A claustrophobic sense of doom pervades the Summer of 1970, the final present-day storyline on Dark Shadows. In it, Barnabas Collins and Dr. Julia Hoffman try to unravel the mystery behind the insidious and increasingly malignant hauntings at the great house in an effort to prevent the destruction of Collinwood and its inhabitants. Meanwhile, they must also deal with a mysterious new vampire who prowls the estate. Professor and writer David M. Wingrove and writer Stephen R. Shutt visit the Terror at Collinwood podcast to dissect and explore this oft-ignored and/or scorned storyline, examining its various literary inspirations along the way. Often seen as DS’ attempt to recapture the success of the 'Turn of the Screw'-inspired “ghosts of Quentin and Beth” storyline, Summer of 1970 pulls inspiration from several classic sources, including tales by Oliver Onions and M.R. James, with a nod to Sheridan Le Fanu.

It’s a ghoul-tide trip down memory lane in this Terror at Collinwood Christmas/Holiday special. I sit down with my family to discuss their memories of Dark Shadows. Other topics include: moving to America from Portugal, getting into 60’s pop culture, growing up in the 60’s, Dracula actors, binge watching in the 80’s before it was a thing, family interests in spooky stuff, and much more! Featuring, in order of appearance, interviews with my: aunt Agatha, mom Zezinha, uncle Valdemar, cousin Karen, cousin Elijah, dad Tony, sister Amy, and sister Maggie.

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!

Released in 1970, and directed by Dan Curtis, the MGM theatrical film House of Dark Shadows featured the TV series cast in a darker and more violent reimagining of the Introduction of Barnabas storyline from the show. The picture proved to be a hit for MGM, and while it is loved by many fans and disliked by others, it stands as a notable and compelling entry in vampire film history. Visiting the podcast to discuss House of Dark Shadows is prolific Hollywood conceptual designer and artist, Ricardo Delgado. Ricardo’s book Dracula of Transylvania and the upcoming Art of Dracula of Transylvania are also discussed. Other topics include Ricardo’s memories of watching Sombras Tenebrosas (Dark Shadows) as a child in Costa Rica, buying Famous Monsters of Filmland, reading Marvel’s Tomb of Dracula and Werewolf by Night comics, and much more!

What’s the perfect way to celebrate Halloween?... With Dark Shadows and Horror Hosts, of corpse! In this episode, Penny Dreadful summons many of her fellow television and internet horror movie hosts to share their memories and thoughts on DS. Hosted by Penny Dreadful and featuring (in order of appearance): Count Gore De Vol, Sally the Zombie Cheerleader, Dr. Gangrene, Doctor Sarcofiguy, Professor Anton Griffin, Undead Johnny, Marlena Midnite, Sicko-Psychotic, The Bone Jangler, Karlos Borloff, Dr. Dreck, Remo D, Bobby Gammonster, Scarlett Kaiju, The Host, Danvers, Stevie Gothling/Tim the Enchanter, Octavian Hallow, and Halloween Jack. You won’t want to miss this hex-clusive Halloween Horror Host celebration of Dark Shadows! Listen to the very end to hear a fascinating interview clip from a horror host who tried to audition for the original Dark Shadows in the early 70’s!

Robert Cobert’s iconic music themes for Dark Shadows were integral to the identity of the entire series and its two film spinoffs. Musician, author, and DePaul University College of Law professor, Ben Alba, visits the podcast to discuss and celebrate some favorite Cobert pieces. Throughout the course of episode, Ben even plays a few bars from several of the themes on his keyboard. Topics include: Ben’s lifelong fascination with the music from Dark Shadows, playing on the piano for fans at a Dark Shadows Festival, Bob Cobert’s incredible range as a composer, Dark Shadows soundtrack albums, and much more!

Correction: According to the interview with Bob Cobert in the booklet included with Discs 5 & 6 of ‘The Complete Dark Shadows Soundtrack Music Collection’ – “Many people assume that the instrument playing the Dark Shadows theme was a Theremin, but it wasn’t. The opening theme was neither a Theremin nor an Ondes Martinot. It was a Yamaha synthesizer with a string on it that made a Theremin-like sound. We couldn’t find an Ondes Martinot player or a Theremin player in New York, so we used that, and it was played by a very famous pianist named Dick Hyman… What you’re hearing in the theme is, melodically, a Yamaha on top, an alto flute on the bottom, then a bass, vibes, and harp, playing atonal accompaniment – five players in all.” I actually knew about this but misremembered the tweaked synthesizer organ as the way Robert Cobert initially presented the theme to Dan Curtis. Cobert presented the theme to Curtis by describing it and sort of whistling it while shaking his head about. I pulled the instrument listing (including the Theremin) from an online article and should have double-checked everything before recording the episode. Apologies. Also, from the same interview: “Almost all of the Dark Shadows music cues were recorded in England. It was money, pure and simple... the theme itself was recorded in New York.”

UPDATE: However, according to listener Jim Negro, it was an Electro-Theremin ("Tannerin") that was used in the DS theme: "The instrument used on the Dark Shadows Theme is indeed a Theremin, but not a traditional model. It was called an Electro-Theremin, and was invented and played by a man named Paul Tanner. Modern versions of this instrument are called the "Tannerin" in his honor, and also to help differentiate it from a traditional Theremin. It was Paul Tanner that contributed to the score; not Dick Hyman (see below).

Traditional Theremins are notoriously difficult to play and record with, so the Electro-Theremin was created as a substitute. It's played much like a regular keyboard, but has slide controls that alter pitch and volume. Most famous "Theremin" songs you've heard like the Dark Shadows Theme and the Beach Boys Good Vibrations are actually the Electro-Theremin.

Bob Cobert misspoke in the interview (perfectly understandable, given he was an octogenarian at the time) which has caused a lot of confusion. Yamaha Synthesizers didn't exist until 1974, and there's no "string" attachment to be had on them. He was describing an Electro-Theremin and its slide controls.

Dick Hyman confirmed he did not contribute anything to the Dark Shadows score. He's kept meticulous notes of all his sessions, going back to the late 1940s, and there's nothing for the Robert Cobert Orchestra or for any television/film score at that time. On the dates Bob Cobert was recording the theme in New York, Hyman was in Chicago recording material for the I'll Never Be The Same Again album. It would have been pretty unlikely that Hyman finished recording in Chicago during the day, flew to New York that night to record an Electro-Theremin part for a soap opera theme, then flew back to Chicago by the next morning to resume his album sessions, and not have any memory or record of doing so. There's also no evidence he ever played the Electro-Theremin or even knew what it was.

There was only one Electro-Theremin in existence, and it was owned by its inventor, Paul Tanner. He was the only person that was ever known to play it. All verified instances of its use (The Beach Boys Pet Sounds album, the My Favorite Martian score, the Music For Heavenly Bodies LP, the Ghost and Mrs. Muir theme, etc) were all performed by Paul Tanner, meaning the Dark Shadows score is almost certainly performed by him as well. The fact that he was under contract to ABC Television at the time pretty much seals the deal."

The new Jonathan Frid documentary website features many exclusive video clips, interviews, photographs, merchandise, and more! Returning guests, Mary O’Leary and Will McKinley, are joined by Frid documentary editor and post-producer Michael Giglio to discuss behind-the-scenes stories about ‘Dark Shadows and Beyond: The Jonathan Frid Story’. After that, Mary and Will share some inside scoops about what fans can expect from the new Jonathan Frid website. Mary and Will also discuss their experiences regarding Jonathan’s recording of ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ for MCI’s Halloween Hotline in 1991. The show ends with that very audio recording of Jonathan Frid reading ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’.

In June of 1967 Grayson Hall joined the Dark Shadows cast as Dr. Julia Hoffman, a character who went on to play a pivotal role throughout the remainder of the series. In total, Grayson played six memorable characters on the show, including Magda Rakosi and Countess Natalie DuPres. This episode of Terror at Collinwood celebrates the 55th anniversary of Julia’s first appearance and features guests R.J. Jamison, who wrote the popular biography ‘Grayson Hall: A Hard Act to Follow’, and writer & longtime fan Steve Shutt. This fun and spirited discussion explores several favorite Grayson Hall scenes featuring each of her DS characters.

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.

This special episode of Terror at Collinwood is a celebration of the 55th anniversary of Jonathan Frid’s first appearance as Barnabas Collins on Dark Shadows! The show opens with a delightful discussion featuring special guest David Selby, who portrayed the iconic Quentin Collins in Dark Shadows. Following the interview, there’s a fun and spirited chat with special guests Mary O’Leary, Nancy Kersey and Will McKinley, who worked with Jonathan Frid in the development of his one-man shows in the 1980’s era. Finally, the episode concludes with a rare and exciting recording of Jonathan Frid reading Dead Call by author William F. Nolan, featuring music by David Christenberry/RaveDave60 Music. This episode is dedicated to the memory of Kay Fry.

This short episode kicks off with a tribute to the late Mitchell Ryan from Jeff Owens and Richard Chamberlain of the 'Classic Horrors Club' podcast! After that, Penny examines some possibilities about what might have taken place before Barnabas changed history in 1897.

Ricardo Rebelo is a filmmaker, professor of communications, and former director of the Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival. In this episode, Ric joins Penny Dreadful as they rank the Dark Shadows remakes and reboots! Other topics include the atmosphere of New England, Ric’s introduction to DS and the horror genre, hopes for the future, and much more!

Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning writer/producer Mark B. Perry visits Terror at Collinwood to discuss his much-anticipated sequel series, Dark Shadows: Reincarnation. Discussion topics include the current status of DS: Reincarnation, Mark's introduction to DS and monster culture, referencing past DS storylines and characters, bringing back actors from the classic show, locations and music, and much, much more!

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.

Daytime Emmy Award-winning producer/director Mary O'Leary visits the podcast to discuss her upcoming documentary, Dark Shadows and Beyond: The Jonathan Frid Story. Mary also talks about her Clunes Associates partnership with Mr. Frid, tells stories about what she discovered in her research for the documentary, discusses Jonathan's experiences with acting, and of course shares insights into Jonathan's time on Dark Shadows.

Selections from the first batch of listener email messages and comments are read and addressed! Topics include fan memories, character and storyline theories, the evolution of Quentin Collins, Angelique's attempt to undo the vampire curse, a few things Penny liked about the Burton movie (?!), the Monster Craze, classifying Nicholas Blair, and much more!

Penny is joined by Dominique Lamssies, writer and blogger at the University of the Bizarre and head necromancer at the House of Silent Graves Etsy shop. Dominique and Penny are sent on an uncertain and frightening journey into the past as they explore Dark Shadows' groundbreaking 1795 storyline! Other topics include Dominique’s introduction to DS, the intersection of classism and sexism in 18th century Collinsport, Sarah’s powers, and more!

Dark Shadows has a huge following among LGBT+ fans, and this episode celebrates that fact with fun and insightful audio clips from passionate LGBT 'Dark Shadows' fans who express why DS resonates so strongly with them, and why they love the show so much. Featuring: Peter Mac, John Dimes, Bobby Lugosi, David-Elijah Nahmod, John Faust, and Julie M. Grizzle.

Rondo Award-winning filmmaker Ansel Faraj visits with Penny to discuss his filmmaking experiences and influences, as well as many other Dark Shadows-related topics such as working with the DS stars, info on the 'Night of Dark Shadows' restoration project, what happened with the Burton film, not giving up on 'Dark Shadows: Reincarnation', trying to categorize the classic series, and tons of references to horror movies, TV shows, plays, and stories. And that's just the tip of the iceberg! There's a lot of info packed into this episode!

Author, pop culture specialist, 'Dark Shadows' historian, and retired English professor, Dr. Jeff Thompson, joins Penny for an examination of the storyline that introduced iconic vampire Barnabas Collins to DS, turning the series into a hit and forever cementing its place in pop culture history. Other topics include Jeff's books on Dan Curtis, his magazine articles, Hermes Press book introductions, the Collinsport Players, Barnabas' influence on subsequent vampire depictions, and more! You won't want to miss this episode of Terror at Collinwood – A Dark Shadows Podcast!