Barnabas Collins
Encyclopedia
Barnabas Collins is a fictional character
, one of the feature characters in the ABC
daytime serial Dark Shadows
, which aired from 1966 to 1971. Originally played by Canadian actor Jonathan Frid
, Barnabas Collins is a 200-year-old vampire
who is in search of fresh blood and his lost love, Josette
. The character of Barnabas Collins was introduced to the serial in a last-effort attempt to resurrect the flagging ratings. The role of Barnabas Collins was originally intended to be a brief one, to run but a mere 13 weeks, but the popularity of the character and the quick spike in ratings resulted in his continuing on and becoming virtually the star of the show.
One of the most defining features of Barnabas's character development is his very gradual but persistent transformation from a frightening creature of the night into the show's main protagonist, one who selflessly and heroically risks his life time and time again to save the Collins family from catastrophe.
In the 1991 NBC
revival series of Dark Shadows, British actor Ben Cross
played the role of Barnabas Collins. Alec Newman
played the part in the unreleased 2004 pilot film
. In the recent series of audio dramas produced by Big Finish Productions
he was portrayed by Andrew Collins
. He will be played by Johnny Depp
in the 2012 film
by director Tim Burton
.
) and Naomi Collins
(Joan Bennett
). In 1795, he intended to marry an heiress from Martinique named Josette du Pres
(Kathryn Leigh Scott
), although he also had a brief affair with Angelique Bouchard (Lara Parker
), Josette's maidservant.
Upon Angelique's arrival in Collinsport for the wedding, Barnabas was determined not to resume his affair. Spurned, Angelique, a practitioner of witchcraft
, used a number of spells to manipulate Barnabas and family, culminating in his agreement to marry her.
When Barnabas discovered Angelique's duplicity, he shot her. With what she believed to be her dying words, she took revenge on Barnabas by summoning a vampire bat from hell to attack him. Barnabas fell extremely ill and died. Angelique survived and attempted to rescind the curse, but was unsuccessful.
Shortly thereafter, Barnabas rose as a vampire. He immediately strangled to death Angelique, the only witness to his rising from his coffin. (In death she became a succubus
.) Later, he frightened his aunt Abigail Collins (Clarice Blackburn
) to death, and entombed alive the hatefully fanatic witch-hunter Reverend Trask (Jerry Lacy
) in the Old House basement. Sarah saw her deceased brother roaming Collinwood and hid from him in the cold dark woods all night; because of this she contracted pneumonia and died. To add to Barnabas's grief, his mother Naomi Collins committed suicide after discovering her son's secret. Barnabas blamed Angelique for the deaths of both his sister and his mother. He also blamed Lt. Nathan Forbes (Joel Crothers
) because he told Naomi about him. Barnabas strangled Forbes to death. Barnabas also attempted to transform Josette into a vampire. At first, she was willing, if not quite fully cognizant of what this would entail. But then Angelique (who had become far more powerful after her death) revealed to her a vision of what she would become. Fleeing from Barnabas, Josette leapt to her death off the cliffs of Widow's Hill (in a later episode in the series where Barnabas confronted Angelique, he told her he would never forgive her for bringing about the deaths of Sarah, Josette and Naomi).
Unable to bear what he had become, Barnabas asked his father, Joshua Collins, to destroy him. However, Joshua was unable to slay his son, and so he ordered Barnabas’s devoted servant, Ben Stokes (Thayer David
), to nail a cross
to the inside lid of Barnabas's coffin and to wrap chains on its outside, forever imprisoning the vampire in the secret room of the family mausoleum at Eagle's Hill Cemetery.
) was foraging in the Collins family crypt at the cemetery for the family's rumored "lost jewels." He stumbled upon the chained coffin in which Barnabas slept. Believing the coffin to contain the lost riches of the Collins family, Willie accidentally released the vampire. Barnabas attacked Willie and turned him into his unwilling servant.
Barnabas introduced himself to the modern Collins family as a cousin from England—a hard-working businessman never seen during the day. The family accepted this story, (even though they’d never heard of him before), because of his "uncanny resemblance" to the portrait of the ancestral Barnabas (although they were really one and the same) which hung in the foyer near the front door in Collinwood. Thirsty for new blood, Barnabas made victims of several Collinsport residents. He was particularly taken with waitress Maggie Evans
(Kathryn Leigh Scott), who resembled his long-lost love, Josette. Barnabas was told by Victoria Winters
(Alexandra Moltke), that Josette's spirit still haunted the Collinwood estate, where it periodically helped and protected others (such as young David Collins
(David Henesy
), to whom Vicki was governess). Barnabas kidnapped Maggie, and hypnotized
her into believing she really was Josette, and planned to make her his vampire bride. Maggie escaped (with help from the ghost of little Sarah Collins), but not unscathed. The emotional distress of being kidnapped caused Maggie to regress to a child-like mentality, and to forget all that happened to her. Barnabas then targeted Vicki as his next potential vampire consort. He opted to use alternate methods though, first trying to seduce her away from her fiancé Burke Devlin (Anthony George
) before biting her. While this was happening, the ghost of Sarah appeared repeatedly, tormenting Barnabas (who felt indirectly responsible for her death) and warning him not to do evil deeds.
Meanwhile, Maggie was sent to Wyndcliff Sanitarium, where Dr. Julia Hoffman (Grayson Hall
) tried to make her remember what happened, as well as to identify her kidnapper. Dr. Hoffman soon found out that the answer lay somewhere at Collinwood. She then discovered who and what Barnabas was. Julia fell in love with him, however, and attempted to cure him (as well as protect him by hypnotizing Maggie again, this time into forgetting everything Barnabas had tried to do to her). Barnabas initially distrusted Julia, and when her medical cure failed, he viewed her as a risk—she would be able to expose his true nature. He attempted to kill her, or drive her mad so that no one would believe accusations of vampirism from her. Ultimately, though, Barnabas realized he needed an ally and eventually became rehabilitated to the point that they became friends. Even though the romantic relationship Julia desired never happened on-screen, she became Barnabas's chief confidante and helped him many times, even risking time travel to aid her afflicted friend over the next several years. Barnabas, too, became genuinely devoted to Julia and would often go to extraordinary lengths to protect her or to rescue her when she ran afoul of his enemies, such as Angelique (who often treated Julia as a romantic rival because she could not understand the connection between Barnabas and Julia).
). When Vicki returned to her proper point in time (1968), she had only hazy memories of what occurred. Peter managed to follow her through time, and under the assumed identity Jeff Clark, was reunited with her—much to Barnabas’s disappointment.
), cured Barnabas of his affliction by using his vampiric life force to give life to his golem
creation Adam (Robert Rodan
), a Frankenstein's monster
-like hybrid of reanimated corpses. For a time, Barnabas and Adam were spiritually joined; if harm befell one of them, the other would suffer the effects. This strange connection prevented Angelique (who also reappeared in the 20th century) from enacting a dream curse that, if successful, would have made Barnabas a vampire again. Barnabas was then put in the difficult position of becoming an enemy of Adam, who was being used by the warlock Nicholas Blair
(Humbert Allen Astredo). Nicholas wanted to create a female golem as a companion for Adam, in order to create a new race of beings to supplant humanity, one consecrated to evil. Barnabas destroyed the female golem and defeated Nicholas, after which Adam left Collinwood for parts unknown.
, to transport his consciousness back into the past in order to inhabit his body in the past; he undertook several trips through time in order to save friends and/or relatives. He made the first of these trips to save Vicki (who was once again trapped in 1796, and in danger of being hanged as a witch). Another incident was to save young David Collins, who in 1969 was possessed by the spirit of his great-uncle Quentin Collins (David Selby
). To save David, Barnabas’s consciousness went back to the year 1897 and inhabited his imprisoned body (but freed by the gypsy Sandor Racosi, portrayed by (Thayer David
). He was once more a vampire in this time. Aside from combating Quentin’s villainy, he yet again faced off with Angelique, as well as immortal phoenix Laura Collins (Diana Millay
), and the sorcerer known as Count Petofi
(Thayer David
). Along the way, he met up with governess Rachel Drummond and Lady Kitty Hampshire, two more Josette lookalikes. Lady Hampshire proved to be the actual reincarnation of Josette.
, one in which Collinwood, Collinsport and most of their inhabitants existed, but in strangely different ways. Observing this otherworld several times, Barnabas deduced that he was long dead; apparently in that world he never became a vampire. He surmised that if he were to enter that world, he would again revert to being normal again—since the curse never having been invoked, it would not affect him there. He did manage to cross over to the other world, but he was still a vampire. Worse yet, he was imprisoned by the Parallel Time version of Willie Loomis, named William, who was an alcoholic author. William chained Barnabas up in his coffin for many weeks (thus, reversing the events of "normal time" in which Willie freed him from his coffin) while he forced him to relate the history of his vampiric existence. (William wanted to write an exploitative book about Barnabas.) Meanwhile, the Parallel Time version of Angelique proved to be just as destructive to the Collins family as her normal time counterpart. After escaping from William’s imprisonment, Barnabas fell in love with Roxanne Drew, a young woman whose life-force was being used to sustain the Parallel Time Angelique (a succubus
who survived by stealing the life force from other people.)
), from the early 19th century. Barnabas and Julia returned to their proper point in time, the year 1970, several months before the disaster was to occur. The two raced against time to discover who Gerard and Daphne were, and how to prevent the disaster from occurring. During this time, Barnabas encountered the "normal time" counterpart of Roxanne Drew. This Roxanne was herself revealed to be a vampire when she attacked Maggie Evans who had begun dating Sebastian Shaw, also a victim of Roxanne and her protector. Barnabas imprisoned Roxanne in a coffin at the Old House, unable to end her life because he had fallen in love with her parallel-time counterpart. In the meantime, Maggie and Sebastian Shaw left Collinsport together, and the ghostly Gerard possessed David and through him summoned an army of the living dead to invade Collinwood and kill most of the Collins family.
During the 1840 adventure, Barnabas once again confronted Angelique (who used the name Valerie during this time). Eventually, Angelique/Valerie finally lifted the vampire curse from Barnabas once and for all, leaving him a normal human. She also used her magic to counter Gerard’s evil plots (and was stripped of her own witch-powers by him). The human Valerie was a more compassionate person and Barnabas seemed genuinely smitten with her. Unfortunately she was shot and killed by Lamar Trask (Jerry Lacy
), the vengeful son of Rev. Trask from 1796, before she could hear his eleventh-hour declaration of love. Barnabas stabbed Trask, who stumbled into Parallel Time and died there.
again) unraveled the mystery of Gerard Stiles and prevented the events that would precipitate the 1970 disaster. When Barnabas and his allies returned to 1970 (1971 by then), the disaster had simply never taken place, and Elizabeth Collins Stoddard
gently scolded the trio for being late for a social event they had been planning for weeks. At that point, the storyline for Dark Shadows shifted back to Parallel Time in 1841 for its final months on air. The last story was a conventional gothic mystery, featuring Jonathan Frid in the new role of Bramwell Collins, son of Parallel Time's Barnabas, who successfully confronts the ghost of Brutus Collins.
, Victoria Winters
and Roxanne Drew. His great love was his fiancee from 1795, Josette du Pres
. He wanted these women to share his vampire existence, and for Maggie and Victoria, he wanted them to assume the guise of Josette. Throughout the show his closest ally and friend was Dr. Julia Hoffman, who was quietly in love with him and supported his attempts to find happiness. Barnabas's feelings for Julia were complex, evolving from initial fear and distrust to deep affection, devotion and protection, and at one point Barnabas admitted to Willie Loomis
that he cared for Julia more than he appeared to.
released the film House of Dark Shadows
. The story centers on the releasing of Barnabas Collins from his coffin by Willie Loomis. Unlike Frid's original portrayal of Barnabas in the show, the Barnabas featured in the film was more true to the typical evil vampire. By the end of the film, he had killed half of the Collins family. Finally, Barnabas himself is killed by Jeff Clark (now depicted as Maggie's boyfriend) and a dying Willie Loomis, when Barnabas tries to make Maggie Evans his vampire bride.
—these include extra strength, hypnotism, the ability to transform into a bat and disappear and reappear at will. However, Barnabas has also been known to use sorcery. In an early storyline, he attempted to drive Julia mad by conjuring up the spirit of her dead colleague Dave Woodard. In 1795, he briefly resurrected Josette DuPres (who, in the 20th century, would later wander the halls of the Collins mansion in order to warn the family of approaching danger) and he used visions to lure the Rev. Trask into a fatal trap. Although these seemingly magical abilities were never explained, they made Barnabas a deadly protagonist.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, one of the feature characters in the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
daytime serial Dark Shadows
Dark Shadows
Dark Shadows is a gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971. The show was created by Dan Curtis. The story bible, which was written by Art Wallace, does not mention any supernatural elements...
, which aired from 1966 to 1971. Originally played by Canadian actor Jonathan Frid
Jonathan Frid
John Herbert Frid is a theater, television, and film actor, best known for playing the role of vampire Barnabas Collins on the gothic television soap opera Dark Shadows.-Early Life:...
, Barnabas Collins is a 200-year-old vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
who is in search of fresh blood and his lost love, Josette
Josette du Pres
Josette du Pres was a character played primarily by Kathryn Leigh Scott during the 1795 flashback on the cult TV serial Dark Shadows.-Josette and Barnabas:...
. The character of Barnabas Collins was introduced to the serial in a last-effort attempt to resurrect the flagging ratings. The role of Barnabas Collins was originally intended to be a brief one, to run but a mere 13 weeks, but the popularity of the character and the quick spike in ratings resulted in his continuing on and becoming virtually the star of the show.
One of the most defining features of Barnabas's character development is his very gradual but persistent transformation from a frightening creature of the night into the show's main protagonist, one who selflessly and heroically risks his life time and time again to save the Collins family from catastrophe.
In the 1991 NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
revival series of Dark Shadows, British actor Ben Cross
Ben Cross
Ben Cross is a British actor of the stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of the British Olympic athlete Harold Abrahams in the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire.-Early life:...
played the role of Barnabas Collins. Alec Newman
Alec Newman
Alec Newman is a Scottish stage, television and film actor. He was born in Glasgow on 27 November 1974. Prior to joining the National Youth Theatre in London at age 17, he considered becoming a professional footballer...
played the part in the unreleased 2004 pilot film
Dark Shadows (2004)
Dark Shadows is a one hour pilot that was a remake of the 1966–1971 series Dark Shadows. The pilot was commissioned by The WB Television Network and produced in 2004. Directed by P. J. Hogan, it was filmed at the Greystone Mansion, which also served as the Collinwood Mansion for the previous...
. In the recent series of audio dramas produced by Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
he was portrayed by Andrew Collins
Andrew Collins (actor)
Andrew Collins is a British actor, best known for playing recurring character Jarrett Maxwell in the CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful as well as appearing on the first episode of Gilmore Girls....
. He will be played by Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
in the 2012 film
Dark Shadows (film)
Dark Shadows is an upcoming supernatural drama film based on the 1966-1971 gothic soap opera of the same name. The film is directed by Tim Burton and stars Johnny Depp as the vampire Barnabas Collins. It is scheduled to be released on , 2012 in both conventional and IMAX theaters.-Synopsis:In 1752,...
by director Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
.
Barnabas Collins's origin
Barnabas Collins was a member of the late 18th century-era Collins family, from the fictional town of Collinsport, Maine. He was the son of Joshua Collins (Louis EdmondsLouis Edmonds
Louis Edmonds was an American actor from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was best known for his roles in Dark Shadows and All My Children....
) and Naomi Collins
Naomi Collins
Naomi Collins was a fictional character on the daytime drama, Dark Shadows. Naomi was an elegant and distinguished member of the Collins family of Collinsport, Maine in the latter half of the 18th century. She was the wife of Joshua Collins and the mother to Barnabas Collins and Sarah Collins...
(Joan Bennett
Joan Bennett
Joan Geraldine Bennett was an American stage, film and television actress. Besides acting on the stage, Bennett appeared in more than 70 motion pictures from the era of silent movies well into the sound era...
). In 1795, he intended to marry an heiress from Martinique named Josette du Pres
Josette du Pres
Josette du Pres was a character played primarily by Kathryn Leigh Scott during the 1795 flashback on the cult TV serial Dark Shadows.-Josette and Barnabas:...
(Kathryn Leigh Scott
Kathryn Leigh Scott
Kathryn Leigh Scott is an American television and film actress who is best remembered for playing Maggie Evans, Josette DuPres Collins, Rachel Drummond, Lady Kitty Soames Hampshire, and Maggie Evans PT on Dark Shadows.-Early life:Scott was born Marlene Kringstad in Robbinsdale, Minnesota in 1943...
), although he also had a brief affair with Angelique Bouchard (Lara Parker
Lara Parker
Lara Parker is an American television, stage, and film actress best known for her role as Angelique on the cult ABC-TV serial Dark Shadows which aired from to...
), Josette's maidservant.
Upon Angelique's arrival in Collinsport for the wedding, Barnabas was determined not to resume his affair. Spurned, Angelique, a practitioner of witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
, used a number of spells to manipulate Barnabas and family, culminating in his agreement to marry her.
When Barnabas discovered Angelique's duplicity, he shot her. With what she believed to be her dying words, she took revenge on Barnabas by summoning a vampire bat from hell to attack him. Barnabas fell extremely ill and died. Angelique survived and attempted to rescind the curse, but was unsuccessful.
Shortly thereafter, Barnabas rose as a vampire. He immediately strangled to death Angelique, the only witness to his rising from his coffin. (In death she became a succubus
Succubus
In folklore traced back to medieval legend, a succubus is a female demon appearing in dreams who takes the form of a human woman in order to seduce men, usually through sexual intercourse. The male counterpart is the incubus...
.) Later, he frightened his aunt Abigail Collins (Clarice Blackburn
Clarice Blackburn
Clarice Blackburn was an American actress who appeared as Mrs. Sarah Johnson, Abigail Collins, and Minerva Trask on Dark Shadows...
) to death, and entombed alive the hatefully fanatic witch-hunter Reverend Trask (Jerry Lacy
Jerry Lacy
Gerald LeRoy "Jerry" Lacy is an American soap opera actor best known for playing the roles of Tony Peterson, Reverend Trask, Reverend Gregory Trask, Mr. Trask, and Lamar Trask on the cult TV serial Dark Shadows...
) in the Old House basement. Sarah saw her deceased brother roaming Collinwood and hid from him in the cold dark woods all night; because of this she contracted pneumonia and died. To add to Barnabas's grief, his mother Naomi Collins committed suicide after discovering her son's secret. Barnabas blamed Angelique for the deaths of both his sister and his mother. He also blamed Lt. Nathan Forbes (Joel Crothers
Joel Crothers
Joel Anthony Crothers was an American actor who, in 1981, was noted by columnist Liz Smith to so strongly resemble Tom Selleck that they could be twin brothers...
) because he told Naomi about him. Barnabas strangled Forbes to death. Barnabas also attempted to transform Josette into a vampire. At first, she was willing, if not quite fully cognizant of what this would entail. But then Angelique (who had become far more powerful after her death) revealed to her a vision of what she would become. Fleeing from Barnabas, Josette leapt to her death off the cliffs of Widow's Hill (in a later episode in the series where Barnabas confronted Angelique, he told her he would never forgive her for bringing about the deaths of Sarah, Josette and Naomi).
Unable to bear what he had become, Barnabas asked his father, Joshua Collins, to destroy him. However, Joshua was unable to slay his son, and so he ordered Barnabas’s devoted servant, Ben Stokes (Thayer David
Thayer David
Thayer David was a film, stage and television actor. He was best known for his work on the cult ABC serial Dark Shadows and as the fight promoter George Jergens in the Oscar-winning movie Rocky . He also appeared as Count Arne Saknussemm in the film Journey to the Center of the Earth in 1959...
), to nail a cross
Cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run obliquely, the design is technically termed a saltire, although the arms of a saltire need not meet...
to the inside lid of Barnabas's coffin and to wrap chains on its outside, forever imprisoning the vampire in the secret room of the family mausoleum at Eagle's Hill Cemetery.
The return of Barnabas Collins
In 1967, Willie Loomis (John KarlenJohn Karlen
John Karlen is a character actor best known for playing Willie Loomis, Carl Collins, William H. Loomis, Desmond Collins, and Kendrick Young on the ABC serial Dark Shadows, in various episodes between 206 and 1245, which aired from 1966-1971. In 1971 Karlen starred as the male lead in "Daughters...
) was foraging in the Collins family crypt at the cemetery for the family's rumored "lost jewels." He stumbled upon the chained coffin in which Barnabas slept. Believing the coffin to contain the lost riches of the Collins family, Willie accidentally released the vampire. Barnabas attacked Willie and turned him into his unwilling servant.
Barnabas introduced himself to the modern Collins family as a cousin from England—a hard-working businessman never seen during the day. The family accepted this story, (even though they’d never heard of him before), because of his "uncanny resemblance" to the portrait of the ancestral Barnabas (although they were really one and the same) which hung in the foyer near the front door in Collinwood. Thirsty for new blood, Barnabas made victims of several Collinsport residents. He was particularly taken with waitress Maggie Evans
Maggie Evans
Maggie Evans was a character most prominently played by Kathryn Leigh Scott on the 1960s ABC-TV gothic horror soap opera serial Dark Shadows and in the 1970 film House of Dark Shadows.-Early days:...
(Kathryn Leigh Scott), who resembled his long-lost love, Josette. Barnabas was told by Victoria Winters
Victoria Winters
Victoria Winters is a fictional character from the television Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows and its remakes of the same name. The role was originated by Alexandra Moltke on the ABC series from 1966–1968. After Moltke left to raise a family in 1968, actresses Betsy Durkin and Carolyn Groves briefly...
(Alexandra Moltke), that Josette's spirit still haunted the Collinwood estate, where it periodically helped and protected others (such as young David Collins
David Collins
-People:* David Collins , 18th-century cricketer associated with Hampshire* David Collins , played for Wellington and Cambridge University...
(David Henesy
David Henesy
David Henesy Raised in New York City, Henesy was a child actor in film, television, and Broadway. He appeared in "Oliver!", "Jenny" , and daytime television series Dark Shadows in the roles of David Collins, Daniel Collins, Jamison Collins, and Tad Collins...
), to whom Vicki was governess). Barnabas kidnapped Maggie, and hypnotized
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
her into believing she really was Josette, and planned to make her his vampire bride. Maggie escaped (with help from the ghost of little Sarah Collins), but not unscathed. The emotional distress of being kidnapped caused Maggie to regress to a child-like mentality, and to forget all that happened to her. Barnabas then targeted Vicki as his next potential vampire consort. He opted to use alternate methods though, first trying to seduce her away from her fiancé Burke Devlin (Anthony George
Anthony George
Anthony George was an American actor mostly seen on television. He is best known for roles of Don Corley in Checkmate, Burke Devlin and Jeremiah Collins on Dark Shadows, and Dr. Will Vernon on One Life to Live....
) before biting her. While this was happening, the ghost of Sarah appeared repeatedly, tormenting Barnabas (who felt indirectly responsible for her death) and warning him not to do evil deeds.
Meanwhile, Maggie was sent to Wyndcliff Sanitarium, where Dr. Julia Hoffman (Grayson Hall
Grayson Hall
Grayson Hall was an American television, film and stage actress. She was widely regarded for her avant garde theatrical performances in the 1960s-80s. Hall was nominated in 1964 for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for the John Huston film The Night of the Iguana...
) tried to make her remember what happened, as well as to identify her kidnapper. Dr. Hoffman soon found out that the answer lay somewhere at Collinwood. She then discovered who and what Barnabas was. Julia fell in love with him, however, and attempted to cure him (as well as protect him by hypnotizing Maggie again, this time into forgetting everything Barnabas had tried to do to her). Barnabas initially distrusted Julia, and when her medical cure failed, he viewed her as a risk—she would be able to expose his true nature. He attempted to kill her, or drive her mad so that no one would believe accusations of vampirism from her. Ultimately, though, Barnabas realized he needed an ally and eventually became rehabilitated to the point that they became friends. Even though the romantic relationship Julia desired never happened on-screen, she became Barnabas's chief confidante and helped him many times, even risking time travel to aid her afflicted friend over the next several years. Barnabas, too, became genuinely devoted to Julia and would often go to extraordinary lengths to protect her or to rescue her when she ran afoul of his enemies, such as Angelique (who often treated Julia as a romantic rival because she could not understand the connection between Barnabas and Julia).
Victoria Winters travels back in time
Barnabas had genuinely fallen in love with Victoria by this point, but even more bizarre machinations prevented him from opening up to her. During a séance, Victoria was thrown back through time back to Collinwood in 1795, when Barnabas was still a human being. She became a witness (if only peripherally) to Barnabas’s transformation into a vampire. Victoria herself was accused of being a witch by the hateful Trask, and stood trial. She fell in love with her legal representative Peter Bradford (Roger DavisRoger Davis
Roger Davis may refer to:*Roger Davis , American actor*Roger Davis , American actor in television series Dark Shadows and Alias Smith and Jones...
). When Vicki returned to her proper point in time (1968), she had only hazy memories of what occurred. Peter managed to follow her through time, and under the assumed identity Jeff Clark, was reunited with her—much to Barnabas’s disappointment.
Adam the Golem and Nicholas Blair
Another doctor, Eric Lang (Addison PowellAddison Powell
Addison Powell was an American actor whose numerous television, stage and film credits included Dark Shadows, The Thomas Crown Affair and Three Days of the Condor. He was best known for playing Dr. Eric Lang, a mad scientist who created Adam, on Dark Shadows.Powell was born in 1921 in Belmont,...
), cured Barnabas of his affliction by using his vampiric life force to give life to his golem
Golem
In Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated anthropomorphic being, created entirely from inanimate matter. The word was used to mean an amorphous, unformed material in Psalms and medieval writing....
creation Adam (Robert Rodan
Robert Rodan
Robert Rodan is an American actor who played Adam on the TV soap opera Dark Shadows. In 2007, he guest starred in the Dark Shadows audio drama, The Rage Beneath.-External links:...
), a Frankenstein's monster
Frankenstein's monster
Frankenstein's monster is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. The creature is often erroneously referred to as "Frankenstein", but in the novel the creature has no name...
-like hybrid of reanimated corpses. For a time, Barnabas and Adam were spiritually joined; if harm befell one of them, the other would suffer the effects. This strange connection prevented Angelique (who also reappeared in the 20th century) from enacting a dream curse that, if successful, would have made Barnabas a vampire again. Barnabas was then put in the difficult position of becoming an enemy of Adam, who was being used by the warlock Nicholas Blair
Nicholas Blair
Nicholas Blair was a warlock on the 1966 soap opera Dark Shadows. He first appeared onJune 25, 1968, as the brother of witch Angelique who at the time was disguised as Cassandra Collins, wife of Roger Collins....
(Humbert Allen Astredo). Nicholas wanted to create a female golem as a companion for Adam, in order to create a new race of beings to supplant humanity, one consecrated to evil. Barnabas destroyed the female golem and defeated Nicholas, after which Adam left Collinwood for parts unknown.
Barnabas versus Quentin Collins and Count Petofi
Barnabas was able to use various means, including the I ChingI Ching
The I Ching or "Yì Jīng" , also known as the Classic of Changes, Book of Changes and Zhouyi, is one of the oldest of the Chinese classic texts...
, to transport his consciousness back into the past in order to inhabit his body in the past; he undertook several trips through time in order to save friends and/or relatives. He made the first of these trips to save Vicki (who was once again trapped in 1796, and in danger of being hanged as a witch). Another incident was to save young David Collins, who in 1969 was possessed by the spirit of his great-uncle Quentin Collins (David Selby
David Selby
David Lynn Selby is an American character and stage actor. He has worked in movies, soap operas and television. The naturally black-headed Selby is best known for playing the roles of Quentin Collins on the ABC-TV serial, Dark Shadows , and as the evil and compassionate...
). To save David, Barnabas’s consciousness went back to the year 1897 and inhabited his imprisoned body (but freed by the gypsy Sandor Racosi, portrayed by (Thayer David
Thayer David
Thayer David was a film, stage and television actor. He was best known for his work on the cult ABC serial Dark Shadows and as the fight promoter George Jergens in the Oscar-winning movie Rocky . He also appeared as Count Arne Saknussemm in the film Journey to the Center of the Earth in 1959...
). He was once more a vampire in this time. Aside from combating Quentin’s villainy, he yet again faced off with Angelique, as well as immortal phoenix Laura Collins (Diana Millay
Diana Millay
Diana Millay is an American actress. She is best known for her work in television, having guest starred in close to 200 primetime TV shows and later played continuing roles on two daytime offerings, Dark Shadows and The Secret Storm.Diana started her career as a model, first as a child for the...
), and the sorcerer known as Count Petofi
Count Petofi
Andreas Petofi is the name of a fictional character featured in the 1966–1971 ABC cult TV Gothic horror soap opera Dark Shadows. Count Petofi was an extremely powerful warlock who appeared in the 1897 storyline. He was primarily portrayed by Thayer David...
(Thayer David
Thayer David
Thayer David was a film, stage and television actor. He was best known for his work on the cult ABC serial Dark Shadows and as the fight promoter George Jergens in the Oscar-winning movie Rocky . He also appeared as Count Arne Saknussemm in the film Journey to the Center of the Earth in 1959...
). Along the way, he met up with governess Rachel Drummond and Lady Kitty Hampshire, two more Josette lookalikes. Lady Hampshire proved to be the actual reincarnation of Josette.
The Leviathans
After his adventures in 1897 were wrapped up, Barnabas again went back to 1797 along with Kitty/Josette. Their reunion was short-lived, however, as Barnabas became the pawn of an ancient mystical race known as the Leviathans, who ruled Earth before humanity, and wanted to return to power. They forced Barnabas to travel back to the 20th century and aid in their plans to resurrect their leader. After they ordered him to kill Julia, however, he broke free of their mind control and turned against them. But in defeating them, he paid a terrible price—he was changed back into a vampire by their leader, Jeb Hawkes. During the Leviathan affair, though, Barnabas had one last contact with the spirit of Josette, who asked him to set her free and move on. Also, Barnabas became re-enamored of Maggie, who had taken over Vicki’s position as governess at Collinwood, following the latter woman’s departure and return to 1795-6 with Peter Bradford.Parallel time
Barnabas and Julia discovered a room in Collinwood’s east wing that was a gateway to a strange parallel universeParallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
, one in which Collinwood, Collinsport and most of their inhabitants existed, but in strangely different ways. Observing this otherworld several times, Barnabas deduced that he was long dead; apparently in that world he never became a vampire. He surmised that if he were to enter that world, he would again revert to being normal again—since the curse never having been invoked, it would not affect him there. He did manage to cross over to the other world, but he was still a vampire. Worse yet, he was imprisoned by the Parallel Time version of Willie Loomis, named William, who was an alcoholic author. William chained Barnabas up in his coffin for many weeks (thus, reversing the events of "normal time" in which Willie freed him from his coffin) while he forced him to relate the history of his vampiric existence. (William wanted to write an exploitative book about Barnabas.) Meanwhile, the Parallel Time version of Angelique proved to be just as destructive to the Collins family as her normal time counterpart. After escaping from William’s imprisonment, Barnabas fell in love with Roxanne Drew, a young woman whose life-force was being used to sustain the Parallel Time Angelique (a succubus
Succubus
In folklore traced back to medieval legend, a succubus is a female demon appearing in dreams who takes the form of a human woman in order to seduce men, usually through sexual intercourse. The male counterpart is the incubus...
who survived by stealing the life force from other people.)
The mystery of Gerard Stiles
Julia ultimately rescued Barnabas from Parallel Time. But when returned to their proper universe, they inadvertently appeared in the year 1995–25 years into the future. While there, they discovered from an aged Mrs. Johnson, the contemporary Collins family housekeeper (Clarice Blackburn again), that Collinwood and most of its inhabitants befell a calamitous disaster in the year 1970, one linked to the ghosts Gerard Stiles (Jim Storm) and Daphne Harridge (Kate JacksonKate Jackson
Kate Jackson is an American actress, director, and producer, perhaps best known for her role as Sabrina Duncan in the popular 1970s television series Charlie's Angels...
), from the early 19th century. Barnabas and Julia returned to their proper point in time, the year 1970, several months before the disaster was to occur. The two raced against time to discover who Gerard and Daphne were, and how to prevent the disaster from occurring. During this time, Barnabas encountered the "normal time" counterpart of Roxanne Drew. This Roxanne was herself revealed to be a vampire when she attacked Maggie Evans who had begun dating Sebastian Shaw, also a victim of Roxanne and her protector. Barnabas imprisoned Roxanne in a coffin at the Old House, unable to end her life because he had fallen in love with her parallel-time counterpart. In the meantime, Maggie and Sebastian Shaw left Collinsport together, and the ghostly Gerard possessed David and through him summoned an army of the living dead to invade Collinwood and kill most of the Collins family.
The final adventure
In a switch, Julia rather than Barnabas was the one to escape into the past—on this occasion by way of a mysterious staircase in time—to the year 1840, while Gerard and Daphne were still alive. Aware of Barnabas’s previous time traveling experiences, Julia assumed he would use the I Ching to inhabit his past self. While this assumption was correct, Julia released Barnabas from his coffin too early, before his rehabilitated 20th-century mind inhabited the body. Thus the Barnabas she released was the evil vampire self whom Willie initially set free in 1967. He fed off an innocent victim—Roxanne Drew—and nearly victimized Julia as well before his "modern" self was able to possess his body, and therefore become Julia’s ally.During the 1840 adventure, Barnabas once again confronted Angelique (who used the name Valerie during this time). Eventually, Angelique/Valerie finally lifted the vampire curse from Barnabas once and for all, leaving him a normal human. She also used her magic to counter Gerard’s evil plots (and was stripped of her own witch-powers by him). The human Valerie was a more compassionate person and Barnabas seemed genuinely smitten with her. Unfortunately she was shot and killed by Lamar Trask (Jerry Lacy
Jerry Lacy
Gerald LeRoy "Jerry" Lacy is an American soap opera actor best known for playing the roles of Tony Peterson, Reverend Trask, Reverend Gregory Trask, Mr. Trask, and Lamar Trask on the cult TV serial Dark Shadows...
), the vengeful son of Rev. Trask from 1796, before she could hear his eleventh-hour declaration of love. Barnabas stabbed Trask, who stumbled into Parallel Time and died there.
A gothic finale
Eventually, Barnabas and Julia (and their oft-time ally Prof. Stokes—Thayer DavidThayer David
Thayer David was a film, stage and television actor. He was best known for his work on the cult ABC serial Dark Shadows and as the fight promoter George Jergens in the Oscar-winning movie Rocky . He also appeared as Count Arne Saknussemm in the film Journey to the Center of the Earth in 1959...
again) unraveled the mystery of Gerard Stiles and prevented the events that would precipitate the 1970 disaster. When Barnabas and his allies returned to 1970 (1971 by then), the disaster had simply never taken place, and Elizabeth Collins Stoddard
Elizabeth Collins Stoddard
Elizabeth Collins Stoddard was a fictional character played by Joan Bennett on the cult television ABC-TV Gothic horror soap opera Dark Shadows from 1966-1971. Jean Simmons portrayed the character in the reival series in 1991, Blair Brown took over the role in the WB pilot and will be played by...
gently scolded the trio for being late for a social event they had been planning for weeks. At that point, the storyline for Dark Shadows shifted back to Parallel Time in 1841 for its final months on air. The last story was a conventional gothic mystery, featuring Jonathan Frid in the new role of Bramwell Collins, son of Parallel Time's Barnabas, who successfully confronts the ghost of Brutus Collins.
Barnabas's women
Throughout the show, Barnabas had interest in many different women including Maggie EvansMaggie Evans
Maggie Evans was a character most prominently played by Kathryn Leigh Scott on the 1960s ABC-TV gothic horror soap opera serial Dark Shadows and in the 1970 film House of Dark Shadows.-Early days:...
, Victoria Winters
Victoria Winters
Victoria Winters is a fictional character from the television Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows and its remakes of the same name. The role was originated by Alexandra Moltke on the ABC series from 1966–1968. After Moltke left to raise a family in 1968, actresses Betsy Durkin and Carolyn Groves briefly...
and Roxanne Drew. His great love was his fiancee from 1795, Josette du Pres
Josette du Pres
Josette du Pres was a character played primarily by Kathryn Leigh Scott during the 1795 flashback on the cult TV serial Dark Shadows.-Josette and Barnabas:...
. He wanted these women to share his vampire existence, and for Maggie and Victoria, he wanted them to assume the guise of Josette. Throughout the show his closest ally and friend was Dr. Julia Hoffman, who was quietly in love with him and supported his attempts to find happiness. Barnabas's feelings for Julia were complex, evolving from initial fear and distrust to deep affection, devotion and protection, and at one point Barnabas admitted to Willie Loomis
Willie Loomis
Willie Loomis was a character on the ABC-TV gothic horror soap opera, Dark Shadows, which aired from 1966 until 1971. The character was first played by actor James Hall for a total of four episodes, who was subsequently replaced by John Karlen beginning with episode #206. Karlen continued to play...
that he cared for Julia more than he appeared to.
Other appearances
In 1970, MGMMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
released the film House of Dark Shadows
House of Dark Shadows
House of Dark Shadows is a 1970 feature-length horror film directed by Dan Curtis based on his Dark Shadows television series. Filming took place at Lyndhurst in Tarrytown, New York with additional footage at nearby Sleepy Hollow Cemetery: parts of the locals appeared on the Dark Shadows series as...
. The story centers on the releasing of Barnabas Collins from his coffin by Willie Loomis. Unlike Frid's original portrayal of Barnabas in the show, the Barnabas featured in the film was more true to the typical evil vampire. By the end of the film, he had killed half of the Collins family. Finally, Barnabas himself is killed by Jeff Clark (now depicted as Maggie's boyfriend) and a dying Willie Loomis, when Barnabas tries to make Maggie Evans his vampire bride.
Personality
Barnabas often blamed his moments of cruelty on his transformation into one of the Undead or "nosferatu," but throughout the series, other characters revealed that Barnabas was not always the reluctant victim that he saw himself. His sexual dalliance with the obsessed Angelique, in spite of his claim of being in love with Josette, set in motion many of tragedies in his life. Jealousy and wounded male pride caused him to fatally wound his uncle in a duel after Jeremiah's elopement with Josette. He attempted to back out of his agreement to marry Angelique, after she cured his sister of her illness. And the moment he had proof that Angelique was a witch, he attempted to murder her, in spite of the fact that they were newly married, causing a furious Angelique to lay her curse upon him. While in a drunken stupor Ben Stokes admitted that Barnabas, prior to his change "...weren't no good then, neither!" When the vampire tried to kill his own father to silence his cries for help, an astonished Joshua Collins exclaimed: "You would kill even me! You must have always had so much hatred in you. No one could be filled with it so quickly!" And while many of his flip-flopping infatuations with nubile young women could be attributed to his vampire curse and the need to find a vampire bride, his romantic choices during his periods as a human were equally immature and baffling. In later interviews, Jonathan Frid admitted this was all part of the character's success, "...the lies he told to himself."Powers
Barnabas's abilities mimic those of the classic vampire DraculaDracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
—these include extra strength, hypnotism, the ability to transform into a bat and disappear and reappear at will. However, Barnabas has also been known to use sorcery. In an early storyline, he attempted to drive Julia mad by conjuring up the spirit of her dead colleague Dave Woodard. In 1795, he briefly resurrected Josette DuPres (who, in the 20th century, would later wander the halls of the Collins mansion in order to warn the family of approaching danger) and he used visions to lure the Rev. Trask into a fatal trap. Although these seemingly magical abilities were never explained, they made Barnabas a deadly protagonist.
Relationships
- Josette du PresJosette du PresJosette du Pres was a character played primarily by Kathryn Leigh Scott during the 1795 flashback on the cult TV serial Dark Shadows.-Josette and Barnabas:...
- Angelique Bouchard Collins
- Victoria WintersVictoria WintersVictoria Winters is a fictional character from the television Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows and its remakes of the same name. The role was originated by Alexandra Moltke on the ABC series from 1966–1968. After Moltke left to raise a family in 1968, actresses Betsy Durkin and Carolyn Groves briefly...
- Maggie EvansMaggie EvansMaggie Evans was a character most prominently played by Kathryn Leigh Scott on the 1960s ABC-TV gothic horror soap opera serial Dark Shadows and in the 1970 film House of Dark Shadows.-Early days:...
- Sarah Collins
- Roxanne Drew
- Dr. Julia HoffmanJulia HoffmanJulia Hoffman is a fictional character played by Grayson Hall in the 1966 ABC soap opera Dark Shadows. A doctor in the fields of psychology and rare blood disorders and head of the Windcliff Sanitarium, she moved into Collinwood and discovered the vampire, Barnabas Collins...
- Quentin CollinsQuentin CollinsQuentin Collins is the name of several characters featured in the 1966-1971 ABC cult TV Gothic horror-soap opera Dark Shadows. All variations of the character have been played by actor David Selby.-Quentin I:...
- Willie LoomisWillie LoomisWillie Loomis was a character on the ABC-TV gothic horror soap opera, Dark Shadows, which aired from 1966 until 1971. The character was first played by actor James Hall for a total of four episodes, who was subsequently replaced by John Karlen beginning with episode #206. Karlen continued to play...
Further reading
- Ashley, Amanda. After Sundown. Zebra Books, 2003. p. 130. ISBN 0821775286
- Auerbach, Nina. Our Vampires, Ourselves. University of Chicago Press, 1995. p. 137. ISBN 0226032019
- Bradley, Marion Zimmer. Witch Hill. Tor/Forge, 2000. p. 58. ISBN 0312872836
- Chamberlin, John Edward. COME BACK TO ME MY LANGUAGE: Poetry and the West Indies. University of Illinois Press, 1993. p. 190. ISBN 0252062973
- Clifton, Chas S. Her Hidden Children: The Rise of Wicca And Contemporary Paganism in America. Rowman Altamira, 2006. p. 101. ISBN 0759102023
- Clute, John and Grant, John. The Encyclopedia of Fantasy. St. Martin's Press, 1999. p 823. ISBN 0312198698
- Hamrick, Craig. Barnabas & Company: The Cast of the TV Classic Dark Shadows. iUniverse, 2003. p. 22. ISBN 0595290299
- Jones, Stephen. The Essential Monster Movie Guide: A Century of Creature Features on Film, TV and Video. Watson-Guptill, 2000. p. 99. ISBN 0823079368
- Krensky, Stephen. Vampires. Lerner Publications, 2007. p. 48. ISBN 0822558912
- Mann, Jeff. Edge. Haworth Press, 2003. p. 19. ISBN 1560234296
- Mansour, David. From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia Of The Late 20th Century. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2005. p. 109. ISBN 0740751182
- Massey, Brandon R. Dark Corner. Kensington Books, 2004. p. 64. ISBN 0758202490
- McNally, Raymond T. and Florescu, Radu R. In Search of Dracula: The History of Dracula and Vampires. Houghton Mifflin Books, 1994. p. 270. ISBN 0395657830
- Mitchell, Charles P. The Complete H.P. Lovecraft Filmography. Greenwood Press, 2001. p 220. ISBN 0313316414
- Nowlan, Alden. Double Exposure. Brunswick Press, 1978. p. 127. ISBN 0887900968
- Parker, Lara. Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch. Tor/Forge, 2006. ISBN 0765304570
- Pope, Dan. In the Cherry Tree. Picador, 2003. p. 81. ISBN 0312422369
- Pringles, David. Imaginary People: A Who's who of fictional characterFictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
s: from the Eighteenth Century to the ... Scolar Press; Ashgate Pub, 1996. p. 51. ISBN 1859281621 - Riccardo, Martin V. Vampires Unearthed: The Complete Multi-media Vampire and Dracula Bibliography. Garland Publishing, Incorporated, 1983. p. 19. ISBN 0824091280
- Senn, Bryan and Johnson, John. Fantastic Cinema Subject Guide: A Topical Index to 2500 Horror, Science Fiction, and Fantasy Films. McFarland & Co, 1992. p. 551. ISBN 089950681X
- South, James B. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: fear and trembling in Sunnydale. Open Court Publishing, 2003. p. 318. ISBN 0812695313
- South, Malcolm. Mythical and Fabulous Creatures: A Source Book and Research Guide. Greenwood Press, 1987. p. 260. ISBN 0313243387
- Stoker, Bram. Dracula. Ed. Allen, Brooke. Spark Publishing/SparkNotes, 2004. p. xxviii. ISBN 1593081146
- Sullivan, Jack. The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural. Viking, 1986. p. 422. ISBN 0670809020
- Terrance, Vincent. The Complete Encyclopedia of Television Programs, 1947-1979. A. S. Barnes & Company, 1979.
- Worland, Rick. The Horror Film: An Introduction. Blackwell Publishing, 2006. p. 93. ISBN 1405139021