While supernatural events have become fairly commonplace on daytime
television in recent decades, Dark Shadows, which aired on ABC
between 1966 and 1971, pioneered this format when it blended the
vampires, werewolves, warlocks, and witches of fictional
Collinsport, Maine, with standard soap opera fare like alcoholism,
jealousy, and tangled love. In this volume, author Harry M.
Benshoff examines Dark Shadows, both during its initial run and as
an enduring cult phenomenon, to prove that the show was an
important precursor-or even progenitor-of today's phenomenally
popular gothic and fantasy media franchises like Twilight, Harry
Potter, and True Blood. Benshoff demonstrates that viewers of all
ages responded to the haunted world of Dark Shadows, making
unlikely stars out of the show's iconic characters-reluctant
vampire Barnabas Collins, playboy werewolf Quentin Collins,
vengeful witch Angelique DuVal, and vampire hunter Dr. Julia
Hoffman. Benshoff explores the cultural and industrial contexts of
the mid-1960s that gave rise to Dark Shadows and how the show
adapted nineteenth-century gothic novels and twentieth-century
horror films into a televised serial format. Benshoff also examines
the unique aspects of the show's casting and performance modes, its
allure as a camp cult text, and the function of the show's many
secondary and tertiary texts-including novels, records, games,
comic books, and the two feature films, House of Dark Shadows
(1970) and Night of Dark Shadows (1971). In the years since its
cancellation, Dark Shadows' enduring popularity has led to a
prime-time NBC remake in the early 1990s, recent talk of a Tim
Burton and Johnny Depp feature film, and a popular ongoing fan
convention. Benshoff's timely study of Dark Shadows will appeal to
fans of the show and all film and television history scholars who
are interested in the roots of one of today's most popular genres.
General
Imprint: |
Wayne State University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Series: |
TV Milestones Series |
Release date: |
March 2011 |
First published: |
March 2011 |
Authors: |
Harry M. Benshoff
|
Dimensions: |
128 x 177 x 9mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
128 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8143-3439-3 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-8143-3439-3 |
Barcode: |
9780814334393 |
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!