Dark Shadows: The Beginning, Collection 3 - Episodes 71-105

With its alluring tales of Gothic mystery and supernatural intrigue, DARK SHADOWS (1966-71, ABC-TV) became one of the most popular daytime series of all time. The character of Barnabas Collins, a guilt-ridden, 175-year-old vampire, brought the show tremendous success. Now, for the first time on DVD, MPI presents the spooky series rare, early episodes before Barnabas.

Victoria Winters assures Carolyn Stoddard that her loyalties lie with the Collins family, not with Burke Devlin. Victoria makes a startling discovery near the ocean. David Collins visits Burke at the Collinsport Inn and insists his father is a murderer. Burke makes an offer to Elizabeth Collins Stoddard to buy Collinwood. Roger Collins frantically searches to recover evidence that may incriminate him.

Annoyed with Carolyn, Joe Haskell begins to turn his affections toward Maggie Evans. David leads Victoria to the closed-off section of Collinwood, where she is stunned by the appearance of a ghost. Caretaker Matthew Morgan tries to dissuade Mrs. Johnson from coming to work at Collinwood. In Bangor, Victoria meets lawyers Richard and Frank Garner, who she hopes will help to unlock the mysteries of her past. Product Description

How many are in the beginnings?

I considered myself a Dark Shadows fan...I bought all the VHS tapes and then when they went on DVD I bought them too! Then they came up with the "beginnings". I didn't know anything about the "beginnings" until then. I watched all the VHS tapes when MPI would release them and I was getting them on a monthly basis...4 a month and that was costing about $80 a month...so I put a lot of money in the VHS tapes. Then I bought all the DVDs. Now what I want to know is HOW MANY MORE DVDS TO I HAVE TO BUY TO HAVE THE FULL SERIES? I actually thought I had them all before the "beginnings". When I bought my first DVD collection, I thought that's where it started ...at the beginning. I guess I should say that I didn't start watching my DVD collection until recently, because I had seen them again on the VHS tapes and didn't have the time to watch through them again. So my question is what is MPI releasing now...How many DVDs are there in the "beginnings" episodes. I for one think I've paid way too much money for this collection. I just wished they had released a boxed set of all of them...INCLUDING THE BEGINNINGS!I rated this review, only because I had to to submit the question...well review of my question then. July 11, 2008

The Agony of Transition

I got my first taste of Dark Shadows with the Laura Murdock Stockbridge story arc, and so I decided to start my collection just prior to catch the series on its supernatural upswing. Watching this set leaves me with the inescapable taste of frustrated anticipation.

The supernatural elements have started to creep into the show (no pun intended), but the focus remains upon the standard suspense elements. The Bill Malloy murder does bring a darker hue to the show, but it's really only with the harassment of Victoria Winters in the last few episodes that the series approaches its zenith.

At this point in time, the characters are not wholly developed, either. Roger Collins empathizes with Victoria and at times even acts like a gentleman; he has not yet settled down into the surly, old-moneyed sot of the later episodes. Victoria had not developed the fine art of remaining above the fray and tells lies to extricate herself from tense situations. Even Carolyn's emotions turn on a dime and as a result, she comes across as quite unsympathetic.

With all that said, the discs feature a handful of very good episodes, which depend upon the writing of Francis Swann and some especially sharp acting by David Hannisey. (Yes, he can be quite chilling instead of annoying.) Alexandra Moltke, of course, is the perfect gothic heroine.

The actual DVD case and the DVDs' physical appearance don't disappoint. The inside liner notes briefly describe each episode and feature a press kit-style photo of Frank Garner's character. On each DVD, you can view all the episodes at once, or one-by-one. There are no extras, but there is an ad for a DS-related book at the end of each disc.

The hardcore Dark Shadows fan will find this collection worth every penny. I would rather it was a little cheaper myself, but I'm saving up for The Beginning No. 4, where the real fun begins. June 7, 2008

Price

Nostalgia is not worth these kind of prices. I was able to get Dark Shadows - the Beginning part 1 and 2 at around $25 each several years ago. That was a reasonable price. Let me know when parts 3,4, & 5 get to that price. Otherwise, adios... May 18, 2008

Life Before Barnabas....

I was introduced to Dark Shadows at the very episode where Barnabas arrives. It's true what they say-that he's very intruiguing and he makes the story and all of the characters soar. I've also heard that Dark Shadows struggled before Barnabas arrived and was almost cancelled. I gave the "Beginnings" episodes a chance, just because I wanted to know the backstory to a lot of the main characters. I can say wholeheartedly that I'm glad I did. Although seasons 1 & 2 instantly throw you into the chaotic & dysfunctional family life of the Collins', it's season 3 where things really heat up. I don't want to ruin the plot lines for anyone, so let it suffice that there are more murders, lies, and blackmail. There's no Barnabas but there's still that exceptional, theatre-trained cast who are absolutely superb. With the exception of the Simpsons and I Love Lucy, the Dark Shadows series is now among my favorite TV shows. May 10, 2008

Dark Shadows

I found it to be very interesting and better then the other 2 collections. Dark Shadows:The Beginning 3 may not be as good as the show was when Barnabas Collins came into the show but it still is good and kept my interest and makes me want to see more. I'm glad to have it as part of my collection. April 13, 2008

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