Welcome to the Dark Shadows Podcast Summit where the hosts of four DS podcasts come together for a convivial roundtable discussion! Christen Pierce and Cara Tillitz of Between the Shadows, Alan James Gallant of Collinsport After Dark, and Jule T. Saynes, Gordon Dymowski, and Patrick McCray of Resident of Collinwood join Penny Dreadful of Terror at Collinwood to discuss topics such as: guests’ relationships to DS and why it still resonates with them, whether or not Count Petofi survived 1897 and whether he’d be in his own body if he did, what other authors could/would Dark Shadows have adapted, would DS have incorporated trends in 1970’s horror had the show continued, is a new Dark Shadows series going to be something that we’d actually want or not, gatekeeping in fandoms, what fans need to do to keep DS awareness and fandom alive, and more! You don’t want to miss this podcast crossover episode of epic proportions!

The very skilled (and sometimes underrated) actress Clarice Blackburn played Mrs. Sarah Johnson, Abigail Collins, and Minerva Trask on Dark Shadows and appeared as Mrs. Castle in Night of Dark Shadows. After DS, Clarice also went on to become a successful television writer. Visiting the podcast to discuss Clarice’s DS characters is Tweetie Jackie Blackburn, an administrator of several prominent DS Facebook groups, including the Dark Shadows Appreciation Society, Angelique’s Lair (Fans of Lara Parker), and Barnabas Collins and the Old House! Other topics of discussion include: Tweetie’s experiences meeting DS stars such as Lara Parker, Christopher Pennock, and Jerry Lacy, visiting Seaview Terrace aka “Collinwood”, the upcoming Dark Shadows Remembrance weekend, future hopes for DS, and more! Join us for a fun and spirited chat!

Over the course of its five-year run, Dark Shadows featured several classic monster archetypes which were drawn from the pantheon of supernatural horror and folklore. Visiting Terror at Collinwood for an overview of these dark and shadowy creatures are writer and podcaster Jeff Owens, co-host of the Classic Horrors Club Podcast, and podcaster Steven Turek, host of the DieCast Movie Podcast! Longtime Monster Kids and fans of DS, Jeff and Steven join Penny to share their thoughts about the various monsters of DS!

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!

Award-winning playwright and screenwriter John Logan created the Showtime series Penny Dreadful, and has written numerous plays, including Red, Never the Sinner, and Peter and Alice. In addition, the prolific Mr. Logan has written screenplays for major motion pictures such as The Aviator, Hugo, Gladiator, Sweeney Todd, and many others. John also happens to be a passionate Dark Shadows fan! He visits the podcast to talk Dark Shadows, Showtime’s Penny Dreadful, Universal Monsters, classic horror, DS collectibles, and much more! In the process, John discusses the impact DS has made on the terror and speculative fiction genre and how it inspires his own work as a creator. This is one episode you will not want to miss! Bonus question for you at the end: So, you want to live in Collinwood?

'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!

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!

The final Dark Shadows storyline is set in a parallel universe in the year 1841 and features a set of new characters, which includes the son of Barnabas and Josette from a parallel band of time. Dismissed and derided by some fans, 1841 Parallel Time offers viewers a dark and brooding tale that takes inspiration from works by Emily Brontë and Shirley Jackson. Returning to the podcast to help examine the final DS segment is artist and writer (and designer of the Terror at Collinwood show logos!), Eric Marshall! Join us as we explore and discuss this unusual and underappreciated storyline.

Many Dark Shadows products and collectibles have been released over the years. Surprisingly, there’s never been a Dark Shadows coloring book… until now! The official Dark Shadows coloring book from Hermes Press is coming soon and it features over 80 pages of all new classic coloring book art featuring the series' best loved episodes and its most important characters. Artist Samantha Lomuscio O’Neal, the talented illustrator behind the coloring book, visits the podcast to discuss her work on the book and offers some tantalizing teases about its contents.

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.

Returning to ‘Terror at Collinwood’ are Guy Haines, Bob Issel, and Nina Ogle, who all became enamored with ‘Dark Shadows’ when it originally aired in the 1960’s and early 1970’s. They’ve remained steadfast fans of the show, becoming heavily involved in DS fan events and activities over the years. Listen as these three fandom all-stars share many fascinating stories including: how they discovered DS and its fan community, memories of ShadowCon and the Dark Shadows Festivals, meetings and interactions with actors such as Jonathan Frid, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Louis Edmonds, Nancy Barrett, and Joan Bennett, visiting Charles Randolph Grean’s house, parties at Seaview Terrace, creating fan collectibles based on the Ben Cooper Barnabas Collins Halloween costume, trips to Essex, Connecticut to visit “the Evans Cottage”, and much more!

SPECIAL THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO VOTED DAN CURTIS AND PENNY DREADFUL INTO THE RONDO HATTON CLASSIC HORROR AWARDS MONSTER KID HALL OF FAME!!!

Join us to learn “what might have been” in PART TWO of this exclusive examination of John August’s original, unproduced dramatic screenplay for the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp Dark Shadows film. Madelyn Marks, admin of the Dark Shadows Discord server community, and Patrick McCray, writer of ‘The Dark Shadows Daybook’ and ‘The Dark Shadows Daybook Unbound’, sit down with Penny Dreadful for an in-depth discussion about the second half of August’s elusive script, which has never been seen by the public.

Mark Dawidziak is a noted television, film, and theatre critic, author, actor, and Journalism Hall of Fame inductee. He visits the podcast for an in-depth discussion about the pivotal influence of Barnabas Collins on vampire fiction, the importance of Dark Shadows to the horror genre, and the fact that DS often doesn’t get enough credit for the significant impact it continues to have on popular culture. Other topics include: Mark’s conversations with Dan Curtis, Mark’s childhood introduction to horror and DS, writing about Carl Kolchak, Dark Shadows and the cultural influence of the 60’s, Edgar Allan Poe, and much more!

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.

The 1995 segment on Dark Shadows lasted only two weeks, but its grim and apocalyptic tone left an indelible mark on fans as they witnessed the horror and madness that awaited the Collins family in the future. Raymond Castile, filmmaker, actor, collector, musician, and host of the Raymond Castile's Basement of Horror YouTube channel, visits Terror at Collinwood to discuss this popular and shocking Dark Shadows sequence! The first half of the show features monstrous topics that include: being cast as young Coffin Joe in ‘Embodiment of Evil’, collecting monster toys, an impromptu review of the new Barnabas bobblehead, and more! The second half of the show focuses on a discussion of the 1995 storyline!

On November 22, 1967, the vengeful and powerful witch Angelique made her debut on Dark Shadows and became an instant hit with viewers, remaining an important part of the series for the remainder of its run. The character subsequently took her place alongside Barnabas, and later Quentin, as a pop culture icon, appearing on assorted products and in DS spinoff media. Visiting the podcast to commemorate her legendary character's 55th anniversary is Lara Parker, the talented actress who portrayed Angelique onscreen! Discussion topics include: Lara's thoughts on Angelique, memories of working on DS, Night of Dark Shadows, Lara's DS novels, what makes DS special, terror vs. horror, the allure of vampires, the fans, 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!

The 1970 Parallel Time storyline introduced Dark Shadows viewers to a strange and fascinating parallel universe inhabited by alternate versions of familiar characters who, in this mirror timeband, made different choices in their lives. Visiting to discuss this unique story arc are fellow DS podcasters Cara Tillitz and Christen Pierce of the Between the Shadows podcast and Jule Saynes of the Resident of Collinwood YouTube podcast channel. In addition to discussing the plotlines and characters of 1970 Parallel Time, and their inspirations, Cara, Christen, and Jule also talk about their introductions to Dark Shadows and why they launched their own DS-focused podcasts.