Goodbye, Lara Parker

I’m heartbroken to hear about the passing of Lara Parker, who played the legendary witch Angelique Bouchard Collins in Dark Shadows. Rivaling both Barnabas and Quentin in popularity, Angelique became a pop culture icon in her own right and that was largely due to Lara’s incredible performance in the role. Angelique and DS were a big part of my childhood and stayed with me throughout my life. In interviews, I often cite Angelique as one of the inspirations in the witch’s brew that helped form my TV Horror Host persona of Penny Dreadful.

I once met Lara, briefly, at a DS Festival. She was very nice and signed a copy of The Salem Branch, which I purchased from her table. More significantly, I had the pleasure of interviewing her last year. I believe this must have been one of her last interviews. She was amazing and offered deep, insightful, and intelligent observations. I was so glad that she seemed happy with how the interview went. Lara stayed in the Zoom after the show ended and we continued to chat about a variety of things, such as our experiences teaching college writing classes. She was curious about me and the podcast, and asked me a number of questions.

Lara was a brilliant actress. She was also a skilled writer and educator. I fondly recall our conversation regarding terror vs. horror.

After hanging up, my first thought was, “Wow, she’s so cool!”

My deepest sympathies go out to Lara’s family and her many friends, which include her DS cast-mates and her endless fans.

Below, you can hear my interview with Lara from November 22, 2022, which was a celebration of the 55th anniversary of Angelique’s first appearance on Dark Shadows.