(Contains portions of my reviews for previous sets) Ever since MPI Home Video started releasing “Dark Shadows” on DVD I’ve had the opportunity to write a little bit about each set. This has also allowed me to wax rhapsodic about my childhood and how I grew up watching the series. This time I’m going to try not to bore you with all those little details and simply get to the point. Nope, you’re not going to find me mentioning how I used to come home from school everyday (excluding weekends) and plop down on the couch with my parents to see how Barnabas’ attempts to shed his vampiric lifestyle were coming. I’m not going to bring up the fact that I used to read all the “Dark Shadows” novels that came out. As a matter of fact, I can pretty much guarantee that by the time you finish reading this review you will have no idea that I saw the both of the “Dark Shadows” movies in the theatre on their opening days. You’ll be relieved to know that this review isn’t about me… it’s about “Dark Shadows.”

For those unfortunate souls not familiar with “Dark Shadows”, let me give you a brief history in Reader’s Digest fashion. “Dark Shadows” used to be one of ABC’s most popular soap operas when it ran from 1966 to 1971. This was unlike any other soap on TV at the time. Sure there was romance and murder, but there was also a heavy dose of ghosts, vampires, monsters and even a bit of time travel. The show was very dark (hence the name), and to this day some consider it to be the best soap ever. The only other Soap Opera to even try to match the style would probably be the “DS” wannabe “Passions.” More than 30 years after it went off the air, you can still find conventions and fan-gatherings.

Since 2002, MPI has released 15 collections, each offering 40 episodes of the series, though I would not necessarily call it a complete collection. For some reason, the 1st set started with the 210th episode, featuring the arrival of vampire Barnabas Collins (Jonathon Frid – who would become the show’s signature character). Fortunately they included a clipped recap of what had transpired during the show’s initial 209 episodes, but I’m still a bit curious as to why they skipped those early ones. I think I’m finally going to contact the studio and ask if they have any intention of releasing these first episodes in any kind of sets. This month, they are releasing the 16th Collection and they are showing no signs of slowing down. Originally they were advertised as coming out every three months, but production has definitely sped up a bit.

I’d spend a lot of time catching you up, but like any good Soap Opera, there are several storylines going on at once. The series at this point is still going through it’s time travel phase, and storyline is still hopping back and forth between 1897 and 1969. During the course of these 40 episodes (817 – 857), we find Quentin Collins hard at work trying to save Barnabas from the clutches of the evil Count Petrofi. We also see the creation of a portrait on Quentin that might hold the key to vanquishing his lycanthropic activities… at least for a while. But as the situation worsens in the past, Julia (Grayson Hall) is visited in the present by the ghost of Beth who tells her how Quentin is to die. Julia then uses the I Ching wands to transport herself back in time. While there, she becomes ever more determined to try and cure Barnabas of his vampirism. Unfortunately, she is taken hostage by Petrofi and forced to reveal the secret of the I Ching wands. He then plans to inhabit Quentin’s body so that he can successfully transport himself to the future. Things only get worse from there. After all, it’s a soap opera!

All of the DVD sets pretty much use interviews as a form of extra feature. I really enjoy watching the interviews, because though they are sometimes short, they almost always give a real feel for what it was like for some of my favorite character actors to work on the show. Most are filled with humorous anecdotes, and occasionally you find the actor that rambles, but the fact that they took the time to be interviewed alone makes them a worthwhile addition. Each set has four different interviews, and this time around they include David Selby, Nancy Barrett, creator/executive producer Dan Curtis and associate producer George DiCenzo.

Watching the series again after so many years, it’s easy to see that in some ways it is a bit dated. This in no way takes away from the quality of the storytelling, but I will admit that it might be hard to bring new fans into the fold. Some younger people will probably find the series silly, but I consider this their loss. There are certainly enough of us who recognize the show’s quality and look past some of the technical difficulties or references from another time. I certainly do, and still find the show to have the same air of mystery and intrigue as it did when I watched it as a kid.

Starring: Jonathon Frid, David Selby, Lara Parker, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Louis Edmonds, David Henesy, Grayson Hall, Thayer David, Nancy Barrett, Roger Davis, Jerry Lacy, Denise Nickerson, Don Briscoe, Terry Crawford, Michael Stroka, Donna McKechnie, Henry Baker, Karen Lynn, Deborah Loomis, Paul michael
Extras: Interviews with Actors David Selby and Nancy Barrett, Creator/Executive Producer Dan Curtis and Associate Producer George DiCenzo
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: MPI
Release Date: 1/25/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Dark Shadows: Collection 16 an A.