Dan
Curtis’s cult-favorite TV show, Kolchak:
The Night Stalker has yet to get
the credit it deserves as a forerunner to the X-Files. He gave us a true-believing investigative muckraker, who
was constantly warning a skeptical and scornful world of supernatural dangers.
Apparently, the late Curtis will have to wait a little longer for that overdue
acknowledgement, because Kolchak is
only mentioned in passing during a new documentary profile of the TV horror
maestro. Instead, it is his two greatest hits, The Dark Shadows and Winds of
War that dominate his career survey in David Gregory’s documentary Master of Dark Shadows, which releases today
on DVD and VOD.
He
started in sales, but Dan Curtis knew he could produce better programming than
the syndicated packages he was peddling. The first production he sold was a
golf show that nobody really remembers, but his biggest and unlikeliest success
was the gothic horror daytime soap opera, Dark
Shadows. Like most cult crossover hits, the ratings started out modest, but
when Curtis fully embraced the horror elements, kids started flocking to the
show. It really hit its stride when Jonathan Frid was cast as reluctant vampire
Barnabas Collins.
Decades
later, the show maintains a loyal following, having spawned two movie
spin-offs, an early 1990s prime time TV remake, and Tim Burton’s lackluster feature
film reboot. Books continue to be published and fans still flock to
conventions. Yet, nobody would argue the high-point of Curtis’s career came
when he produced and directed the blockbuster Emmy-winning mini-series The Winds of War. The subsequent War and Remembrance was also a major
prestige production, but it did not match the lofty heights Winds reached.
It
makes perfect sense that Dark Shadows would
be the central focus of Gregory’s doc, with the Herman Wouk mini-series getting
the most secondary attention. However, a lot of great horror television gets
glossed over, such as the original Kolchak
TV movies, the Jack Palance Dracula,
and Trilogy of Terror, features the
fetish doll that attacks Karen Black. Frankly, it is pretty problematic the great
Richard Matheson (who wrote or co-wrote all the above fan favorites) is never
mentioned.
Still,
there is definitely some good material for Dark
Shadows fans. Watching Gregory’s film will make viewers want to revisit
Curtis’s signature show, which is a crucial test of its effectiveness. It is
also nice to see Curtis get the recognition he deserves. Master is definitely intended for true blue fans, but any regular genre
consumer will be entertained by the deep dive into Collinwood Mansion.
Recommended for those who remember 1960s television nostalgically, Master of Dark Shadows releases today
(4/16) on DVD and VOD.