PT 2 1971- Night of Dark Shadows (Released 1970)
Newlyweds Quentin and Tracy Collins drive toward Collinwood, which Quentin has inherited after Mrs. Stoddard's death. Tracy is awed by the large estate, though she fantasizes about being a lady of leisure. Meeting housekeeper Carlotta Drake, they take a tour of the house. In the portrait gallery, Quentin becomes fascinated by a picture of Angelique Collins, who Carlotta tells them died in 1810. That night, Quentin is tormented by strange dreams - images of a sentence of death, himself in 19th century dress beating a man to death, and of being buried alive. Tracy is able to calm his restless sleep, but is puzzled by it.
The next morning Carlotta tells her nephew Gerard Stiles that everything is different now over his protests that he was good enough until Quentoin came here. Chastising him, she sends him to the stables, as Mr. Collins wants to go riding. Gerard has his horse ready when Quentin gets there, expressing interest in Mrs. Collins. Quentin rides around the grounds, and has a vision of Angelique's funeral. He rides to the mausoleum to investigate, but is interrupted by the arrival of his friends Alex and Clair Jenkins who are staying on a cottage on the estate grounds.
Deciding that he wants to start painting, Quentin asks Carlotta to suggest a room for his studio. She takes him to the tower, where he discovers some paintings by a Charles Collins. One of the pictures is an unfinished work of Angelique, and he has another vision. He is Charles Collins in 1810, making love to his brother's wife Angelique. But they are interrupted by his brother Gabriel and the Reverend Strack, come to arrest her for witchcraft. She agrees to go, but lashes out when one of the men tries to touch her. He comes back to himself thoroughly confused. That night as he sleeps, Quentin is compelled to go to the tower where the spirit of Angelique embraces him. But history repeats itself as Gerard jealously attacks Quentin, as Gabriel had attacked Charles. Though Quentin is able to get the upper hand with Angelique's help, Tracy is awakened by the noise. She tries to stop Quentin from killing Gerard, and he turns on her. Suddenly he realizes what he is doing and stops.
But Angelique wants her Charles to herself. Luring Alex to the abandoned greenhouse, she tries to kill him. But Quentin has decided not to work in the tower any more, over Carlotta's objections. Her vehemence convinces Quentin she knows something about his strange visions. She explains that he is remembering a previous life, like hers. She is the reincarnation of Sarah Castle, the daughter of the housekeeper in 1810. She recalls Angelique's last day at Collinwood. Sarah was hiding under a table when Charles' wife Laura and Strack convinced Gabriel to have Angelique arrested. As she waited to be hung, Angelique let Sarah know that her love would keep her alive. Quentin realizes that Angelique's spirit is still alive at Collinwood, but he loves Tracy despite Carlotta's insistance that there is no room for her here. She suggests they leave Collinwood if they can.
But Charles' personality is becoming more evident in Quentin. His abrupt change causes Tracy to become suspicious of what is going on. Going to the tower against Quentin's wishes, she discovers the picture of Angelique, but now its finished. Charles is offering the body of his dead wife to Angelique as a gift. Quentin suddenly returns, and though Tracy is almost able to get out in time, he knows she was in the tower. Though he forgives her at first, Charles becomes dominant and rough with her, saying she can leave if she doesn't like it.
Angelique tries to get rid of everyone around her Charles. She goes after Alex again, who is only saved by Clair's quick thinking. Sending a dream to Tracy, she goes to the old swimming pool where she discovers Quentin, walking with a limp as Charles did. Calling her Laura, he tries to drown her as he did in 1810. She is found and revived by Alex and Clair. But Quentin has no memory of the incident, and though he is upset where he discovers Tracy missing, Charles takes over again and says she must have left him. It is only when he finds out Gerard left to kill Tracy and the Jenkins that he is able to resist Angelique, and goes to stop him.
Gerard runs Alex off the road, then goes to the cottage where Clair shoots him. But he is only wounded and kidnaps Tracy. But still jealous of Quentin, he goes after him instead, and in the fight Gerard falls to his death from a railroad trestle. Knowing Carlotta is keeping the spirit of Angelique alive, Alex goes after her. Quentin and Tracy search for the bodies of Angelique and Charles who were walled up in the basement of Collinwood by Gabriel. They get sperated and Angelique attacks Tracy. But Alex has found Carlotta atop the tower, and seeing her beloved Angelique calling to her from the ground below, she jumps to her death. When Carlotta gone, Quentin is able to rescue Tracy.
Everyone packs up to leave Collinwood for good. Alex and Clair drive off, but Quentin needs to get his canvases. When he spends too long inside, Tracy goes to look for him. She finds him in the portrait gallery, and notices he is limping as he comes toward her. Suddenly a very solid Angelique appears, and Tracy realizes the danger she is in. A teletype news notice informs us that Alex and Clair's car filled with white smoke on the Maine turnpike, and they died in the resulting crash. Presumably, Tracy is also dead, and Charles and Angelique rule over Collinwood together at last.
Like Collinwood itself, Night of Dark Shadows is surrounded by legend. Supposedly, the first DS movie saved MGM from bankrupcy, so Dan Curtis was given carte blance to make a second. And make it he did. Using an altered version of the parallel time 1970 story from the series, Night was a beautifully crafted ghost story, a work Dan Curtis was proud of. The story continues, though. The management that had given Curtis his support had been replaced before the movie finished filming. When the final cut, which ran well over two hours was screened for the new management, they walked out at the ninety-minute mark, claiming it was too long. Feeling betrayed, Curtis washed his hands of the picture, having nothing to do with the editing process. In fact, the legend says, Curtis has never seen the final cut to this day.
Whether the legend is true or not, one thing is clear: the editing of Night of Dark Shadows destroyed the movie. With key scenes missing, particularly from the climax, it is practically impossible to follow the plot. A seance scene which reveals the full story of Charles and Angelique, and one which explains why Quentin and Tracy are creeping around the basement are gone, leaving you wondering why any of this actually happened. Only the original script gives the full story. Yet another rumor says that Dan Curtis kept a full-length copy of his original work, but he has never confirmed this, and it has never been released.*
It's a shame, really, as Night was supposed to be Selby's introduction to the silver screen as House of Dark Shadows was for Frid. And he gives a marvelous performance, switching from the loving Quentin to the evil Charles in a split second. Hall, Barrett, Karlen and Parker gave their usual excellent showings. And the introduction of Kate Jackson as Tracy Collins would start a film career that would last for years. But the holes in the plot and the disjointed continuity of the edited version couldn't be overcome. The box office receipts were only fair to dismal.
*The lost footage has been found! Announced at the 1999 DS Festival in New York City, an unedited version of NODS may be released soon!
Credits and characters of Night of Dark Shadows
Portrait Gallery for Night of Dark Shadows
