Reviews (44)

Before there was "Passions," there was "Dark Shadows"!
To those of you spending your days bewitched by the misadventures of Tabitha and Timmy on "Passions," there are those of us who are here to remind you of "Dark Shadows," the cult soap opera hit that ran from 1966-71. The Gothic soap was floundering in the ratings when the character of vampire Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) was introduced. Producer/Director Dan Curtis provided this 1970 introduction to the wonderful world of "Dark Shadows," so late comers could get up to speed. Barnabas is freed from his crypt after nearly 200 years by a thief stealing treasure and returns to the family home Collinwood pretending to be a distant English cousin who just happens to be named for the infamous "ancestor." Barnabas discovers that the family governess, Maggie Evans (Kathryn Leigh Scott) is the spitting image of his former love Josette, who killed herself when she learned he had become a vampire. Meanwhile, the family physician Dr. Julia Hoffman (Grayson Hall) learns of Barnabas' true identity and develops a treatment that will reverse the curse. Able to walk in daylight again, Barnabas plans on marrying Maggie. Unfortunately, Dr. Hoffman has fallen in love with Barnabas and sabotges the treatments, which results in quite a bloodbath.

"House of Dark Shadows" certainly stands on its own if you have never seen the soap opera, although the effort to give everyone in the cast some screen time does get in the way from time to time. For those who remember the show, it is nice to see Louis Edmonds, Nancy Barrett, Joan Benett and the others again. The script by Sam Hall and Gordon Russell is actually quite innovative, coming up with some new twists for the love triangle while working in notions of reincarnation and scientific approaches to curing vampirism. At the heart of the film is Frid's portrayal of Barnabas Collins, which offers considerably more depth to the character than we were getting at the time from Christopher Lee's Dracula in all those Hammer films.

the shadows are dark
if your a fan of the series dark shadows you will be in for a great big surprise when you first view "house of dark shadows" one thing is the movie is well made and so is the script well written. all the cast is wonderful especially kathryn leigh scott,joan bennett,jonathan frid,and the late louis edmonds. it has a lot of gothic look and even plays like a true hammer filmshould be when i was a child this film scared the he double hockey sticks outta me. even grayson hall is great i this movie dispite she dies before the film ends. nancy barret once again plays carolyn stoddard but has a rather misfortune to her,her cousin turning her into one of the undead,but miss barret is a great actress as well as the others i mantioned above,too many good actors in this film. the mansion that is in tarrytown new york is a great spooky place to film dark shadows
even the cematary there is a great place too. "house of dark shadows" plays well and whenevr the missing scenes are found and restored hey it will be a better movie but once again the movie is great no matter what. dan curtis is a perfect director for this kind of movie he has since done a lot of other spooky films like "night of dark shadows" "burnt offerings","trilogy of terror" "dracula"(with jack palance),and "tirlogy of terror 2" if you dont have house go rent or buy it ...john karlen is great too.

Stylish feature film of a popular TV classic!
This vivid, well-crafted feature version of the '60's supernatural soap opera "Dark Shadows" recounts the resurrection of 200-year-old vampire Barnabas Collins(superbly portrayed by Jonathan Frid) who is released from his chained coffin by an imbecile handyman(John Karlen), then proceeds to wreak havoc on his modern descendants. The film features a number of the series regulars, including Joan Bennett as the aristocratic and very beautiful matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, and is very well directed by the original series creator Dan Curtis, who produced the picture as well. Fans of the ever popuar show will indeed find a great deal to like here as the film is shot on a much bigger budget featuring more sex and violence than those blasted censors would allow on the small screen. If you like this film, you may also want to check out its sequel, "NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS".

A Good Horror Film
One of the first times a television program was brought to the big screen. The movie takes one of the most popular story lines from the tv program and goes way beyond it. Characters, who never die in the series, do so in this film with a heck of a lot more ketchupy bloody scenes.

The movie is complete by itself and it is not necessary to have every watched the tv series to understand and enjoy this film.

Some very eerie and tense scenes. Excellent directing and great mood music. The acting also far exceeds what we saw on the tv series!

Excellent!
This movie is definitely bloodier than the daytime Dark Shadows you might be used to, but it an excellent horror movie -- and proof of how talented and versatile the DS cast was. Jonathan Frid is really the reason to see this, his Barnabas ranks among the pantheon of classic vampires. He is much more evil in this film as opposed to the dapper, mysterious gentleman on TV, but just try to look away. He is wonderful, as are the very talented Nancy Barrett as the doomed Carolyn, and beautiful Kathryn Leigh Scott as Maggie. John Karlen, Thayer David and Grayson Hall all add their magic to the mix, and Joan Bennett never looked more grand and glamorous. Really a fun scary movie and a treat for fans! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The opposite of its promises
This is an awful movie! If you will note I titled this review "The Opposite of its promises", and the reason being is that, first of all it shows Danny DeVito on the front of the cover as if he is the main character, and yet he barely has a part, posing as the bartender at a pool and is only seen for abot forty five seconds. Also it says it is heart-felt and funny and is none of those things! The actors and actresses do a horrible job posing as their charachter and don't seem to have any depth or feeling at all. If you read the back of the jacket it says that it is about a man with almost no money and many debts to pay off and that he kidnaps a rich man's kids to get money, that is the entire film and it isn't even done well, in fact I've made this putrid film sound much more exciting and dramatic than it is. The film has absolutely no depth. It has no comedy,drama, romance, excitement or any thing like that. It is no doubt one of the worst films ever. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Written for the stage and coherently opened up for the screen by veteran director Herbert Ross, Play It Again, Sam is closer to a conventional comedy than Woody Allen's more self-contained films, but his smart script and archetypal hero-nebbish achieve a special charm aimed squarely at movie buffs. Allen is Allan Felix, a film critic on the rebound after his wife's desertion trying to brave the choppy waters of born-again bachelorhood and struggling to reconcile his celluloid obsessions with the hazards of real-world dating. His apartment is a shrine to Humphrey Bogart, and it's none other than Bogey himself who materializes at strategic moments to counsel Allan on romantic strategy. He gets more corporeal aid from his married friends, Linda (Diane Keaton) and Dick (Tony Roberts), who try to orchestrate prospective matches and reassure him when those chemistry experiments explode. When Allan finds himself falling in love with Linda, the dissonance between fantasy and reality proves both funny and poignant--a precursor to the deeper emotionalism missing from the star's earlier directorial efforts that was soon to inform Allen's most affecting '70s comedies. It's also the start of his onscreen relationship with Keaton, further underscoring Allen's evolution toward a more satisfying contemplation of the friction between head and heart. --Sam Sutherland ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Classic Woody!
As I'm sure you now by now, this film stars Woody Allen as a film critic and CASABLANCA buff (coincidentally named Allen) whose bored wife leaves him in the throes of insecure bachelorhood, while he secretly yearns to fulfill Humphrey Bogart's role in his own love life. Watching Woody at his neurotic, self-deprecating best is fun, and he does a lot of physical comedy in this entertaining little film. It's funny that this is an essential Woody Allen film, yet Woody Allen himself didn't direct it! The film's director is Herbert Ross, director of some clever & funny movies such as MY BLUE HEAVEN (1991), and some not-so-clever-and-funny movies, most notably the awful PENNIES FROM HEAVEN (1981). However, Woody wrote the screenplay, which had been adapted from the stage play that he also had written. Since Herbert Ross doesn't take any liberties with Woody's style, it ends up being by all accounts a classic Woody Allen film.

Co-starring in this enjoyable film are Diane Keaton (in her first of many films with the irreppressable Allen), Tony Roberts (as Keaton's too-busy and full-of-himself husband), and Jerry Lacy (who continually appears to Woody as a vision of Mr. Bogart). This film was originally set in New York City, but ended up getting re-set to San Francisco due to a labor strike. Of course, all of the actors in this movie have New York accents, but that's no matter. PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM is so much fun to see for all of the trouble that Woody gets into with his dates that we only care for how his character will redeem himself by film's end.

Classic Woody!!!

An unknown classic
A very clever, funny film. Anyone who has struggled in the dating game will probably see a little of themselves in Woody Allen's charactor. The scene on the couch, between Woody and Diane Keaton, is one of the funniest scenes in any movie ever. Tony Roberts and Jerry Lacey are excellent as the too-busy husband and Humprey Bogart. If you liked ANNIE HALL or WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, I highly recommend this movie, even if you are not a Woody Allen fan.

Play it again, Sham... Go on!!!
A work of genius.

While this is one of Woody's finest moments, it also brilliantly underscores one of the dilemmas of modern man.

Allen's nerdy new age man Allan Felix is so in his head and ineffectual that his wife simply abandons ship - a brilliant observation on a social a trend that is if anything, on the increase.

The magic and true genius of this movie lies in the way Bogart's grounding yet wild Dionysian energy drives Allen's UberNerd to stop whining and intellectualizing and just act. I'm slightly paraphrasing, but Bogie's ghost's advice to Felix to 'Tell her she's beautiful' and 'Go on, kiss her... Go on!' are a joy to behold.

The revelation is that by finding his inner warrior, his wild man energy, he is actually successful, and creates a scenario in which the man and the woman can be more comfortable in their clearly defined, yet non-hierarchical roles.

While there is immense significance in the role and transforming power of the Bogart figure, this is still a warm, loving and utterly crazy Woody classic and can be enjoyed on any level.

Diane Keaton... sigh...

Great for my teenage angst
This was an important movie to me as a teen. Its the classic Woody as nebbish who wins out in the end. Far more conventionally filmed than a Woody-directed film its nonetheless up their with his funniest - touching as well.

Funniest movie ever
If you like comedy, I mean genius works of comedic brilliance, watch this movie. Buy it, rent it, or whatever. You won't be dissapointed. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Chiller
Simply terrifying.... thats really all you have to say... Scariest film I have ever seen in my life next to Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs.... definently not a slasher movie... just a horror movie... a scary one!

Chiller
Unpopular, but just the same a great horror film with great acting!

Bad movie
In my view this is one of wes's worst movies and I don't know what he was thinks so if you ask me this movie is extremly bad. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The opposite of its promises
This is an awful movie! If you will note I titled this review "The Opposite of its promises", and the reason being is that, first of all it shows Danny DeVito on the front of the cover as if he is the main character, and yet he barely has a part, posing as the bartender at a pool and is only seen for abot forty five seconds. Also it says it is heart-felt and funny and is none of those things! The actors and actresses do a horrible job posing as their charachter and don't seem to have any depth or feeling at all. If you read the back of the jacket it says that it is about a man with almost no money and many debts to pay off and that he kidnaps a rich man's kids to get money, that is the entire film and it isn't even done well, in fact I've made this putrid film sound much more exciting and dramatic than it is. The film has absolutely no depth. It has no comedy,drama, romance, excitement or any thing like that. It is no doubt one of the worst films ever. ... Read more

Description

Roland is a small time con who's tired of his penny ante payoffs.Richard fancies himself a big time businessman, but lately the only thing big time about him is the debt he's in. These two men, whose lives could not be more different, become unlikely partners in a kidnapping caper where no one is quite what they seem and everyone has an angle. In the end they all could walk away with a piece of the action, but in Atlantic City everything is a game of chance and a bad hand is only a deal away. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The opposite of its promises
This is an awful movie! If you will note I titled this review "The Opposite of its promises", and the reason being is that, first of all it shows Danny DeVito on the front of the cover as if he is the main character, and yet he barely has a part, posing as the bartender at a pool and is only seen for abot forty five seconds. Also it says it is heart-felt and funny and is none of those things! The actors and actresses do a horrible job posing as their charachter and don't seem to have any depth or feeling at all. If you read the back of the jacket it says that it is about a man with almost no money and many debts to pay off and that he kidnaps a rich man's kids to get money, that is the entire film and it isn't even done well, in fact I've made this putrid film sound much more exciting and dramatic than it is. The film has absolutely no depth. It has no comedy,drama, romance, excitement or any thing like that. It is no doubt one of the worst films ever. ... Read more