Beloved by Dark Shadows fans for her portrayal of the tragic child ghost Sarah Collins, sister of Barnabas Collins, Sharon Smyth Lentz played a very different character in the 2014 short film On a Country Road, which was directed and produced by husband-and-wife filmmaking team, and longtime Dark Shadows fans, Barry and Karen Dodd. Sharon and Barry reunite in this episode for a fun discussion! The first half of the show is devoted to the making of On a Country Road and the second half of the episode focuses on Dark Shadows. Discussion topics also include: the Ragged Isle web series, the Night is Falling comic book, Village Con, Sharon’s memories of DS castmates, London Bridge Is Falling Down, DS fandom, and much more!

Award-winning filmmaker, writer, and television director Sam Irvin visits the podcast to talk about some of his monstrous adventures and his childhood love of Dark Shadows. Topics include: discussion about his books The Epic Saga Behind Frankenstein the True Story, and the 1973 film it covers, and the Rondo-winning I Was a Teenage Monster Hunter, Sam’s origins as a Monster Kid, his decades-long friendship with Vincent Price, his first meeting with Cassandra Peterson (Elvira) and how he got the job directing Elvira’s Haunted Hills, how Dark Shadows influenced his TV show Dante’s Cove, co-executive producing Gods and Monsters and being on the set during the filming of the Bride of Frankenstein scene, Famous Monsters of Filmland, collecting the Dark Shadows Paperback Library novels, and much more!

The Dream Curse storyline in Dark Shadows was inspired by an obscure 1957 horror novel called The Dreamers, written by Roger Manvell. Although this was revealed by writer Ron Sproat at the first DS Festival, many remain unaware of the book and its influence on the Dream Curse plot. Returning to the podcast are Amanda Desiree and Stephen R. Shutt, who are both writers and longtime fans of Dark Shadows and all things spooky. We spend the first half of this episode examining The Dreamers, comparing and contrasting the novel to the plot line in the show. In the second half of the episode, we have some fun interpreting the symbolism of the DS Dream Curse as we try to determine the greatest fear of each dreamer.

What better way to celebrate Halloween than with Rondo Award and Pulp Factory Award-winning artist, Mark Maddox? The talented artist behind the much-loved official Dark Shadows lunchbox drops in to talk about Dark Shadows, Universal monsters, Hammer horror, silent German horror and sci-fi films, and much more! Mark has created beautiful covers for Screem Magazine, Little Shoppe of Horrors, Video Watchdog, and several other publications. In addition, Mark’s glorious Hammer horror artwork graces many Scream Factory Blu-Ray covers. Listen to Mark describe his eerie origins as an artist as he talks about his passion for horror, science fiction, and fantasy. This passion includes Dark Shadows, of course! Mark shares his childhood memories of the show and offers some great insights into his DS artwork. A multitude of fun and monstrous topics are discussed in this special Halloween episode! NOTE: The YouTube version of this show includes loads of pictures featuring Mark’s fang-tastic artwork!

Where does Dark Shadows fit into the landscape of popular culture, and is DS going to slip out of the pop culture consciousness, completely? Writers Jim Beard, Rich Handley, and Charles R. Rutledge visit the podcast to address these topics and shine some light into the shadows! Jim, Rich, and Charles have written extensively about numerous icons of pop culture and speculative fiction. Their writing, which includes works of fiction and non-fiction, examines many wondrous worlds of horror, fantasy, and science fiction. They’ve explored Dark Shadows, Batman, Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Spider-Man, Dungeons & Dragons, Universal Monsters, Godzilla, Ghostbusters, Ultraman, Hammer Horror, The X-Files, The Shadow, and many other franchises of the fantastic! Please join us for this fun and lively discussion! Other topics include: the ’91 DS NBC revival series, whether Barnabas and Julia would end up together, Dark Shadows Reincarnation and the idea of a sequel show, recasting vs. not recasting, more discussion about the proposed Dark Shadows fiction anthology, and much more!

As a teenager, Elena Nacanther was one of the devoted Studio Kids who used to hang out at the ABC TV-16 studio during the original run of Dark Shadows. Along with her friend and fellow “Frid Girl” Valerie, Elena volunteered as Jonathan Frid’s personal assistant while Dark Shadows was on the air. Elena later went on to become a successful New York radio producer and director in the city’s #1 market. She remained friends with Jonathan for the rest of his life. Elena visits Terror at Collinwood to share her memories of Jonathan Frid and of being a studio kid in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Other topics of conversation include: Elena and Valerie becoming Jonathan Frid’s assistants, visiting the Collinwood set, Jonathan’s fan mail parties, surprising Grayson Hall, protesting the cancellation of DS, some insight into the reasons Bramwell Collins was created for the show, and much more! NOTE: The YouTube version of this episode features many rare photos from Elena’s personal collection!

Emmy Award-winning makeup artist Todd McIntosh has over 40 years of experience in the television and film industries, boasting such credits as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Pushing Daisies, Dr. Strange, Dracula Dead and Loving It, Masters of the Universe, The Brady Bunch Movie, and many more. He was the Makeup Department Head on the 2004 WB Dark Shadows pilot and happens to be a huge fan of the original ABC series! In fact, Todd cites Dark Shadows as a major influence on his interests in makeup, monsters, and prosthetics during his formative years. He visits Terror at Collinwood to discuss a variety of topics, including his memories of watching DS, his early experiences as a professional makeup artist, his memories of working on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, memories of working with Mel Brooks, meeting DS cast members, interactions with Dick Smith, and of course his work on the 2004 WB Dark Shadows pilot. Along the way, Todd shares a great story involving some impromptu fangs and Dan Curtis. On August 17, 2023, Todd will be part of a special tribute to makeup legend Dick Smith, presented by the Academy Museum at the Ted Mann Theater in Los Angeles, where he will be introducing House of Dark Shadows to an enthusiastic audience!

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With their magic spells, curses, and arcane incantations, the witches, warlocks, and mages of Dark Shadows certainly left a strong and lasting impression upon fans of the show. One of those fans is Laramie Dean, a talented novelist (Black Forest) and playwright (Frankenstein Among the Dead, Dracula, The Gorgon Sisters). The delightful Laramie pays a visit to the podcast for a spirited discussion about Angelique, Nicholas, Judah, Bathia, Petofi, and other wielders of magic in the DS universe. The episode also includes: a geeky side lecture on the depiction of witches in horror films, and a substantial DS opening news segment that includes info about new books, appearances, podcasts, and more! The show ends with shoutouts to several Dark Shadows and DS-adjacent podcasts! ALSO: get thee to the Blue Whale jukebox and dig the terrifyingly tubular new surf rock version of the DS theme song, ‘Surfing the Shadows’, performed by Johnny D & The Moonlighters! It also happens to be the new opening theme for Terror at Collinwood!

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The twenty-first annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards are upon us! A special category in the Rondos is the write-in for Monster Kid Hall of Fame, which honors those who’ve made a permanent mark on the world of classic horror appreciation. Many of the inductees are/were fans of the genre themselves. This award is a rare distinction indeed, and there are several notable recipients. Missing from the list, however, is Dark Shadows creator Dan Curtis! This episode of Terror at Collinwood includes a series of interview clips featuring Dan Curtis himself, along with writer Sam Hall and actress Lara Parker. The clips help illustrate why Curtis should be considered for Monster Kid Hall of Fame status. A known enthusiast of classic terror tales and motion pictures, Curtis certainly made prominent puncture marks on the genre with Dark Shadows. He also unleashed the iconic The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler, and he helmed adaptations of Dracula, Frankenstein, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Turn of the Screw, and The Picture of Dorian Gray. He directed both Dark Shadows MGM feature films, the horror cult classics Burnt Offerings, Trilogy of Terror, Dead of Night, and many more! After his epic miniseries Winds of War and War and Remembrance, he returned to the world of the gothic with the 1991 Dark Shadows revival series, which featured horror legend Barbara Steele (who is also long past due for induction into the Monster Kid Hall of Fame). See the full ballot at https://rondoaward.com/ and email your votes to taraco@aol.com. Voting is open until Sunday at midnight, April 23, 2023. PS - And thanks to those who nominated Terror at Collinwood for Best Podcast and Penny Dreadful for Favorite Horror Host. It's an honor to be on the ballot, twice!

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It’s a ghoul-tide trip down memory lane in this Terror at Collinwood Christmas/Holiday special. I sit down with my family to discuss their memories of Dark Shadows. Other topics include: moving to America from Portugal, getting into 60’s pop culture, growing up in the 60’s, Dracula actors, binge watching in the 80’s before it was a thing, family interests in spooky stuff, and much more! Featuring, in order of appearance, interviews with my: aunt Agatha, mom Zezinha, uncle Valdemar, cousin Karen, cousin Elijah, dad Tony, sister Amy, and sister Maggie.

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!

Rondo Award-winning writer Rod Labbe has interviewed many of the Dark Shadows stars over the years, and even ran the Dennis Patrick fan club in 1969-1970. He visits Terror at Collinwood to discuss his DS and monster memories! After that, Rod and Penny look at the DS actors who played six or more characters on the show and challenge themselves to pick their favorites from each set!