The day has opened with some sad news. Dan Curtis, creator of the much-loved Gothic daytime soap “Dark Shadows,” died yesterday morning. Four months ago he had been diagnosed with a brain tumor, which has apparently…finally…taken its toll.
Jamie and I have been DS fans from way back. Vague impressions of Collinwood and its cursed inhabitants are among my earliest memories. Whenever the show comes up in conversation, there is always one person who fondly remembers running home from school to catch the show at 3:30pm (back in the dinosaur days when there were no home VCR’s or TiVo’s). Anyone who watches the show, whether they were fans or harsh critics, eventually developed an attachment to Barnabas, Maggie, Willie, Angelique or Quentin. It wasn’t hard. For all its technical weaknesses and dialogue that was so wooden you could’ve staked vampires with it, “Dark Shadows” had heart. Everyone on the show was having fun. And you could tell.
It’s important to point all this out for a simple reason. Dan Curtis will be remembered for “Dark Shadows.” His accomplishments in Hollywood are significant and numerous. He’s everything from TV sports to the “Winds of War” mini-series, and won accolades for all of his work. But he’ll be remembered for this corny Gothic soap opera.
You know what? I don’t think he’d have wanted it any other way. Recently we saw a recent interview with him. The slightest mention of the show made him explode with enthusiasm. Recalling his frustration with budget issues and crumbling sets and live Chromakey only made him smile from ear to ear. It was a difficult production, but after three decades, he still loved it. And he wanted to do it again. Once, twice, three times…it was never enough.
And once has never been enough for us either. Many horror fans, writers, artists…well, everybody has been inspired by “Dark Shadows.” We Afterhell folks are no different.
Hence the personal sense of irony for us: Tonight, Afterhell Volume 2 will be ready for disk production. On Thursday we’ll submit our copies for the Ogle Award. And on Friday, we’ll need more Dark Shadows DVDs. We’d go shopping for some tonight, but we’re gonna feel wiped out by the time we leave the studio.
Wiped out and satisfied. And already anticipating the next production. Just like Dan Curtis.