Having seen the entire TV series on which "House of Dark Shadows" is based, I can say that it represents one of the many featured plotlines of the long-running series, although bringing it to a different, somewhat less elaborate but righteous conclusion; many fans of the TV series, however, will not consider it as interesting in the long run, and not so fair in its conclusion. (A riddle to avoid spoiling the plot.)
Dan Curtis, who created the series, directs here, using a lot of arty camera work as he did on the series when he helmed the occasional episode. Often it is barely noticeable, as when the camera gratuitously pulls back a little from a seated actor before it cuts to the other actor. At the climax, there is a lot of slow-motion camera work, which is almost by definition gratuitous.
The dialogue ranges from serviceable to mediocre. The writers, Sam Hall and Gordon Russell, were regulars on the series, but Russell, in the view of some critics, such as blogger Danny Horn, was one of the series' most hackneyed writers--unimaginative, humorless, and careless in his plotting. Here it is not so much that all those tendencies are on full display as it is that they seem always to be tugging at the plot and dialogue. The result is a melodrama with buckets of blood and no sense of humor. (Among the virtues of the TV series not on display here is at least some comic relief.)
The acting is good, considering what the actors have to work with. Nancy Barrett, the secret weapon of the TV series, does the same duty here. To look at her you would think, "OK, she looks gorgeous but can she act?" The answer is, "Yes, amazingly well!" Those unfamiliar with the series will have a relatively painless opportunity (without the drawn-out ennui of a daily soap that also cannot afford retakes to compensate for bad dialogue and acting) to appreciate these actors, some of whose best work was buried in the soap opera. Aside from Barrett (Carolyn Stoddard), there is Academy Award nominee Grayson Hall (Julia Hoffman), although she does tend to over-emote, which works better on the small screen than it does here. (BTW she was married to co-screenwriter Sam Hall.)
Also noteworthy are Jonathan Frid (Barnabas Collins), Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans), '40s movie star Joan Bennett (Elizabeth Collins), Louis Edmonds (Roger Collins), Thayer David (Professor Stokes), John Karlen (Willie Loomis), and David Henesy (David Collins). Some good actors are wasted in small roles, Dennis Patrick (Sheriff Patterson) and Jerry Lacy (Minister) in particular. Don Briscoe (Todd), who gives a confident if thankless performance as a clueless victim, is most memorable for his voice, which sounds to me as if he were perpetually channeling Henry Fonda.
The editing is so choppy that scenes seem disconnected as if business happened in between scenes but has been jarringly left out. Some well-placed commercial breaks to provide misdirection from the disjointedness actually would have helped.
Dan Curtis, who created the series, directs here, using a lot of arty camera work as he did on the series when he helmed the occasional episode. Often it is barely noticeable, as when the camera gratuitously pulls back a little from a seated actor before it cuts to the other actor. At the climax, there is a lot of slow-motion camera work, which is almost by definition gratuitous.
The dialogue ranges from serviceable to mediocre. The writers, Sam Hall and Gordon Russell, were regulars on the series, but Russell, in the view of some critics, such as blogger Danny Horn, was one of the series' most hackneyed writers--unimaginative, humorless, and careless in his plotting. Here it is not so much that all those tendencies are on full display as it is that they seem always to be tugging at the plot and dialogue. The result is a melodrama with buckets of blood and no sense of humor. (Among the virtues of the TV series not on display here is at least some comic relief.)
The acting is good, considering what the actors have to work with. Nancy Barrett, the secret weapon of the TV series, does the same duty here. To look at her you would think, "OK, she looks gorgeous but can she act?" The answer is, "Yes, amazingly well!" Those unfamiliar with the series will have a relatively painless opportunity (without the drawn-out ennui of a daily soap that also cannot afford retakes to compensate for bad dialogue and acting) to appreciate these actors, some of whose best work was buried in the soap opera. Aside from Barrett (Carolyn Stoddard), there is Academy Award nominee Grayson Hall (Julia Hoffman), although she does tend to over-emote, which works better on the small screen than it does here. (BTW she was married to co-screenwriter Sam Hall.)
Also noteworthy are Jonathan Frid (Barnabas Collins), Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans), '40s movie star Joan Bennett (Elizabeth Collins), Louis Edmonds (Roger Collins), Thayer David (Professor Stokes), John Karlen (Willie Loomis), and David Henesy (David Collins). Some good actors are wasted in small roles, Dennis Patrick (Sheriff Patterson) and Jerry Lacy (Minister) in particular. Don Briscoe (Todd), who gives a confident if thankless performance as a clueless victim, is most memorable for his voice, which sounds to me as if he were perpetually channeling Henry Fonda.
The editing is so choppy that scenes seem disconnected as if business happened in between scenes but has been jarringly left out. Some well-placed commercial breaks to provide misdirection from the disjointedness actually would have helped.