Beloved by Dark Shadows fans for her portrayal of the tragic child ghost Sarah Collins, sister of Barnabas Collins, Sharon Smyth Lentz played a very different character in the 2014 short film On a Country Road, which was directed and produced by husband-and-wife filmmaking team, and longtime Dark Shadows fans, Barry and Karen Dodd. Sharon and Barry reunite in this episode for a fun discussion! The first half of the show is devoted to the making of On a Country Road and the second half of the episode focuses on Dark Shadows. Discussion topics also include: the Ragged Isle web series, the Night is Falling comic book, Village Con, Sharon’s memories of DS castmates, London Bridge Is Falling Down, DS fandom, and much more!

'Collinsport After Dark' is a new Youtube-based podcast hosted by theater technician, actor, educator, and longtime 'Dark Shadows' fan, Alan Gallant. Originally from Bangor, Maine, Alan talks about his childhood memories of DS, theatrical inspirations, and discusses the research that has gone into the subjects featured on Collinsport After Dark. Topics discussed in this episode include: how Alan researched gum card photos and music cues, a chat about various props used in the series, teen magazines, Alan’s favorite characters and storylines, and more. This episode starts with some words in honor of Marcy Robin, editor/publisher of ‘Shadowgram’, who passed away on December 22, 2023. The show concludes with information about many Dark Shadows and classic horror podcasts.

The episode opens with the sad news of Lara Parker’s passing. Note: The interview with Stuart took place the week before. Please read my post Goodbye, Lara Parker on the Terror at Collinwood Blog — Stuart Manning returns to Terror at Collinwood to discuss the upcoming issue 2 of Daytime Gothic, a charity print fanzine devoted to Dark Shadows. Stuart is still accepting submissions for the new issue, so be sure to listen for details on how to send in your proposals. Other topics include: a chat about issue one and some of its contents, cast and crew involvement in the 'zine, the "Emergency Episode" of DS, and more. Stuart also offers some tantalizing hints about what to expect in issue two!

Writer, blogger, and podcaster Danny Horn visits Terror at Collinwood for a fun discussion about Dark Shadows, superheroes, and more! From 2013 to 2021, Danny undertook the Herculean task of examining Dark Shadows episode by episode, starting with the release of Barnabas, via his popular Dark Shadows Every Day blog. The blog also took side-trips into real-life events surrounding the show, looked at licensed media such as comics, novels, and audio dramas as well as the various DS remakes and reboots. Currently, Danny hosts the Superheroes Every Day podcast and maintains a corresponding blog through which he explores superhero films. Topics of discussion in this episode include: Superheroes Every Day, how Danny got into Dark Shadows, Muppets, Doctor Who, Dark Shadows Every Day, villains as main characters, fandom and ‘zines, watching DS in syndication during the 80’s, the Kaiju, serialized storytelling and genre TV as soap opera, Mark B. Perry's Dark Shadows Reincarnation, Muppets/DS crossover (?!), and much more!

As a teenager, Elena Nacanther was one of the devoted Studio Kids who used to hang out at the ABC TV-16 studio during the original run of Dark Shadows. Along with her friend and fellow “Frid Girl” Valerie, Elena volunteered as Jonathan Frid’s personal assistant while Dark Shadows was on the air. Elena later went on to become a successful New York radio producer and director in the city’s #1 market. She remained friends with Jonathan for the rest of his life. Elena visits Terror at Collinwood to share her memories of Jonathan Frid and of being a studio kid in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Other topics of conversation include: Elena and Valerie becoming Jonathan Frid’s assistants, visiting the Collinwood set, Jonathan’s fan mail parties, surprising Grayson Hall, protesting the cancellation of DS, some insight into the reasons Bramwell Collins was created for the show, and much more! NOTE: The YouTube version of this episode features many rare photos from Elena’s personal collection!

Emmy Award-winning makeup artist Todd McIntosh has over 40 years of experience in the television and film industries, boasting such credits as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Pushing Daisies, Dr. Strange, Dracula Dead and Loving It, Masters of the Universe, The Brady Bunch Movie, and many more. He was the Makeup Department Head on the 2004 WB Dark Shadows pilot and happens to be a huge fan of the original ABC series! In fact, Todd cites Dark Shadows as a major influence on his interests in makeup, monsters, and prosthetics during his formative years. He visits Terror at Collinwood to discuss a variety of topics, including his memories of watching DS, his early experiences as a professional makeup artist, his memories of working on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, memories of working with Mel Brooks, meeting DS cast members, interactions with Dick Smith, and of course his work on the 2004 WB Dark Shadows pilot. Along the way, Todd shares a great story involving some impromptu fangs and Dan Curtis. On August 17, 2023, Todd will be part of a special tribute to makeup legend Dick Smith, presented by the Academy Museum at the Ted Mann Theater in Los Angeles, where he will be introducing House of Dark Shadows to an enthusiastic audience!

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The Dark Shadows Discord server provides an online space where a new generation of DS fans gather to hang out, discuss DS, post fanfic and fan art, and just have fun. This episode features a lively discussion about this community with moderator Madelyn Marks and active DS Discord members, Tina Marie DeLucia and Max Kern. We also look at Madelyn’s incredible LEGO Collinwood foyer, drawing room, and custom minifigures! Additional topics include: Tubmlr blogs, differences in how younger fans view DS characters, DS merchandise wants, Tina’s article on gender nonconformity in DS and trans Julia theory, subjective nature of DS and the various audiences for the show, critiques of Big Finish Audio plays, future hopes for new media, archiving classic DS fanzines, Madelyn’s DS Spotify playlists, and much more!

Rondo Award-winning writer Patrick McCray returns to Terror at Collinwood to discuss ‘The Dark Shadows Daybook: Unbound’. The new 430-page book features a delightful foreword by Mark B. Perry, followed by Patrick’s in-depth, witty, and insightful analyses of many original Dark Shadows episodes. He also provides memorial tributes to recently departed stars from the show, looks at the 1991 revival series, reviews ‘A Dark Shadows Christmas Carol’, and more. Additional discussion topics include: Dark Shadows fandom, the ghost of Quentin Collins, the Leviathans, 1840 Barnabas conundrums, and much more.

Released in 1971, MGM’s ‘Night of Dark Shadows’ was the second DS feature film. Directed by Dan Curtis, the motion picture featured many members of the TV series cast in a gothic tale of ghostly obsession. Sadly, after viewing the 129-minute director’s cut of Night of Dark Shadows, MGM studio head James Aubrey demanded that Curtis cut nearly 45 minutes out of the movie, giving him until the next day to do so. In this episode, director and film archivist Darren Gross visits the podcast to share his thoughts on NoDS and also offers updates on his long-anticipated restoration of the director’s cut of the picture. Described by ‘The Guardian’ as a “movie sleuth and champion of lost causes,” Darren miraculously unearthed the previously lost NoDS footage and prepared a restored version of the movie which has not yet been released to the public. In addition to discussing NoDS and its restoration, Darren also talks about his work on the ‘Dark Shadows’ Big Finish audio dramas, his enthusiasm for TV horror host Commander USA, and much more!

Trivia facts about Dark Shadows plotlines and the show’s cast and crew are discussed with the master of DS trivia, Charles Ellis. Charles was a regular at the Dark Shadows Festivals and his DS devotion and knowledge is well-known to both fans and actors! This fun discussion runs the gamut from DS syndication, fanzines, storylines, characters, DS stars, the lost episode, cancellation, autograph collecting, Lovelady Powell as Dr. Julia Hoffman, and much, much more!

A wide variety of memorable Dark Shadows collectibles have been released over the decades, surely with more to come. Jeff Kenny, a longtime DS fan, collector, and co-administrator of the Dark Shadows Collectors Facebook group, sits down for a show & tell chat about his favorite DS merchandise, rare holy grail items, and hopes for future collectibles. In addition, Jeff shares his passion for DS filming locations and discusses many important buildings and locations used in the series and films. Other topics include meeting DS actors, DS tattoos, Seaview Terrace, gatekeeping behavior in fandom, and much more!

This episode features a discussion with editor and writer Jim Beard who, along with Charles R. Rutledge, edited the new book Running Home to Shadows: Memories of TV’s First Supernatural Soap from Today’s Grown-Up Kids from Becky Books. We talk about the book, its contents, how the project came together, and about Jim and his wife Becky's history with Dark Shadows and classic horror movies. This spirited conversation touches on many topics, including Sir Graves Ghastly, Batman, Kolchak, the Planet of the Apes fiction anthology, a proposed Dark Shadows fiction anthology, Universal and Hammer horror, pulp heroes and, of course, running home from school to watch Dark Shadows.

Graphic designer, Big Finish audio producer, and writer Stuart Manning visits the podcast to discuss his upcoming 'Dark Shadows' print fanzine 'Daytime Gothic'. Other topics include Stuart's work on the Big Finish DS audio dramas, the Dark Shadows News Page, the Dark Shadows Journal, Stuart's introduction to DS, the Burton film, DS in the UK, and much, much more!

Kathleen Resch, a truly instrumental figure in the history of Dark Shadows fandom, visits Terror at Collinwood to discuss the genesis, development, and growth of the post-1971 DS fan community. Kathy was the creator/publisher behind the long-running flagship DS fanzine, The World of Dark Shadows. She also published the beloved Dark Shadows Concordances and was co-writer on official publications such as The Dark Shadows Companion. In addition, Kathy was one of the core founders and organizers behind the celebrated Dark Shadows Festivals. Listen as this fandom legend recounts her many experiences with Dark Shadows and its devoted fan community.

Penny Dreadful launches into a frenzied twenty-minute lecture about Dark Shadows needing more representation in popular culture, after which she is joined by perfumer Roberta Andrade to discuss the short-but-memorable Return to 1796 storyline. Other topics include current DS news and plugs for other DS podcasts.

This special Halloween installment of the podcast takes place within the eerie halls of Collinwood itself! Recorded on-location at Seaview Terrace aka the Carey Mansion, the episode features interviews with longtime Dark Shadows fans Bob Issel, Jimmy Hutcheson, Helen Samaras, Guy Haines, Vivian Hardwick, Nina Ogle, Mary Wasmer, and Marge Hicks. In addition to talk about Dark Shadows and the annual parties at the great house, Bob talks about the incredible new book ‘Our Shadowed Past’. Finally, several of the guests reveal their own real-life ghostly encounters at the haunted mansion.

In this episode, Penny is joined by Tom Diamon, co-host of The Literary License Podcast. They start the conversation with an extensive look at Tom's background in the DS fandom and his interactions with Jonathan Frid, then shift to a discussion about the remarkable Thayer David as they examine each of Thayer's Dark Shadows characters.