On June 27, 1966, a weird daytime soap opera debuted on ABC. Unlike most soaps, this one didn't feature young housewives, handsome doctors and affairs of the heart. Dark Shadows told spooky tales of witches, vampires and stakes in the heart. It  was the first Gothic daytime drama. The program was the creation of producer Dan Curtis, who would later gain critical acclaim with the monumental television mini-series The Winds Of War and War And Remembrance.
The last original episode aired in April 1971. But 35 years later, like one of its vampires, "Dark Shadows" lives on and on. Not only was it a hit in the United States, it became a sensation in Central and South America, dubbed into Spanish and retitled "Sombras Tenebrosas."
The show that refuses to die has spawned hit music, a book series, children's board games and two feature films. Reruns ran for years on the SciFi cable channel.
It is the most prolific TV series on home video — all 1,225 episodes have been released. MPI Home Video has sold more than 300,000 four-disc DVD sets, each with 40 episodes and retailing for $60. The final episodes will be released next month. Previously, MPI sold the entire series on VHS tape — 250 four-episode volumes, according to MPI spokeswoman Chris Hester.
"It's still very, very popular with loyal fans. They come to the conventions. They have 'Dark Shadows' blogs. They argue about who did what," said actress Lara Parker, who played Angelique.

Dark Shadows' original plot centered on a young woman named Victoria Winters, who became governess to a 10-year-old boy in Collinsport, Maine, a small and stormy fishing village. She was employed by the wealthy Collins family, who resided in a mysterious old mansion overlooking the ocean. Veteran motion picture actress Joan Bennett was featured in the role of Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, matriarch of the Collins family and mistress of the great house called Collinwood. After several months on the air, the show was failing to attract a large enough audience with its traditional Gothic suspense formula. Series creator Dan Curtis took advice from his children: Make the show scarier.
"I figured why the hell not. I'll make it really scary," Curtis said in an interview before his death in March at 78. "What have I got to lose?" In a dramatic effort to save the show from cancellation, Dan Curtis decided to introduce one of the most unusual characters in daytime television history. In April of 1967, Shakespearean actor Jonathan Frid joined the cast as Barnabas Collins, a 175-year-old vampire. Frid's portrayal of Barnabas was a surprise success when he added humanity to his characterization and made Barnabas a tragic figure.
After more supernatural elements were added to Dark Shadows, the show became the most popular daytime series on ABC. Numerous ghosts, a werewolf and a witch named Angelique appeared as the show alternated its stories between the present-day Collins family and their ancestors in the past.
Some "Dark Shadows" stories were adapted from other works, including a "Bride of Frankenstein" knockoff about two man-made monsters, Adam and Eve. Other stories involved time travel and something called "parallel time," which allowed cast members to play different characters during the same time period.
Donna McKechnie, who won a 1976 Tony for "A Chorus Line," played two parts in different eras during her "Dark Shadows" stint from August 1969 to January 1970.
The 30-minute show was barely rehearsed and was recorded in real time with no stops and starts.
"It was manic. Once you got into the tempo of it, it was kind of exciting," said McKechnie, 63, whose autobiography, "Time Steps: My Musical Comedy Life," came out Tuesday.
McKechnie — her character came to life from a painting — departed the show in dramatic fashion: crushed by debris in a bridge collapse.
"They just dumped that stuff on me and left," she said. "I was sitting in total darkness with peat moss in my mouth."
"Camp" is a word frequently used today to describe "Dark Shadows." Not 40 years ago.
"We played it serious," said Parker, 60, who recently earned a master's degree in creative writing. She now writes novels based on characters from the series. Her newest, "The Salem Branch," focuses on her own character, Angelique, and how she became a witch.

"Dark Shadows" launched the acting career of Kate Jackson. Kate Jackson, after she graduated from the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1970, was first introduced into the Dark Shadows series as the ghost of Daphne Harridge. For three months Kate's character moved silently through the show without saying one word. Finally the writers decided to bring the ghost back to life and they gave her lines to speak. The producers were very impressed with Kate and grew her character more. Daphne was a basic character for many episodes from 20-7-1970 to 2-4-1971. "The thing about Dark Shadows that was so much fun for me is that, right out of acting school, I could use all my newly-acquired skills of suspension of disbelief. I had to pretend that there really were ghosts and vampire." says Kate Jackson. 

Kate Jackson described an on-set mishap to People magazine in 1991: "I had to say this long speech explaining why I was back from the dead," she said. "I was standing in an 1800s dress, with candles all around, and the back of the dress caught fire. I was already messing up the lines and all I could think was, "Why is David Henesy dancing around back there?' He kept me from having to scream, 'Aaaaaaah! My dress is on fire'"

Dark Shadows spawned several hit records and two feature films starring the TV cast, "House of Dark Shadows" (1970) and "Night of Dark Shadows" (1971). In House of Dark Shadows many of the television cast members reprised their roles, but they were surrounded by more explicit displays of horror that were not suitable for the daytime television program.  In 1971 production commenced on a second MGM film, Night Of Dark Shadows, starring Kate Jackson. "...It was a treat to have Dark Shadows as my first job, and a wonderful compliment when Dan Curtis chose to give me special billing in Night of Dark Shadows - Introducing Kate Jackson -. It gave me a lot of self-confidence and, at that point in my career, it was a luxury to have such a major role in my first film" said Kate Jackson in her foreword in The Dark Shadows Movie Book published n 1998. Both feature films are set for DVD release next year, as is a seven-disc CD set of music from the series. Also available on DVD: a 1991 NBC-TV prime-time Dark Shadows revival that starred Ben Cross as Barnabas.

On April 2, 1971, while still enjoying respectable popularity, Dark Shadows ended its five-year network run. Since ending production, Dark Shadows has retained a devoted following through reruns and home video releases. Regular cast reunions and an active fan network continue to celebrate Dark Shadows' unique and timeless appeal. The show continues on in syndication and on video tape and DVD, although now seen in a 600 episode format. Three decades after its network television debut, Dark Shadows' reputation as a television classic remains firmly intact.

• Dark Shadows Excellent resource site
• Dark Shadows Supernatural Page
• Dark Shadows Reborn
• Criseyde's David Selby Website
• Dark Shadows Boards Excellent moderated discussion portal
• Dark Shadows Festival Developing website for the annual fan conventions
• Dark Shadows Frequently Asked Questions Information and links
• Dark Shadows Movie Website A complete guide to the MGM films
• Dark Shadows Online Late Craig Hamrick's Excellent Dark Shadows Website.
• MPI Home Video The official Dark Shadows website
• Night of Dark Shadows Restoration Website  Official Website in association with Dan Curtis Productions.
• Barnabas Undead  Dark Shadows lives again.
• Pomegranate Press  The best place for Dark Shadows Books.