[.ca] Dark Shadows: DVD Collection 2 (Full Screen) [4 Discs]

Better than Collection 1:
I'm going to review the content of Collection 2 instead of the series like the other reviewers here. It should be mentioned that the 8 weeks of episodes on collection 2 are a big improvement over collection 1 which was good, but a little slow at times. By these episodes, the writers seemed to have figured out what to do with Barnabas and a few old stale plot lines are tossed to the curb. I think that new fans who bought collection 1 but were on the fence about whether to check out collection 2 or not should go ahead and give it a try. I'm convinced the improved pacing of these episodes will make you a fan!

SINK YOUR TEETH INTO THIS CULT CLASSIC (AGAIN):
There are grand operas, horse operas and soap operas. But we're not horsing around when we say that there's only one grand, gothic soap opera --- the indestructible Dark Shadows. Premiering on ABC in 1966, it ran for five years, chalking up 1,225 episodes. And now it's time, once again, to sink our teeth into one of TV's more quixotic offerings. Pass the garlic, please. And pass the DVD sets issued by MPI Home Video, dedicated folk who have worked tirelessly to bring the series out of its forgotten shadows and into an era of rediscovery. Each of the 5 DVD sets contain 4 discs, a chronicle of Dark Shadows episodes --- approximately 75 hours of our favorite fanged ghoul, Barnabas Collins, and the dark doings set in the small fictional fishing village of Collinsport, Maine. Be forewarned, however, that as much as we have a stake in the revival of the series, we question why MPI only included episodes #211 to #412. (We asked the question, but they never answered. Talk about being kept in dark shadows.) The late '60s were an odd time in our cultural history, a kind of a maturation into reality after the bland '50s and a precursor for the entitlement and permissiveness of the '70s. Violence permeated our society and its entertainment ... and escape was the order of the day. Dark Shadows brought us to a strange set of performers playing even a stranger set of characters. Grayson Hall and Joan Bennett came from the movies, Jonathan Frid and David Selby came from the stage, and they were supported by actors and actresses who had spent literally decades gracing some of the most popular soap operas from radio and television. Adding to the escapism was the time element. You were never quite sure what century you were in while visiting the New England branch of Transylvania. It could be modern-day Collinsport, or it could be the late 18th century. Performers could be playing the present-day characters, or their great grandparents. Still, one thing was sure: High on Windows Hill stood the family manse, Collinswood (the name most likely came from Wilkie Collins, the author whose gothic gems graced book stalls in late Victorian times), and, regardless of the century, it was here that the haunted Collinses plied their depraved trade. Dark Shadows had a narrative link in a way, but the performers never seem to know exactly where they are, were they've been, or, most importantly, where they were going. To be sure, there were the normal and accepted gaffs of daytime television, such as a boom mike boinking a performer on the head or people tripping over cables. But, there was the added zest of poor Joan Bennett looking confused, calling performers by their real names, and trying to cover rising panic with a look of sheer exotic boredom. Bennett made her first film well before the talky revolution, but she hadn't seen or heard everything yet, until she sojourned into daytime television. As a matter of fact, the growth and development of the television show parallels to a greater or lesser extent the growth and development of theater of the absurd in America. The players and the set remained basically the same, but the period and action varied wildly. And, ultimately it didn't matter where you were, or where you thought you were, or where you thought you were going, because you were under the spell of the Collinses, in Collinsport, and they were in control. If the reality seemed fractured, hallucinatory and vaguely scary, well, then, wasn't life exactly like that? Dan Curtis, who also brought us War and Remembrance, The Winds of War, The Night Stalker, Dracula and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (both with Jack Palance) and the cult film Burnt Offerings, spawned the series. But the greatest success of this veritable one-man cottage industry is undoubtedly Dark Shadows. The brooding gothic setting, the sprawling, elephantine plot twists and the idiosyncratic, not to say colliding, acting styles come together to create something unique and strangely satisfying. For the last 20 years, there has been an annual Dark Shadows Festival, held either in the Los Angeles or New York area. This year, it will be held in Brooklyn at the end of August. An ominous press release informs us that this year marks the final full fledged festival, the last of its line. Knowing the denizens of Dark Shadows, we don't believe it for a moment!

Fascinating American gothic.:
For the true fan this is a real treat. I feel confident that you'll readily forgive the occasional video imperfections since one gets so easily engrossed in these stories. I sure did. For those of us who loved Dark Shadows the first time, this is a real nostalgic treat; like seeing old friends.

Dark Shadows continues on DVD!:
Barnabas Collins and the rest of the gang return for more on Dark Shadows DVD Collection 2! This Collection, which contains VHS Volumes 5-12 on 4 discs, is more of a transitional set. In these episodes, the storylines from Collection 1 come to a close and the new storylines begin. Right off the bat, we see the conclusion of the Barnabas kidnapping Maggie storyline, and then we focus on the impending wedding of blackmailer Jason McGuire and Elizabeth Collins Stoddard. Near the end of this Collection, we see the introduction of Dr. Julia Hoffman, who arrives at Collinwood to investigate Maggie's disappearance. Also on these DVD's we get bonus interviews from Dan Curtis (Producer), Nancy Barrett (Carolyn Stoddard), Dennis Patrick (Jason McGuire), and Alexandra Moltke (Victoria Winters). Once again, the picture and sound qualities are in great shape. Also like the first Collection, these episodes are all in black and white. Looking forward to Collection 3, which will include color episodes!

DARK SHADOWS RULES....."a soap that won't die.":
The Story of the Greatest vampire since Dracula, Barnabas Collins continues with his evil plot to Kidnap the Lovely Maggie Evans who he believes is the Re-incarnation of his lost love from 200 years ago, Josette. He Locks Maggie up in the Old House, inwhich Barnabas has moved in and hired caretaker Willie Loomis to restore the house to its orginal state. The plot thickens when Dr. Julia Hoffman arrives at Collinwood to investigate the Disappearance of Maggie Evans.