway through, or sooner. Fell asleep once. This year I really got into it and actually watched it twice, back to back. Funny how time can change things.

Thanks PNG, looking forward to Mr. Gray. If you have a chance to see Turn Of The Screw, I found it to be pretty good. It stars Lynn Redgrave and Katherine Leigh Scott has a small role in the movie (as Miss Jessell)...funny though, she's credited as Katherine Scott. I had to go back and freeze frame a few shots before I could determine if it was her or not.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I like FFC's Dracula overall, and structure-wise, it is the closest interpretation of Stoker's novel, but it's portrayal of Dracula varies the greatest. He's portrayed as far too sympathetic. And then there's Keanu Reeves...

Chris