Although its run was short-lived, NBC’s 1991 Dark Shadows revival series left indelible fang marks upon its fans. A beautifully produced prime-time series helmed by Dan Curtis himself, the ’91 DS featured the likes of Ben Cross, Joanna Going, Barbara Steele, Jean Simmons, Roy Thinnes, Lysette Anthony, Adrian Paul, and a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt, among many others. While the series generated much excitement among the fanbase and debuted to great success, it was unceremoniously canceled after only twelve episodes. Two of the show’s diehard fans, Dominique Lamssies and Steven Stark, who first became DS fans by way of the 1991 series, visit the podcast to help examine the show’s characters and plotlines. Other topics include: ’91 series merchandise, music, costumes, Collinwood, home video releases, turtleneck sweaters, and more!

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In the spirit of Dale Clark’s “Dark Shadows Book of Questions and Answers” series comes the first installment of Terror at Collinwood’s Dark Shadows PODCAST of Questions and Answers! In this episode, the following questions are addressed: How can it be that Josette’s maiden name was originally Lafreniere, and that she was said to have died in 1834, when we know this was not the case? Who was Abner Collins? How did Quentin end up sealed in his room in the unaltered version of 1897? How could Dr. Lang know about Dave Woodard? Is Barnabas a hero or a villain? Are the Leviathans aliens? Why was Amy called Molly at first? Listen, as Penny Dreadful unleashes a frenzied torrent of in-universe explanations, with references to everything from H.P. Lovecraft, to Marvel's Punisher, to the plays of William Shakespeare, and more!

Writer, blogger, and podcaster Danny Horn visits Terror at Collinwood for a fun discussion about Dark Shadows, superheroes, and more! From 2013 to 2021, Danny undertook the Herculean task of examining Dark Shadows episode by episode, starting with the release of Barnabas, via his popular Dark Shadows Every Day blog. The blog also took side-trips into real-life events surrounding the show, looked at licensed media such as comics, novels, and audio dramas as well as the various DS remakes and reboots. Currently, Danny hosts the Superheroes Every Day podcast and maintains a corresponding blog through which he explores superhero films. Topics of discussion in this episode include: Superheroes Every Day, how Danny got into Dark Shadows, Muppets, Doctor Who, Dark Shadows Every Day, villains as main characters, fandom and ‘zines, watching DS in syndication during the 80’s, the Kaiju, serialized storytelling and genre TV as soap opera, Mark B. Perry's Dark Shadows Reincarnation, Muppets/DS crossover (?!), and much more!

Many Dark Shadows products and collectibles have been released over the years. Surprisingly, there’s never been a Dark Shadows coloring book… until now! The official Dark Shadows coloring book from Hermes Press is coming soon and it features over 80 pages of all new classic coloring book art featuring the series' best loved episodes and its most important characters. Artist Samantha Lomuscio O’Neal, the talented illustrator behind the coloring book, visits the podcast to discuss her work on the book and offers some tantalizing teases about its contents.

The 1840 storyline is the penultimate Dark Shadows plot and the last one set in the show’s main timeband. Although it doesn’t receive as much adulation as the serial’s iconic 1795 and 1897 storylines, 1840 is filled with many delights. Featuring vivid new characters, shocking twists, as well as nods to previous DS stories and classic horror films, there is much to enjoy in the next-to-last DS storyline. Writers Amanda Desiree and Katherine “Creepy Cat” Kerestman visit the podcast to help shed some light on this sometimes-underappreciated DS segment.

A claustrophobic sense of doom pervades the Summer of 1970, the final present-day storyline on Dark Shadows. In it, Barnabas Collins and Dr. Julia Hoffman try to unravel the mystery behind the insidious and increasingly malignant hauntings at the great house in an effort to prevent the destruction of Collinwood and its inhabitants. Meanwhile, they must also deal with a mysterious new vampire who prowls the estate. Professor and writer David M. Wingrove and writer Stephen R. Shutt visit the Terror at Collinwood podcast to dissect and explore this oft-ignored and/or scorned storyline, examining its various literary inspirations along the way. Often seen as DS’ attempt to recapture the success of the 'Turn of the Screw'-inspired “ghosts of Quentin and Beth” storyline, Summer of 1970 pulls inspiration from several classic sources, including tales by Oliver Onions and M.R. James, with a nod to Sheridan Le Fanu.

The 1995 segment on Dark Shadows lasted only two weeks, but its grim and apocalyptic tone left an indelible mark on fans as they witnessed the horror and madness that awaited the Collins family in the future. Raymond Castile, filmmaker, actor, collector, musician, and host of the Raymond Castile's Basement of Horror YouTube channel, visits Terror at Collinwood to discuss this popular and shocking Dark Shadows sequence! The first half of the show features monstrous topics that include: being cast as young Coffin Joe in ‘Embodiment of Evil’, collecting monster toys, an impromptu review of the new Barnabas bobblehead, and more! The second half of the show focuses on a discussion of the 1995 storyline!

Trivia facts about Dark Shadows plotlines and the show’s cast and crew are discussed with the master of DS trivia, Charles Ellis. Charles was a regular at the Dark Shadows Festivals and his DS devotion and knowledge is well-known to both fans and actors! This fun discussion runs the gamut from DS syndication, fanzines, storylines, characters, DS stars, the lost episode, cancellation, autograph collecting, Lovelady Powell as Dr. Julia Hoffman, and much, much more!

In June of 1967 Grayson Hall joined the Dark Shadows cast as Dr. Julia Hoffman, a character who went on to play a pivotal role throughout the remainder of the series. In total, Grayson played six memorable characters on the show, including Magda Rakosi and Countess Natalie DuPres. This episode of Terror at Collinwood celebrates the 55th anniversary of Julia’s first appearance and features guests R.J. Jamison, who wrote the popular biography ‘Grayson Hall: A Hard Act to Follow’, and writer & longtime fan Steve Shutt. This fun and spirited discussion explores several favorite Grayson Hall scenes featuring each of her DS characters.

Another frenzied (and geeky) lecture? You bet! This time, Penny Dreadful tackles major characteristics of gothic horror & gothic romance and illustrates their use in Dark Shadows. Topics include Terror at Collinwood’s Rondo Award nomination for best podcast (!!!), Terror vs. Horror, “spackling” continuity and bloopers, atmosphere of the gothic, otherness, serials, obsession, madness, love triangles, monsters and the supernatural, heightened emotion, the sublime, subverting the gothic, and much more!

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Terror at Collinwood was nominated for Best Podcast & Penny Dreadful was nominated for Favorite Horror Host

The full ballot can be found here: https://rondoaward.com

This special Halloween installment of the podcast takes place within the eerie halls of Collinwood itself! Recorded on-location at Seaview Terrace aka the Carey Mansion, the episode features interviews with longtime Dark Shadows fans Bob Issel, Jimmy Hutcheson, Helen Samaras, Guy Haines, Vivian Hardwick, Nina Ogle, Mary Wasmer, and Marge Hicks. In addition to talk about Dark Shadows and the annual parties at the great house, Bob talks about the incredible new book ‘Our Shadowed Past’. Finally, several of the guests reveal their own real-life ghostly encounters at the haunted mansion.

Dark Shadows has a huge following among LGBT+ fans, and this episode celebrates that fact with fun and insightful audio clips from passionate LGBT 'Dark Shadows' fans who express why DS resonates so strongly with them, and why they love the show so much. Featuring: Peter Mac, John Dimes, Bobby Lugosi, David-Elijah Nahmod, John Faust, and Julie M. Grizzle.

Author, pop culture specialist, 'Dark Shadows' historian, and retired English professor, Dr. Jeff Thompson, joins Penny for an examination of the storyline that introduced iconic vampire Barnabas Collins to DS, turning the series into a hit and forever cementing its place in pop culture history. Other topics include Jeff's books on Dan Curtis, his magazine articles, Hermes Press book introductions, the Collinsport Players, Barnabas' influence on subsequent vampire depictions, and more! You won't want to miss this episode of Terror at Collinwood – A Dark Shadows Podcast!