Dark Shadows DVD Collection 1

Rating:
Summary: Love the set.....
Review: I really have been enjoying the show on DVD. There is only thing that I wish they had done is put a tag on each show to let you know which # show you were watching last. It's kind of confusing.

Rating:
Summary: The beginnings of a classic....
Review: Dark Shadows was a pivotal television series in many ways. It changed the popular perception of the vampire from an evil only monster to an extremely sympathetic and (most importantly) human being. This trend has continued in the works of Anne Rice and countless writers as well as the tv of today as seen in the character of Angel from Buffy The Vampire Slayer. But back to Dark Shadows....this DVD set begins with the introduction of Barnabas Collins, a 175 year old vampire released from his chained coffin by Willie Loomis. Barnabas goes about making himself at home in Collinwood of 1967 and meets a local girl - Maggie Evans - who bears an uncanny resemblance to his long lost love, Josette. He kidnaps her and the fun begins. Truly creepy and literate with an amazing cast. You will not be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Ahhh Childhood Memories
Review: Actually I haven't seen the DVD yet. I just ordered it! I remember running home from school everyday to watch Barnabas, Wille, Angelique, the evil Reverand Trask, Dr. Julia Hoffman, and all the rest. (Most of you will remember one of the actors who later returned on All My Children as Langly Wallingford.)
I tape this show on Sci-Fi or watch it as often as possible. It's about time the world of Barnabas and DVD met. Thank you!!

Rating:
Summary: Barnabas Collins Stakes Out His Own Territory On DVD!!
Review: Many remember running home from school to catch the antics of a rather strange family living high atop the perpetually stormy Widow's Hill in fictional Collinsport, Maine, when they were children. A Gothic soap opera in the middle of the afternoon? Would it fly? Of Course! Over 35 years after it's conception in the brilliantly warped mind of creator Dan Curtis, this series remains one of the most beloved and enduring Television programs of all time!Complete with the mistakes and flubs, this classic returns to spook you yet again with its raw yet talented performances, liberally stripped from the classic gothic novels such as Turn of the Screw, Frankenstein, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and more! I thank Dark Shadows for introducing my rather overactive imagination to the classic novels of Shelley, Stoker and James! Beginning with episode #210 and the resurrection of Barnabas Collins, this collection gives an overview of the first year and then contains 40 complete episodes as originally broadcast in eerie black and white. Later episodes begin in color but those initial black and white and kinescope episodes give them an spooky feeling of a Boris Karloff movie!Hopefully MPI will find it necessary to also produce the First Year episodes which are crucial to any serious collector! Also the beautifully produced yet ill-fated 1991 version should be put on DVD! Because of the size of the series (1225 episodes) the introduction on DVD is a wise spacesaving addition to any library. If you are a fan of the series or a fan of gothic stories, this show is for you! After all, how many families do you know have vampires, werewolves and zombies as house guests? Do yourself a favor! Buy Dark Shadows in its best, money saving format yet!! You'll love it!!

Rating:
Summary: Classic Gothic Soap REBORN!
Review: I myself was not yet born when the show originally aired from 66-71! Yet having been watching it on Sci-Fi for the last 8 months, i have become addicted to it. It truly is something special to see. Being live tape, with no room for errors, I am always on the lookout for bloopers. I also have the Dark Shadows bloopers VHS tape. With this set, the audio & picture quality is quite good. there isn't any background noise and the original video holds up very well. I well look forward to the later releases and especially when they go back to 1795. Well worth it!

Rating:
Summary: DS on DVD - MPI superb as usual
Review: Now we can finally start collecting (re-collecting) DS as it should be, 40 episodes to a set, and on DVD! This set which starts with Barnabas' appearance in #210 is magnificent! Even better quality than those MPI first released. Hopefully, MPI will get the entire series out on DVD sooner rather than later. At 40 per set, I guess we're looking for about thirty sets. (Whew!) But they're well worth it. Starting listing your VHS tapes on ebay and get the DVD's!!!

Rating:
Summary: Black and white only
Review: This is a good set, but people should know that all
these episodes are presented in black and white. The
DVDs are good quality, but fast forwarding through some of the
scenes presented me with some anomalies such as skipping to
another unrelated track. Sound quality is very good. If one
is not a rabid fan, this may not be the first set to buy.
The later series are going to be a bit more fast-paced and in
color as well. Personally, I enjoy this set, since it has
some of the earliest Dark Shadows episodes I remember, especially
the interaction between Barnabas and Maggie. There is one bonus
interview with John Karlen (Willie Loomis), which is interesting though disjointed.

Rating:
Summary: still fun after all these years
Review: Dark Shadows was the first daytime soap that dared to be different. A romantic drama whose love stories were told in the context of supernatural horror tales, it thrilled and frightened it's young audiences on ABC TV in the 1960s. It's not scary anymore, but it's still a damn good show. Sometimes hampered by a low budget, it's special effects are strictly fun house atmospherics, yet the show rises above it's low budget roots due to some really magnificent writing(the flashback tales to 1795 & 1897 are brilliant) and impressive sets. Jonathan Frid, David Selby, Lara Parker and Grayson Hall are among the many cast members who played their roles with a deliberate mix of camp and utter Shakespearian conviction. They are all perfect for this show. Dark Shadows remains a TV milestone. It is still well worth watching.

Rating:
Summary: If you just wait long enough...
Review: From the minute I started watching as a child "Dark Shadows" had me - hook, line and sinker! And why not...spooky old mansions, romance, intriguing storylines liberally borrowed from great classic literature. Bloopers - oh sure - it was live to tape and the schedule left little time to rerecord mistakes. But this provides that touch of camp as well as a certain amount of the overall charm. Getting back into the series after many years I soon realized that, in spite of its age, this unique show still had and has the ability to capture my imagination and create that special eerie atmosphere I enjoy to this day. Watching as an adult I have also been able to further appreciate the acting ability of many of the outstanding members of the ensemble cast in their various characterizations throughout the series. When SciFi decided to rerun "Dark Shadows" once again, I was happy but still leery that once they did it might possibly disappear from sight forever. So, for the past three years I have faithfully recorded and archived every episode. Though I now have the entire series, unfortunately that also means I have a very large stack of fairly poor quality video tape recordings to store. This year I was very excited to hear that MPI had decided to produce the DVD set. I received the first one just a couple of days ago and I am extremely happy with it. As others here have expressed, I too wish they had produced the entire series to include the earlier "Pre-Barnabas" episodes as well. However, until it dawns on them to do so, I will hang on to that portion of my old videotapes. All things considered (quality, convenience of storage, etc.) and the fact that this is simply a very fun show to watch I would definitely recommend the DVD sets. I know I certainly plan to buy them all!

Rating:
Summary: dark sahdows dvd collection 1
Review: only is it does not start from the very begining just from when barnabus comes hope there will be more because between 1 and 2 not whole series tku