Casey-52 Review of House of Dark Shadows

House of Dark Shadows (1970)

The Gothic soap opera hits the big screen with a bang

[9/10 · 18 September 1999]

I remember seeing this movie when I was about 12 years old on TNT in Europe in beautiful widescreen format. I was absolutely mesmerized! My mom told me how she was a fan of the original series (not die-hard, but a fan) and watched it with me. It was such a great movie, so much happened in the 90 minutes of the film that it boggled my mind. Several plotlines intertwined and characters came and went (which was annoying to me). I didn't see this movie again until last year on video. The widescreen format was gone, but it was great to see it again! I didn't remember seeing the bloody stakings in the TV version (but it wasn't edited) and was pleasantly surprised. I had to check the box again to be sure what the rating was. Sure enough, PG. Today, I would still be careful if my kids watched it! The acting in the film is marvelous and shows how soap opera actors can break from that tired formula. Everyone from Kathryn Leigh Scott to Thayer David shine in their roles, a personal favorite being beautiful blonde Nancy Barrett. This is overall a nostalgiac shocker and worth a look at least once. Hopefully someday someone will find the 25+ minutes of film cut from the original print and release it intact on video!