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House of Dark Shadows (1970)

Rate: 5
Viewed: 7/26

HouseDS
7/26: Dan Curtis has always been associated with gothic horror, beginning with the TV show called Dark Shadows.

I've never seen it, and refuse to because it ran for 1,225 episodes over six seasons, but am familiar with his other works and consider Burnt Offerings to be the greatest suspense film ever made. House of Dark Shadows has a lame start with a lot of cheap scare 'em moments that's further made confusing by throwing a trainload of characters at me.

But the longer the show goes on, the better the movie is. A constant problem is the acting which is of the soap opera kind. It may have worked in 1970 but produces eye rolls today. That's because the cast is full of nobodies. The other is the story that feels like a scattered third-rate remake of Bram Stoker's book Dracula.

One reviewer said, "Jonathan Frid is a most unconventionally attractive man, but he has class and style, and he is most magnetic." Yeah, right. The role of Dracula calls for an actor who is irresistibly charming to everybody, but Frid flunks the eye test. All I saw was an ordinary human being. A better choice would've been either Oliver Reed or Ian McShane.

So why '5'? The gothic atmosphere is absolutely impressive: the darkness and the shadows, hence the title. I thought for a long time it would've been impossible not to be accused of ripping off Hammer Horror's style, but this one belongs in a different class. In case if you're wondering, the mansion was filmed at the Lyndhurst Estate in Tarrytown, New York.

All in all, if not for the cinematography, House of Dark Shadows would've been another 70's Dracula picture.