FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ONE COLOSSAL SET, EVERY EPISODE OF THE LEGENDARY SERIES THAT LAUNCHED AN

UNDYING VAMPIRE CRAZE

DARK SHADOWS

The Complete Original Series

Before ‘Twilight’ and ‘True Blood’ There Was the Gripping Saga of

Vampire Barnabas Collins – It Rises Again on May 8, 2012, in

An Extraordinary 131-DVD Box Set Featuring 1,225 Episodes

Director Tim Burton’s Hugely Anticipated Reimagining Hits Theaters Nationwide In May 2012 Starring Johnny Depp As Barnabas Collins

The vampire romance is one of today’s hottest genres in movies, television and novels, from the Twilight and True Blood to The Vampire Diaries, Underworld and Interview With the Vampire, but it all started with DARK SHADOWS, the ABC daytime series that brought tormented hero Barnabas Collins into the homes of devoted fans every weekday for five years. Now, in an unprecedented event, the entire series – 1,225 episodes on 131 discs – will be released in a single deluxe set. On May 8, 2012, MPI will release DARK SHADOWS: THE COMPLETE ORIGINAL SERIES in a custom coffin shaped box with bonus, in-depth interviews and other video extras, a commemorative booklet and more. The SRP for this collector’s set is $599.98.

The creation of Dan Curtis (The Winds of War, The Night Stalker), DARK SHADOWS premiered in 1966 as a unique series in TV history – a gothic daytime serial set in a forbidding, mist-shrouded Maine estate inhabited by a wealthy extended family as well as ghosts, demons and, most frightening of all, vampire Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid). For five years, 200-year-old Barnabas and his Collins family relatives made their way through hauntings and possessions, jumped through time, mysterious parallel worlds and were the victims of other eerie events. Add in a vengeful witch, a horrifying werewolf, a count with mystical powers, a female doctor obsessed with Barnabas and young, beautiful women encountering love and other dangers – all framed by haunting music – and you have a series that became a nationwide cult sensation.

Now, 41 years after the series went off the air, the cult continues to flourish. DARK SHADOWS has spun off novels, audio dramas, feature films, a Grammy-nominated hit song (“Quentin’s Theme”) and soundtrack album, DVDs, television reruns and regular fan conventions attended by original cast members. On May 11, 2012, director Tim Burton’s hugely anticipated reimagining of the show will hit the big screen, with lifelong “DS” fan Johnny Depp portraying Barnabas Collins. Original series cast members Jonathan Frid (Barnabas), Lara Parker (Angelique), David Selby (Quentin) and Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie/Josette) make cameo appearances in the new film.

DARK SHADOWS: THE COMPLETE ORIGINAL SERIES includes more than 100 bonus interviews with the actors and production personnel – its cast included Kate Jackson, Oscar nominee Grayson Hall and Hollywood Golden Era movie star Joan Bennett, plus a 96-page booklet with photographs and episode summaries, DVDs of bloopers, behind-the-scenes documentary and cast reunion – all housed in a coffin-shaped box.

DARK SHADOWS truly lives on in this remarkable release sure to thrill longtime fans and create a new generation of enthusiastic followers.

For fans who do not get the opportunity to purchase the $600 box set, MPI is releasing FAN FAVORITES and THE BEST OF BARNABAS on April 10th. Priced at $14.98, each release offers 9 complete episodes that are among the most popular in the history of the show, serving as an ideal introduction to new viewers as well as an enticing overview for devotees of the series. Included in FAN FAVORITES are Barnabas’ return to Collinwood after being release from his chained coffin; Barnabas and Dr. Julia Hoffman (Grayson Hall) discovering the secret of the werewolf; Maggie Evans (Kathryn Leigh Scott) becoming the victim of a vampire, and more. THE BEST OF BARNABAS includes Julia’s attempts to cure the cursed Barnabas; eerie trips back in time to 1795 and 1897; the popular Parallel Time story line, and more. Each set includes informative new introductions by Kathryn Leigh Scott and Lara Parker (Angelique).

About MPI Home VideoChicago based MPI Home Video, a subsidiary of MPI Media Group, is a market leader for high-quality releases to both wide and specialized audiences through home video distribution. Founded in 1976, MPI Home Video remains one of the largest independent companies producing and distributing a compelling slate of the world’s most respected cinema, documentaries, performances and television programs. www.mpihomevideo.com

#   #   # 

DARK SHADOWS: THE COMPLETE ORIGINAL SERIES

Street date: May 8, 2012

SRP: $599.98

Running time: 457 hours plus extras (131 discs)

Rating: Not rated

Full screen

FAN FAVORITES and THE BEST OF BARNABAS

Street date: April 10, 2012

SRP: $14.98each

Running time: 200 minutes each

Rating: Not rated