Growing up in the 1980’s, I didn’t have the opportunity to be one of the original Monster Kids that ran home from school each evening to watch the gothic soap opera phenomenon, Dark Shadows. Luckily for me - my mother was.

The impact of these narratives never lost their hold over her and she brought me up right - to peer bravely into the dark (even when I could feel my heart pounding too loudly in my chest) - for the small chance of - “what if?” What if the old stories are true? What if monsters (besides those that lie inside every human) do exist?

Much of my childhood was spent watching (and re-watching) the Universal Monster movies with my mother. We also had a joint love for The Twilight Zone and any productions involving Alfred Hitchcock or Vincent Price. To round off my training in all manner of spooky, my family was also comprised of Stephen King fans. And while letting me watch Cujo at age 5 may not have been the best decision (I had nightmares for weeks), reading Pet Sematary for the first time at age 10, was a cherished formative experience.

While viewing classic monster films with my mother solidified my life long obsession with the gothic (I even focused on 19th century gothic literature in graduate school), the seeds were planted even earlier, and in a more cozy and intimate way. And they came via the life of the Collins family.

When tucking me in bed at night, my mother would often tell me bedtime stories that were essentially her recollections of the various exploits of Barnabas Collins, Willie Loomis, and Dr. Julia Hoffman. She had enjoyed the show along with her two younger siblings (twins!). Willie was her favorite character of the trio, although there was also her local pride that a West Virginian (born and bred) actor played the enigmatic Quentin Collins. It might have also helped that he was a total heartthrob.

Thus - the knowing of Barnabas Collins as a character (along with the illustrious Captain James Tiberius Kirk) has been a part of my mental landscape longer than my own memory can recall.

Before you ask - Yes, it is my mother’s fault that I always fall for morally grey characters such as Damon Salvatore, Klaus Mikaelson, and even Dexter Morgan.

For more red flags - check out my memoir (once it is is pulled free from the ether) to learn all about my equally intense and unfortunate love for Norman Bates as a pre-teen.

But I digress. Back to Dark Shadows - besides a few episodes here and there, I never had the opportunity to watch the show until 2018 when I discovered that the show was available via Amazon Prime. I can’t even remember how I knew to watch Dark Shadows: The Beginning (pre-Barnabas episodes) as the starting point, but I am so thankful I did.

Up to this point, I hadn’t even been aware that there was a Dark Shadows without Barnabas. Needless to say I was a bit confused (but NOT disappointed) when I began the journey with Ms. Vickie Winters, as she journeyed by train to the small fishing village of Collinsport, Maine - her future as well as her origins unknown to her. And clearly - I had to swoon over the brooding Burke Devlin.

I was transfixed. In fact, I spent the bulk of my free time in 2018 (which was hard to come by as I was teaching Middle School) watching the show and managed to finish it over winter break that December.

I connected with the film noir tone of the show immediately - and was surprised to find that the show was less campy than I had been led to believe over the years. In fact, I would argue there isn’t anything campy about this gothic soap opera. Even when the plots is convoluted and the scenes are filled with melodramatic interactions - the writing, directing, and acting are all so very…sincere. This can often get overlooked by modern audiences who are primed to expect smooth editing and significant post-production work over the stage performance style of Dark Shadows.

In my opinion, it is this one shot take experience that brings the characters closer to us - to reality. Bloopers and all - no matter how over the top the plot lines may be - even when we scoff at the characters decisions - they feel real. We can see ourselves in their frantic grasping for something stable and secure to moor them in their otherwise incomprehensible reality.

Currently, I am working on my second and third full rewatch of the show. For the second viewing, I am watching with a friend who has graciously acquiesced to taking the journey with me. We are on episode 727 (1897 storyline).

For the third, I have just started over at the first episode, with the purpose of documenting my experience. By closely watching each episode, I hope to analyze the narrative structure and character development as the series progresses. I am also interested in discussing the literary origins of the show’s many borrowed premises. Some of these inspirations include Jane Eyre, The Turning of the Screw, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

It is this process (long and arduous as it may turn out to be), that I invite you to experience with me. As my time allows (sadly, I do have to work for a living), I will be posting commentary in response to five episode blocks.

At some point, I would also like to write about the novel serialization by William Ross (pen name Marilyn Ross), the Big Finish audio dramas, and the Dark Shadows novels by the late (and incredibly talented) Laura Parker.

If you would like to watch, or rewatch, the show along with me - it is currently available to stream with commercials on Tubi’s website and app.

Don’t forget to start with the early episodes that have been branded as Dark Shadows: The Beginning. I promise these 209 episodes will add an extra layer of understanding to the Collins family dynamics. And who doesn’t want more time with the lovely governess Victoria Winters?

I hope you will come along with me as I celebrate an iconic turning point in television history as well as the well-spring of connection I share with my mother, even after her passing.