20 episodes from the original 'soap horror' series from the 1960s. Released from a chained coffin after nearly 200 years, Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) arrives at the Collinwood estate claiming to be a relative from England. Although noticing Barnabas's resemblance to his 'ancestor' in the foyer portrait, the Collins family does not realise he is the same Barnabas that lived at Collinwood in the 18th century. As Barnabas moves into the Old House on the property, those around him are unaware of the horrors that will soon follow.

Four of the original cast members of Dark Shadows read Kathryn Leigh Scott's best-selling Dark Shadows Companion, providing a complete history and plot summary of the 60s cult soap that kids "ran home from school to watch."