The 2007 Dark Shadows Festival will reunite Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) and Angelique (Lara Parker).
By: Nancy Nicholson
During the late 1960s, I ran home from school every day to watch my favorite gothic soap opera, Dark Shadows. Ever the fan, I continue to haunt my local library and recently found a treasure a series of Dark Shadows DVDs. I took them all home and was swept back to the days when a mesmerizing cast of actors transported me to the romantic, eerie and sensual world of vampires at Collinwood.
Forty years later, still hooked, I have been cruising the Internet, thirsting for anything Dark Shadows, and am happy to report that the Goth-camp soap opera fantasy world is eternal. To re-live, revive or re-enact your favorite episodes, characters and stories live, and see the sexiest vampire ever (forget Brad Pitt), just materialize in suburban New York Aug. 17 and 18 for the 2007 Dark Shadows Festival.
Jonathan Frid, who played Barnabas Collins, will do a dramatic performance, host his favorite clips, sign autographs and certainly break a few hearts Aug. 18. Also appearing this year will be Lara Parker (the glamorous and evil Angelique), Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans) and Marie Wallace (Megan Todd).
The festival will be held in the vicinity of the Lyndhurst estate, a National Trust historic property built by railroad magnate Jay Gould and used as "Collinwood" in the MGM Dark Shadows Feature films House of Dark Shadows (1970) and Night of Dark Shadows (1971). An estate tour, banquet with the stars, and the opportunity to view and purchase collectible merchandise are all part of the convention. The host hotel is already out of rooms, but nearby hotels still have availability.
Dark Shadows stars include veteran Hollywood golden era actress Joan Bennett, original Charlie’s Angel Kate Jackson, Falcon Crest’s David Selby, and Louis Edmonds and Jim Storm who went on to star in other soap operas. Ms. Scott and Ms. Parker continued to act but also became authors and publishers. Ms. Parker recently earned her master’s degree and is a creative writing teacher in California. Her latest novel, Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch, has just been released.
Interviewed by phone, Ms. Parker says she recently completed recording an audio book of her first Dark Shadows novel, Angelique’s Descent, and expects it to be available at the festival. Ms. Parker narrates the novel and performs all the voices. The book version is currently out of print (although some copies are available through Amazon and used booksellers) and she hopes that there will be a second printing. She will be available for autographs at the festival.
Ms. Parker is nothing like Angelique. On the telephone, she is charming, modest and enjoys talking at length about literature and her writing career. When asked why the show is still so popular she says, "’Dark Shadows’ plots were inspired by classic tales including ‘Jane Eyre,’ ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray.’ Every scene had conflict and wonderful plot reversals." The cast was made up of stage actors, not soap opera actors, drawing from a "rich brew" of experience, and the writers wrote specifically for the actors’ strengths. Ms. Parker says she loves to hear people "cheer, laugh and scream" when episode clips are shown at the festivals and she credits Dark Shadows with giving her the opportunity to become a successful writer.
According to Ms. Parker, Angelique’s mystique came from the fact that "she was strong, smart, vicious and vengeful. Teenagers were thrilled at the concept that a woman could be that powerful. The women’s movement was just beginning and Angelique appealed to housewives who fantasized about wanting to cast spells and turn people into cats."
The Dark Shadows Fan Club of approximately 50,000 members is operated from Maplewood. Festival director Jim Pierson says each year 1,000 to 3,000 people attend the convention and that the New Jersey/New York area has the highest concentration of fans. The festival began in San Jose in 1983. The first East Coast festivals were at the Newark Gateway Hilton Hotel. More festivals were in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Dallas. The festivals are now held in or near Los Angeles and New York City, close to the homes of many of the cast and crew.
Marcy Robin is a teacher, author, publisher, publicist and event coordinator. She assisted Kathleen Resch (publisher of The World of Dark Shadows fanzine) with the first Dark Shadows conventions. For the past 28 years Ms. Robin has also been the editor/publisher of ShadowGram, the Official Dark Shadows newsletter that carries news about the original cast members and contains archival information on the show. She’s just published ShadowGram volume 110. She has known and worked with many of the actors and production staff going back to 1977 when John Karlen (more recently of Cagney & Lacey fame) was the guest at the first Dark Shadows convention.
The amount of available Dark Shadows memorabilia, fan fiction, calendars, photographs and collectibles is sizable you can even get a Dark Shadows ring tone for your cell phone. As busy as Ms. Robin is, I asked why she works so hard to keep Dark Shadows fans happy. Perhaps she is under some sort of spell? "Over the years, fandom has led me to countless friendships, experiences and opportunities," she says.
Are there fans who are too young to have seen the original broadcast? "There are a number of young fans who have been attracted primarily through their parents," says Mr. Pierson. "The show still has the ability to captivate younger viewers with its creative and scary elements."
"There have always been fans of all ages," says Ms. Robin. Fans come through syndications, videos, DVDs and a run on Sci Fi Channel for more than 10 years. The show ran on New Jersey Network Public Broadcasting in the 1980s; Mr. Frid even filmed a special promotional spot for NJN to air.
According to Ms. Robin, the demographic of fans includes practically every possible profession from clergy to teachers, business executives and members of the military, and from every state and other countries.
Mr. Frid, familiar as Barnabas, graduated from the Yale School of Drama. His extensive stage acting career includes appearances in The Merchant of Venice (with Katherine Hepburn), Arsenic and Old Lace, a trilogy of his own Reader’s Theatre productions and, most recently, Mass Appeal. His multi-media Web site, www.jonathanfrid.com includes information from his entire career.
The 24th Annual Dark Shadows Festival will take place at the Westchester Marriott, 670 White Plains Road, Tarrytown, N.Y., Aug. 17-18; (914) 631-2200; www.darkshadowsfestival.com. For information on the Official Dark Shadows Newsletter, e-mail [email protected]

