Movie Resurrects New Horror Cycle; Jonathan Frid's Vampire Role Results In Erotic Overtones

The Daily Times-News, August 22, 1970

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Finally a movie review which isn't fluff and a follow-up piece discussing the erotic overtones of vampirism! The write up on House of Dark Shadows delves briefly into the trends with the paranormal in Hollywood and then gives a brief synopsis of what the movie is all about without getting hypercritical of the genre or over-analyzing it. It then segues into the eroticism of the vampire legend while mentioning both the show and the aforementioned movie. The short bit at the end about Frid's bat conservancy efforts only adds to the spread.

Mothers And Kids Love The Vampire

The Tuscaloosa News, August 4, 1968

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When Jonathan Frid joined the cast of DS in April of 1967 nobody could have foreseen that the struggling Gothic drama would burgeon into the number one daytime program and remain a cult favorite nearly fifty years later. The audience jumped 62% as fan letters poured in at a rate of nearly 1,000 per day with the great majority aimed at Barnabas Collins. The popularity of the show also spawned a merchandise buying frenzy with board games, masks, puzzles and comic books among others being consumed like candy by grade school kids. That wasn't the entire picture of the viewing audience though as women also flocked to the melodrama for the buttoned down and erotic romantic underpinnings of the lovelorn vampire's travails.

Letters To The Editors

The Independent Press-Telegram, May 28, 1967

The Independent Press-Telegram, June 4, 1967

Fuddy duddy Mrs. M. Brown was a squeamish admirer of the DS cast but couldn't stomach Barnabas baring his teeth to slurp from Maggie's neck and chose to watch reruns of the Addams Family instead. E and C. W. from Seal Beach concurred. Lulu M. Samuelson was having none of their bunkum and suggested that they shut the tube off and live and let live. A catfight over DS! I like it.

More 'Dark Shadows'

The Pittsburgh Press, April 4, 1971

Country Dinner Playhouse featuring Marie Wallace

The Evening Independent, April 12, 1984

Like most of the DS alumnus the stage was their main occupation. Marie Wallace's appearance in a dinner playhouse version of Forty Carats seems far removed from the bright lights of her DS success but I guess you have to work where you can when you're a supporting cast actor.