In the final installment of “The Shadows Behind the Shadows” series, which examines the literary, cinematic, theatrical, and other inspirations for Dark Shadows storylines, I look at the final story arcs of the series – 1995, the Summer of 1970 (aka the Ghosts of Daphne and Gerard), 1840, and 1841 Parallel Time. Influences on Night of Dark Shadows are also touched upon. The end of the episode features messages and posts from a variety of listeners who shed light on additional sources.

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Beloved by Dark Shadows fans for his portrayal of the villainous Gerard Stiles, prolific actor, photographer, and musician James Storm visits the podcast along with his wife Valerie Pronio Storm. Valerie is a retired physician, “Humanism in Medicine” award recipient, photographer, and DS fan! Listen, as Jim and Valerie share lovely stories about their passion for photography, the amazing Jim Storm Photography website, their wedding, longtime friendships and camaraderie with DS cast-mates, memories of Jim’s time on Dark Shadows, anecdotes about Jonathan Frid, Kate Jackson, Grayson Hall, David Henesy, John Karlen, Jerry Lacy, Christopher Pennock, Dan Curtis, Lela Swift, Sam Hall, Gordon Russell, and much more! SPECIAL NOTE: The video version of this episode on YouTube features over 150 photos, 85-90% of which were generously shared by Valerie! These include many photos of James and Valerie having fun times with friends, fans, and DS castmates such as Chris Pennock, Lara Parker, John Karlen, David Selby, and Kathryn Leigh Scott. Also included are many incredible photos of Valerie and Jim’s travels, most of which are available at their website! Watching the video version is highly recommended!

Actress Donna Wandrey is best known to ‘Dark Shadows’ fans for her portrayal of the mysterious Roxanne Drew in 1970 Parallel Time as well as her even more mysterious counterpart in the show’s main time-band. With an extensive background in theatre and television that includes plays such as ‘The Norman Conquests’ and TV series such as ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’, Donna is a prolific actress who continues to perform in shows like the upcoming online production of ‘New York Stories’ on July 22 and 23, 2023. She visits ‘Terror at Collinwood’ to discuss her recent play ‘Fastened to the Moon’, and also shares many wonderful memories of her time on Dark Shadows!

The 1840 storyline is the penultimate Dark Shadows plot and the last one set in the show’s main timeband. Although it doesn’t receive as much adulation as the serial’s iconic 1795 and 1897 storylines, 1840 is filled with many delights. Featuring vivid new characters, shocking twists, as well as nods to previous DS stories and classic horror films, there is much to enjoy in the next-to-last DS storyline. Writers Amanda Desiree and Katherine “Creepy Cat” Kerestman visit the podcast to help shed some light on this sometimes-underappreciated DS segment.