Dark Shadows

Dark Shadows

I have memories of my younger brother and I settling in front of our auntie’s television a few minutes before 4:00pm, waiting for ABC’s daytime series, Dark Shadows. The premise: A 200-year-old vampire, desperate for a cure, returns to his family home in Collinsport, Maine. We were so very young, prior to school age, but it kept us out of Auntie V’s hair for a little and scared the absolute bejeezus out of us.

Before each show, we made sure each had a blanket to peer behind. After each episode, we were diligent about checking under beds, around corners, and behind doors. You just never knew what lurked in the hidden recesses of V’s house. We were not going to let anything ‘get’ us.

The funny thing is that when I had an opportunity to view a couple of episodes decades later, I had to laugh out loud. I didn’t have to look too closely to see the apparatus they used for the bats to fly or the shadows of the cameras. High-quality special effects. What can I say?

Here’s the point: There is a lot right now that can feel scary. 2020 – the majority of the year. Enough said. But, before you feel the desire to hide under a blanket be sure to ask yourself whether what is unsettling you is a monster or simply dark shadows.