In this must-listen/must-watch episode, Daytime Emmy and Saturn Award-winning producer and director Mary O’Leary returns to the podcast to shed light on the question that has haunted Dark Shadows fans since 1971 – WHY DID THE SHOW GET CANCELED? In addition to material she initially presented in her Jonathan Frid documentary, Mary shares information that has never been heard before, including the fact that ABC wanted to cancel another show instead of Dark Shadows. While there are still pieces of the puzzle missing, this episode helps to clear up some long-held misconceptions and may well offer the most compelling answers as to why the show met its demise. IMORTANT NOTE: The VIDEO version of this episode on YouTube features visual evidence in the form of rarely seen letters, articles, and more. Join us for this deep-dive whodunit episode that seeks to answer the question, “why was Dark Shadows canceled?”

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Beloved by Dark Shadows fans for his portrayal of the villainous Gerard Stiles, prolific actor, photographer, and musician James Storm visits the podcast along with his wife Valerie Pronio Storm. Valerie is a retired physician, “Humanism in Medicine” award recipient, photographer, and DS fan! Listen, as Jim and Valerie share lovely stories about their passion for photography, the amazing Jim Storm Photography website, their wedding, longtime friendships and camaraderie with DS cast-mates, memories of Jim’s time on Dark Shadows, anecdotes about Jonathan Frid, Kate Jackson, Grayson Hall, David Henesy, John Karlen, Jerry Lacy, Christopher Pennock, Dan Curtis, Lela Swift, Sam Hall, Gordon Russell, and much more! SPECIAL NOTE: The video version of this episode on YouTube features over 150 photos, 85-90% of which were generously shared by Valerie! These include many photos of James and Valerie having fun times with friends, fans, and DS castmates such as Chris Pennock, Lara Parker, John Karlen, David Selby, and Kathryn Leigh Scott. Also included are many incredible photos of Valerie and Jim’s travels, most of which are available at their website! Watching the video version is highly recommended!

Award-winning playwright and screenwriter John Logan created the Showtime series Penny Dreadful, and has written numerous plays, including Red, Never the Sinner, and Peter and Alice. In addition, the prolific Mr. Logan has written screenplays for major motion pictures such as The Aviator, Hugo, Gladiator, Sweeney Todd, and many others. John also happens to be a passionate Dark Shadows fan! He visits the podcast to talk Dark Shadows, Showtime’s Penny Dreadful, Universal Monsters, classic horror, DS collectibles, and much more! In the process, John discusses the impact DS has made on the terror and speculative fiction genre and how it inspires his own work as a creator. This is one episode you will not want to miss! Bonus question for you at the end: So, you want to live in Collinwood?

On December 16th, 1968, David Selby made his first appearance as Quentin Collins on ‘Dark Shadows’. The character soon became a major sensation and pop culture icon, catapulting the hit show to even greater ratings heights as viewers witnessed Quentin’s intriguing backstory. To help commemorate his legendary character’s 55th anniversary, David Selby visits the podcast for this special holiday season episode. Discussion topics include: Christmas plans, Ansel Faraj’s ‘The Great Nick D’ and ‘Todd Tarantula’, getting cast as Quentin, Dan Curtis, sideburns and Vincent Loscalzo, memories of fellow DS actors, Earl Hamner and ‘The Waltons’, ‘Night of Dark Shadows’ restoration, writing a new novel, coming back for ‘Dark Shadows: Reincarnation’, and some words about the late, great Lara Parker. Please join us for this festive yuletide celebration of Quentin's 55th anniversary!

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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Released in 1971, MGM’s ‘Night of Dark Shadows’ was the second DS feature film. Directed by Dan Curtis, the motion picture featured many members of the TV series cast in a gothic tale of ghostly obsession. Sadly, after viewing the 129-minute director’s cut of Night of Dark Shadows, MGM studio head James Aubrey demanded that Curtis cut nearly 45 minutes out of the movie, giving him until the next day to do so. In this episode, director and film archivist Darren Gross visits the podcast to share his thoughts on NoDS and also offers updates on his long-anticipated restoration of the director’s cut of the picture. Described by ‘The Guardian’ as a “movie sleuth and champion of lost causes,” Darren miraculously unearthed the previously lost NoDS footage and prepared a restored version of the movie which has not yet been released to the public. In addition to discussing NoDS and its restoration, Darren also talks about his work on the ‘Dark Shadows’ Big Finish audio dramas, his enthusiasm for TV horror host Commander USA, and much more!

Rondo Award-winning filmmaker Ansel Faraj visits with Penny to discuss his filmmaking experiences and influences, as well as many other Dark Shadows-related topics such as working with the DS stars, info on the 'Night of Dark Shadows' restoration project, what happened with the Burton film, not giving up on 'Dark Shadows: Reincarnation', trying to categorize the classic series, and tons of references to horror movies, TV shows, plays, and stories. And that's just the tip of the iceberg! There's a lot of info packed into this episode!