Welcome to DSO
a message from the site producer

Welcome to Dark Shadows Online! This site is primarily a tribute to the terrific cast of the quirky cult classic TV show Dark Shadows. I actually wasn't one of those kids who "ran home from school every day" to catch the show -- if anything, I would have been running home from pre-school, because I was born the same year the show debuted. I do have some very early, very scary memories of my brother, Mark, watching DS -- and he even owned a few of the collectibles, most memorably the kinda-creepy model of a hearse, with a tiny plastic Barnabas Collins laying in a coffin in back. But I didn't fall in love with the characters at Collinwood until many years later, when I discovered the paperback book series by Dan "Marilyn" Ross. (You can read more about that, and how DS eventually helped me come to terms with my sexuality, in this essay.)

I've written several books about Dark Shadows (click here to read about them) and been fortunate enough to become good friends with several of the show's cast members. I've interviewed just about every surviving star of the show, and done extensive research for my books, so that's the unique perspective from which I've created Dark Shadows Online. You won't find episodes guides here, or even news about the show and its stars. Other sites have those topics covered really well, so that's not what I've chosen to concentrate on. (For news, visit Dark Shadows Journal, British fan Stuart Manning's beautifully designed, wittily written site; for an exhaustive, cross-referenced episode guide, head to DarkShadows.com.)

What you will find here is exclusive photos from many of the stars' personal collections; articles and trivia tidbits based on my research; and excerpts from my books (plus updates to that content).

I'll be honest: I don't just produce this site because of my love of the show (though of course that's the biggest reason). Dark Shadows Online is designed to promote my books. So, if you enjoy the site, please consider buying one of them; they're available on Amazon.com and other online booksellers. But regardless of whether you buy a book, I truly hope DSO provides you with an enjoyable trip down Memory Lane (a lane that just happens to cross through a spooky cemetery and a haunted forest..) -- or helps introduce you to one of the wackiest, campiest, scariest shows ever to be broadcast on television! And I'd love to hear from you -- I can be reached at craig@craighamrick.com.

Craig Hamrick
October 2005

P.S. Long-time readers of this site know I've been battling colon cancer since 2002. For an update on how I'm doing, you can click here.

Visit my website, craighamrick.com. Read an essay about my DS experiences. Find out more about the books I've written about DS.

darkshadowsonline.com

Her name is Victoria Winters...and when she arrived at Collinwood to work as governess, she was an orphan in search of answers about her past. Who were her parents? Was she a long-lost Collins? Did Elizabeth hold the key to the mysteries surrounding her heritage. Of course she did! The identity of Victoria Winters was not resolved on the TV series Dark Shadows, but years later two stories have finally answered that burning question: Who is Victoria Winters? In the 1990s, Dan "Marilyn" Ross co-wrote a novella called The Secret of Victoria Winters, which explained who he believed Vicky's parents were in the Parallel Time he wrote about in the Paperback Library books. And in 2003, David Selby's son, Jamison, wrote Return to Collinwood, a play that was presented at that year's Dark Shadows Festival. In the play, the reading of Elizabeth Stoddard's will at last revealed what Victoria's heritage is in the world dramatized on the TV series. Read The Secret of Victoria Winters, and Read About Return to Collinwood.