I was a latchkey kid.
In third grade, I would walk my little brother home and watch him until my mom got home from work.
Somehow, I started watching Dark Shadows. It scared the bejesus out of me but I was too fascinated by the vampires and ghosts not to watch. What with Barnabas Collins and the ghost who would appear after the scent of lilacs filled the room? I would wake up in the middle of the night convinced that I smelled lilacs and wait, terrified, for the ghost to appear in my bedroom.
So I used to watch the show while standing by the front door with one hand on the screen door handle (the front door was already open) so I could run out of the house in case anything paranormal appeared in my living room.
For those of you who aren't familiar with it, Dark Shadows was a gothic soap opera with ghosts and all manner of supernatural goings on and a cast of ultra-creepy characters. It aired from the mid-60s to the early 70s. I just read that Johnny Depp was so obsessed with Barnabas Collins that he wanted to be Barnabas Collins. It looks like he's getting his wish: the show is being made into a movie starring Johnny Depp, directed by Tim Burton.
Yikes. I'll be the one under the covers.
10 comments:
I had a similar obsession when I was a kid and that show scared me senseless too.
Around four years ago I went to a cabaret in Chelsea, Helen's, to see a show called Dorothy and Dorothy. Dorothy and Dorothy consisted of two men in drag singing old songs as duets. One guy was paying an homage to Bea Arthur (who played Dorothy Zbornak from the Golden Girls --Dorothy #1) and the other guy was paying his homage to Judy Garland (Dorothy Gale in the Wizard of Oz --Dorothy #2). I know, only in New York. As hilarious as that show was, the real highlight was the opening act, Nancy Barrett.
Nancy Barret played at least four characters on Dark Shadows and sitting at the center table in the cabaret and cheering her on were all her old friends from the cast of Dark Shadows. In the center of the table sat Jonathan Frid, Barnabas Collins himself. I thought I was going to die. I don't ordinarily rush over to meet notable people when I'm in New York, but in that case I couldn't help myself.
Thanks you for making me feel less like a freak.
Welcome back from your Adore-fest, lucky girl! Hey, I'm commenting on the Rehobeth Beach photo you posted! I grew up about 20 miles inland from there in a little town called Seaford. Spent a lot of time in Rehobeth!
I remember watching this show after school every day, right before I love Lucy, and also being scared to death of it but I can't remember the plot to save my life. So why did I watch it? MB
Ooooh, that will be the best movie! I can't wait!
I forgot how much I loved that show! The movie is going to be awesome.
DS was on when I was in grade school. Seems like lots of kids watched it, but I never did. Never was much into that kind of thing.
Paul - Repeat after me in your best Stuart Smalley voice: You are not a freak. You're good enough, you're smart enough and doggone it, people like you. Actually, I probably would've fainted if I'd seen him - only not in a good way.
Pam - I know where Seaford is. It's on the way to Harntn (Harrington) - they don't pronounce vowels too much down there. The beach misses you and was extra gorgeous over the weekend.
MaryBeth - I didn't watch soaps and don't like scary fantasy ghost stories, so go figure.
Nancy Pelosi - Thanks for stopping by my blog. Now get the hell back to work; the country's falling apart.
I never even heard of that show, but I bet it's going to be an awesome movie. Johnny Depp is an amazing actor.
And I do remember how much I got a kick out of scaring the bejeezus out of myself as a kid. So weird...my daughters HATE scaring themselves. My oldest actually gets sick, and has puked, from the anxiety she suffers from watching scary television.
You're back! yay!
I, too, was a latch key kid. That's how I saw The Exorcist and The Miracle of Life well before I made it out of elementary school.
Also, really looking forward to more Johnny Depp and Tim Burton. Hopefully there will be no singing this time around.
I am only 31 so I did not get to see DS in it's orginal run. However, it about 1987 while going through my mothers old records she left at my grandmothers I found one called The Original Music From Dark Shadows with Barnabas and Quentin on the cover. I was so haunted and slightly creeped out by the music but would still listen. So needless to say in 1991when I was 13 and the revival came about I tuned in and was hooked from the get go. I loved the show and was pretty obsessed. I watched the original 112 episodes over during the summer of 1991 anxiously waiting for the return that never happend. I am still am pissed at NBC to this day! I boycotted them until Heroes came along. They really should have given the revival a chance. The plot outline's from season two have convinced me that it was only gotten get better and it was finding it's legs. I will enternally be annoyed will Warren Littlfield for cancelling the show even though it didn't do all that bad in the ratings. He just didn't like the show. If Brandon Tartikoff had stayed with NBC I am pretty sure it would have had another chance. Then we get from what I have heard a pilot by THE WB that just needed some tweaking and it would have been really good. They threw 6 million down the drain and didn't try and fix it. I don't understand as Victoria so often says! LOL Of course I migrated to the original and love it. I am currently collecting it all on DVD. I couldn't bring myself to buy VHS tapes because I was pretty sure it would be released on DVD someday so I am just now finally seeing all the episodes. In a way I feel sad because I am getting close to seeing all 1,225 original episodes.
So yes I am VERY happy about Depp Shadows. I truly hope the movie is well received. Johnny and Burton are fans so I think they will do it justice. Lets hope that John August is too and writes a fabulous screenplay and the movie is so good we get a trilogy or perhaps more than that. Johnny is holding up nicley. I think he could play Barney well into his fifites! :)
Cheers
Taeylor
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