Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4015 in VHS
• Released on: 1998-09-01
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 95 minutes

Customer Reviews

Welcome Back To Creepy Collinwood!
'Night of Dark Shadows' is the second of the two Dark Shadows motion pictures. At the time of it's release, this one didn't do quite as well as the first, but over the years, it has developed a strong cult following, and looks very good on repeated viewings.

What always impressed me about 'Night of Dark Shadows' was it's subtlety. 'House of Dark Shadows' was fast, loud and very "in your face." 'Night of Dark Shadows' is quiet in comparison -- the music is lush and softer, and the pace is quite relaxed at times. However, what emerges is an underlying sense of dread which intensifies throughout the course of the film (similar to Dan Curtis' 'Burnt Offerings' from 1976). This makes the shocks and scares even more jarring, and by the end of the film, the audience is left feeling bewitched, bothered and bewildered!

It's also important to mention David Selby, who turns in an excellent performance as Quentin Collins. His moodswings and erratic behavior (sensitive one minute and vicious the next), leave us as confused as Kate Jackson's character is.

Hopefully, both 'Night of Dark Shadows' and 'House of Dark Shadows' will be released on DVD soon, with the additional footage that was removed from the films before their respective theatrical releases. As for now, both films are highly recommended to anyone who enjoyed the series.

I Liked It.....
I'm actually quite suprised to see all the criticisms of this movie. I feel obligated to briefly respond in its defense. I've been going through a phase (for reasons unknown) where my wife and I are almost exclusively renting horror videos. We saw this movie last night and I found it very scary and filled with a particular atmospheric that seems to only come from movies from the 60's and early 70's. There's something dated about the style, but it is also classic.

In this genre my favorites would be: "The Haunting" (the original); "The Legend of Hell House"; "Burnt Offerings" (starring Karen Black); "Phantasm" (albeit that's from 1978). I supppose the common denominator is that they are all of the haunted house motif. I mention these movies because I thought the "Night of the Dark Shadows" fit in with them quite well. I do agree that the editing was a little rough, but I didn't find it to detract in any major way. The atmosphere, however, was a very seductive and bizarre mix of gothic/mod sexuality and occult mysticism. There wasn't a tremendous amount of explicit violence, but the overall vibe was heavy enough that I didn't want my two year-old daughter in the room while it was playing. The music was effectively corresponding to the developments in the movie--I'd buy the avant-garde soundtrack in a heartbeat. And, I agree that actress Lara Parker was enchanting. I'd like to find that painting of her which so captivated Kate Jackson's husband! The rest of the cast was also excellent; I even overcame my prejudice against Kate Jackson for her later Charlie's Angels contribution as she was sweetness personified in this and very compelling.

Overall, I definitely got the "buzz" I was seeking from this and any "horror" movie. It's true supernatural macabre without any innocent explanations. The feeling of the movie has stayed with me since I watched it 20 hours ago. I will follow the recommendations of others and seek out the "House of the Dark Shadows."

A sadly dismembered horror classic�
In its current state, "Night of Dark Shadows" is a film which demands apologies from its fans. For anyone aware of its ludicrous 11th hour recutting and lost storyline, the knee-jerk response is to look upon it with pity, mumbling explanations and sympathy to any onlookers. For "Dark Shadows" fans, the film was initially an embarassment, a slipshod mess overlooked in favour of its less mutilated sibling "House of Dark Shadows": As the reasons for its incoherency became more commonly known, fans learned to enjoy it for what it might have been: Finally, with the publication of its complete scripts, they learned to apologise for it blindly, to such an extent that they often fail to acknowledge anything of value in the existing version, which is a great pity.

Sad and lopsided as it plays, shorn of a conclusion, with exposition torn away in jagged strips, "Night of Dark Shadows" astonishingly still contains a quality that begs to be enjoyed. Boasting a more polished production than the previous film, it seizes upon the first film's strengths in style and narrative, honing them for marriage with a far superior script and markedly more mature style. Whereas "House of Dark Shadows" replays as a succession of loud shouting set pieces, "Night" utlises its creative peaks to punctuate a highly charged and atmospheric narrative, which is eloquently conveyed throughout by the cast, dialogue and production.

Weaving deftly through classic literary achetypes and familiar "Dark Shadows" storylines, the script impresses throughout, with its wistful themes of eternal love and ghostly reincarnation, along with a deeply human side that inspires sympathy. Ironically, while shunning many of the traditional horror images of its predecessor, it manages to emerge as a deeply satisfying distillation of the gothic genre, though with a distinctly modern sense of plotting. Unlike the simplistic elemental notions of evil in "House of Dark Shadows", all the characters of "Night" firmly etched in shades of grey.

Seizing upon the television show's fondness for nightmare sequences, the film offers numerous dark tableaus, each cut down to starkly memorable images, uniquely memorable in their individual ways. The film also introduces sex to the world of "Dark Shadows", which may offend purists. However, it manages to treat these themes with a maturity which justifies their inclusion. In this Collinwood, rape and violence are equal evils to its supernatural forces.

The cast acquit themselves admirably throughout, with David Selby carrying the central role deftly. Grayson Hall's housekeeper Carlotta Drake excels through her restraint. Her lingering presence dominates each of her scenes, icy and peircing throughout. Lara Parker's statueque countenance compliments the ghostly Angelique perfectly, with a minimal approach making the most of her limited role.

Dan Curtis' direction is light-years away from the more juvenille approach displayed in "House". Presented with a script that resists overstatement, he uses a minimal approach which allows the actors to shine, composing the action in starkly poetic vignettes. Where the direction displayed in "House" is frequently frantic to the point of incoherency, "Night" is considered throughout, with every angle and cut appropriately chosen. This makes the fact that "Night" should have befallen such an aggressive re-cut especially tragic, as Sam Hall's script and Curtis' treatment lack any slack areas. Each line of dialogue within each scene actively works to advance the storyline and characters. Apparently incidental details such as Gerard laying bricks in an early scene foreshadow later developments, creating an organic storyline which is almost poetic in its development and resolution.

Wrapped up neatly with a satisfying twist that subverts the traditional gothic themes, "Night of Dark Shadows" remains an effective shocker even in partial form, with much to recommend. It is entirely adult in its mood, beautifully produced, and flawlessly executed. Even in a heavilly truncated form, "Night of Dark Shadows" does not fail to assert itself as the superior "Dark Shadows" film.