Too much of everything

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

I protest!!!! The low # ratings are offensive to me!! House of Dark Shadows and Night of Dark Shadows are Icons of the horror movies from the late '60's and '70's. The two movies are cult classics based on the ground breaking soap opera classic from the same era of the two movies - think a fan base of Star Wars or Terminator. At any rate Dan Curtis was a GENIUS when it came to motion media production - just my 2 cents.

4.5 I watched this movie all the way through and just couldn't get into it. It is one of those movies that is like a 30s or 40s black and white movie but with color. The acting/writing/direction is exactly like that of a black and white movie but it is in color. These should have some kind of name to refer to them, there are a lot of them and if you like one, you like them all. For me, i have never been able to get into these kinds of movies. Most Italian horrors and gallios are like this. Maybe one day ill get into it but I've seen a lot and still don't get it.This movie is about a house that re-incarnated souls are attached to.. i don't really remember details since i couldn't get into it.This is supposed to be a seqeul? If it is then no thing or part of this movie is any ways related to house of dark shadows (1970).

Painter Quentin Collins (David Selby) and his wife Tracy (Kate Jackson) move into ancestral home Collinwood unaware that the place is haunted by several ghosts, with the malevolent spirit of Charles Collins seeking to possess his descendant.With its running time drastically reduced from well over two hours to a mere 95 minutes thanks to studio interference, it comes as no surprise that the theatrical cut of Dan Curtis' Night of Dark Shadows lacks coherence and suffers from serious pacing issues. Painfully slow and frequently unfathomable, the film limps awkwardly from one dreary scene to the next with little evidence of Curtis's usually assured hand.No doubt a fully restored director's cut of Night of Dark Shadows would be an improvement (it could hardly be any worse), but as it stands—cut to shreds and making very little sense—the film is a huge step down from the previous Dark Shadows big-screen outing, House of Dark Shadows (1970).

Quentin Collins(David Selby)moves into the Collinwood manor with his lovely wife Tracy(Kate Jackson)not knowing that the evil presence of his look-a-like ancestor Charles(..with a noticeable limp signifying to the viewer his appearance)and the lynched witch Angelique(Lara Parker with limited dialogue still scoring thanks to her sinister presentation)live within ready to take over their lives. Their maid-servant Carlotta(Grayson Hall, winning as the human host of a very cleverly subdued, but appropriately sneaky reincarnated child spirit who befriended Angelique)is secretly working for Angelique in the attempt to keep Quentin in the tower room where Charles and Angelique had a torrid affair, which also was his studio, as the menacing spirit takes hold over time. Meanwhile, Tracy tries to rescue her husband from Charles' grasp, with help from their friends, Alex & Claire Jenkins(Dark Shadows regulars John Karlen & Nancy Barrett)who live at a nearby cottage. Tracy finds herself outmatched thanks to Carlotta and man-servant Gerard(Jim Storm, in the film mainly as a heel whose motivations are inappropriately defined)who manipulatively persuade Quentin to continue to work in the tower. The film depicts, somewhat, Tracy's battle to keep her husband from being overtaken by dark forces as the spirits of Angelique and Charles haunt the manor, while her life is in constant danger.The version I watched, presented on Chiller, was badly tampered with in post-production. It seems very important scenes which define perilous situations are interrupted by cuts and background music stops abruptly at key moments. You can plainly see the scissors at work. I've read from sources that a complete director's cut is available, but certain troubles continue(..such as dubbing, I believe and dueling production companies regarding the film's rights)to keep it away from the public. It's a shame, because I might like this one if I could see the story play out in a complete form instead of a badly botched hack-job. Selby attempts courageously to tackle duel roles, as innocent Quentin who adores his wife Tracy, and the vicious and corrupt Charles who seems to be a male mirror image of his lover Angelique. Karlen, against type, actually is the hero of the film, along with Barrett, attempting to remove his pal from the clutches of the evil which permeates within the Collinwood manor. Hall plays her character lurking about, quietly stirring the pot, but I'm never sure we ever know Carlotta all that well. Her character is rather undefined. Perhaps the spirit has already consumed her, taken full custody of the human host. I never understood Gerard. I think he lusts after both Carlotta and Tracy, but I feel that he might've been more properly defined in the longer version. I think this is a more imaginative film that "House of Dark Shadows" since that film was basically a rehash of familiar material, but it suffers due to the tinkering which remains a jarring distraction. I liked the camera-work, and we can see Dan Curtis sharpening his visual skills with each film he directs. Many might find that the ending to his far superior later "house of evil" feature, Burnt Offerings echos "Night of Dark Shadows" as our couple are almost free from the sinister trappings of the Collins-Stoddard manor only to succumb to it's powers. Unfortunately, the ending is so orchestrated early on thanks to the painting of *Charles*, that it doesn't produce the necessary effect it would otherwise. There's no surprise when you have already seen the twist painted to canvas. One sequence that truly puzzled me was when Angelique's evil spirit corners a trapped Tracy only to never explain what exactly transpired(..of course this was one of the key sequences cut to ribbons). And, there's a suicide which never quite made sense to me either as Angelique led a specific servant to certain destruction. The film reflects past memories which come to Quentin in dreams as he sees what took place many years ago setting up the plot. What this film lacks that "House of Dark Shadows" has in spades is atmosphere. The melodrama is intact, but the dark Gothic elements which were such a staple on the soap opera are missing, for the exception of evil spirits Angelique and Charles. The absence of Barnabas Collins can be felt as well, with Angelique being the motivating source of all things evil this time around. I wonder how good the official cut, made the way Curtis & Hall intended, might be.