Dark Shadows

Double stigmatized as both a soap opera and one concerned with vampires, werewolves and witches, the original Dark Shadows television series has long been precluded from genuine critical reevaluation. So Harry M. Benshoff's insightful depth analysis of a show both beloved and ridiculed for more than a half century (and sometimes in equal parts by its most ardent admirers) is a revelation. With elegant skill, Benshoff unearths the series' richly complex social, sexual and psychological dimensions to illuminating conclusions. Ultimately, this meaningful investigation uncloaks the sources of how the Dark Shadows phenomenon continues to fascinate, frustrate and delight generations of viewers.

~Michael Orlando Yaccarino, Genre Film Specialist and Co-Author of the Biography Infinite Variety: the Life and Legend of the Marchesa Casati

Benshoff provides a synoptic account of one of the most densely plotted of all daytime dramas, engages with much theoretical writing on the soap opera and Gothic genres, and provides new insights into the intersecting and often conflicting public tastes to which the program appeals. He does so with a deftness of touch that makes even complex ideas entertaining in a volume that could be enjoyed, but by no means exhausted, in a single evening."

~Kevin Heffernan, Associate Professor in the Division of Cinema-Television at Southern Methodist University

Harry Benshoff's expert dissection and historically informed analysis of the 1960s cult TV show Dark Shadows balances the ardor of a fan and the sharp insights of a seasoned scholar. A program that played daily to millions of viewers for five years was more than a fluke or oddity and Benshoff gives its popularity long overdue context and illumination. Benshoff deftly describes and applies key theoretical concepts for analysis of the show's many facets, yet the writing remains witty, accessible, and engaging throughout."

~Rick Worland, Professor in the Division of Cinema-Television at Southern Methodist University and Author of the Horror Film: an Introduction

Dark Shadows has everything: vampire Barnabas Collinwood as romantic but doomed hero; narrative complexity that almost beats Lost; counter-hegemonic family normativity; and tangled, hyperbolic actor/character relations. Harry Benshoff's intelligent and superbly informed account of this cult favorite teaches much about the gothic genre and the history of television. It is truly an enjoyable monograph."

~Janet Staiger, William P. Hobby Centennial Professor in Communication and Professor of Women&Rsquo;S and Gender Studies at the University of Texas and Author of Political Emotions