Well, almost... David Selby plays Quentin Collins, a talented young artist who moves his wife and himself into the woodsy estate once owned by his ancestors, who were involved in witchcraft and may still be hanging around; Grayson Hall is the caretaker of the manor, who knows all its dark secrets (she tells the handyman, "Everything's different now!"). Dan Curtis' continuation of themes he began with the television serial "Dark Shadows" has its effective moments, despite MGM forcing cuts to shorten the original running-time (the film is a second-cousin to the TV show out of necessity, not by design, after Jonathan Frid refused to return as Barnabas Collins, forcing Curtis in a new direction). Robert Cobert contributes a spooky score, although there is so much one-finger tapping on a piano that one gets the feeling everyone is walking around with their own keyboard. Cinematographer Robert Shore does excellent work on a tight budget, and nobody stages a creepy nightmare like Curtis (this one has a shuddery funeral in the rain, capped with a lonesome church bell and a woman laughing hysterically). The reincarnation plot isn't much, and Selby is too colorless an actor to be much of presence (or a threat), but the dark, damp location--with spirits around every corner--provides the perfect place for things that go bump in the night. ** from ****

A painter (David Selby) and his wife (Kate Jackson) move into a home and find themselves plagued by ghosts and spirits of his ancestors that used to be witches.As this was written, directed and produced by the legendary Dan Curtis, there is pretty much no way it could be bad. Perhaps fans of the series were a bit disappointed that it wandered off from the core storyline, but hey, this still has the same great atmosphere that Curtis has created in other films (notably "Burnt Offerings").Allegedly, MGM forced Curtis to cut over 35 minutes from his finished film, and gave him only 24 hours to do the job. So the film went from approximately 129 minutes to about 94 minutes, which, according to some, caused the film to lose its coherence. I can definitely see that, and as a Curtis fan, I do wish there was a way to get that extended version back. Who knows? If they did it with "Nightbreed", maybe they can do it here.

It's well known that Night Of Dark Shadows suffered extensively from pre-release cutting, and those cuts severely compromised the film. The storyline became confusing, and the editing looked choppy in places. However in spite of these drawbacks, this follow on from House Of Dark Shadows - it's not really a sequel in the conventional sense - remains worthwhile, both for fans of director Dan Curtis' original Dark Shadows TV series, and casual viewers.One obvious aspect that causes disappointment is the absence of Barnabas Collins. Actor Jonathan Frid had refused to play the vampire again through fears of typecasting, so Curtis was forced to take a different tack. Night focuses on Quentin Collins and his wife Tracy as they inherit the Collinwood estate. Slowly, the couple become aware of the malevolent spirit of Angelique, a witch hanged 200 years ago, and Quentin is possessed by the spirit of his own ancestor, Angelique's lover. The films lacks the blood and thunder of it's predecessor, opting instead for a slow, brooding build up of menace and a surprisingly dark tone of sexual violence in some scenes.Hopefully, one day the cut footage will be restored, but in the meantime the new Warner DVD of this flawed gem is more deserving of it's place on your shelf next to House Of Dark Shadows than Tim Burton's new movie.

Quentin Collins(David Selby)moves into the Collinwood manor with his lovely wife Tracy(Kate Jackson)not knowing that the evil presence of his look-a-like ancestor Charles(..with a noticeable limp signifying to the viewer his appearance)and the lynched witch Angelique(Lara Parker with limited dialogue still scoring thanks to her sinister presentation)live within ready to take over their lives. Their maid-servant Carlotta(Grayson Hall, winning as the human host of a very cleverly subdued, but appropriately sneaky reincarnated child spirit who befriended Angelique)is secretly working for Angelique in the attempt to keep Quentin in the tower room where Charles and Angelique had a torrid affair, which also was his studio, as the menacing spirit takes hold over time. Meanwhile, Tracy tries to rescue her husband from Charles' grasp, with help from their friends, Alex & Claire Jenkins(Dark Shadows regulars John Karlen & Nancy Barrett)who live at a nearby cottage. Tracy finds herself outmatched thanks to Carlotta and man-servant Gerard(Jim Storm, in the film mainly as a heel whose motivations are inappropriately defined)who manipulatively persuade Quentin to continue to work in the tower. The film depicts, somewhat, Tracy's battle to keep her husband from being overtaken by dark forces as the spirits of Angelique and Charles haunt the manor, while her life is in constant danger.The version I watched, presented on Chiller, was badly tampered with in post-production. It seems very important scenes which define perilous situations are interrupted by cuts and background music stops abruptly at key moments. You can plainly see the scissors at work. I've read from sources that a complete director's cut is available, but certain troubles continue(..such as dubbing, I believe and dueling production companies regarding the film's rights)to keep it away from the public. It's a shame, because I might like this one if I could see the story play out in a complete form instead of a badly botched hack-job. Selby attempts courageously to tackle duel roles, as innocent Quentin who adores his wife Tracy, and the vicious and corrupt Charles who seems to be a male mirror image of his lover Angelique. Karlen, against type, actually is the hero of the film, along with Barrett, attempting to remove his pal from the clutches of the evil which permeates within the Collinwood manor. Hall plays her character lurking about, quietly stirring the pot, but I'm never sure we ever know Carlotta all that well. Her character is rather undefined. Perhaps the spirit has already consumed her, taken full custody of the human host. I never understood Gerard. I think he lusts after both Carlotta and Tracy, but I feel that he might've been more properly defined in the longer version. I think this is a more imaginative film that "House of Dark Shadows" since that film was basically a rehash of familiar material, but it suffers due to the tinkering which remains a jarring distraction. I liked the camera-work, and we can see Dan Curtis sharpening his visual skills with each film he directs. Many might find that the ending to his far superior later "house of evil" feature, Burnt Offerings echos "Night of Dark Shadows" as our couple are almost free from the sinister trappings of the Collins-Stoddard manor only to succumb to it's powers. Unfortunately, the ending is so orchestrated early on thanks to the painting of *Charles*, that it doesn't produce the necessary effect it would otherwise. There's no surprise when you have already seen the twist painted to canvas. One sequence that truly puzzled me was when Angelique's evil spirit corners a trapped Tracy only to never explain what exactly transpired(..of course this was one of the key sequences cut to ribbons). And, there's a suicide which never quite made sense to me either as Angelique led a specific servant to certain destruction. The film reflects past memories which come to Quentin in dreams as he sees what took place many years ago setting up the plot. What this film lacks that "House of Dark Shadows" has in spades is atmosphere. The melodrama is intact, but the dark Gothic elements which were such a staple on the soap opera are missing, for the exception of evil spirits Angelique and Charles. The absence of Barnabas Collins can be felt as well, with Angelique being the motivating source of all things evil this time around. I wonder how good the official cut, made the way Curtis & Hall intended, might be.