Dark Shadows is a Gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on
the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971. The
show was created by Dan Curtis, who tells of a dream he had in which a
girl takes a long train ride to visit a large mansion. The story
"bible," which was written by Art Wallace, does not mention any
supernatural elements. It was considered daring (and unprecedented in
daytime television) when ghosts were introduced about six months after
it began. The series became hugely popular when, a year into its run,
vampire Barnabas Collins, played by Jonathan Frid, appeared. In
addition to vampires, Dark Shadows featured werewolves, ghosts,
zombies, man-made monsters, witches, warlocks, time travel, both into
the past and into the future, and a parallel universe. A small company
of actors each played many roles and, as actors came and went, some
characters were played by several actors. Major writers in addition to
Art Wallace included Sam Hall, Gordon Russell, and Violet Welles.
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