http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Dark-Shadows-The-Complete-Original-Series/16432With a May 11th theatrical debut of the new Dark Shadows film (directed by Tim Burton and starring Eva Green, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jackie Earle Haley, Helena Bonham Carter, and Johnny Depp as "Barnabas"), it's probably no surprise that new DVD releases are being planned of the original Dan Curtis-created TV series which started it all. While MPI Home Video hasn't provided any official announcements yet, a trio of advance purchase listings added to Amazon.com gives readers a heads-up about what the studio's new plans are. All 3 titles are scheduled for April 10th, and it's clear that the first 2 single-disc titles are meant for casual fans. The big title, however, is certainly aimed for the most passionate Dark Shadows fans!
Here's what's up for pre-order:
Dark Shadows - The Best of Barnabas (180 minutes; $14.98 SRP)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006Z7Z3PO?tag=tvshowsondvdcom&link_code=as3&creativeASIN=B006Z7Z3PO&creative=373489&camp=211189Dark Shadows - Fan Favorites (180 minutes; $14.98 SRP)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006Z7Z3ZO?tag=tvshowsondvdcom&link_code=as3&creativeASIN=B006Z7Z3ZO&creative=373489&camp=211189 Dark Shadows - The Complete Original Series (estimated 5000 minutes; $599.98 SRP)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006Z7Z3KY?tag=tvshowsondvdcom&link_code=as3&creativeASIN=B006Z7Z3KY&creative=373489&camp=211189That last listing is certainly the big shocker of the group! When Universal Studios Home Entertainment released their 20-season set of Law & Order - The Complete Series, we were all amazed at a 104-DVD set with over 450 hour-long episodes. However, MPI's various "volume" sets of Dark Shadows would clock in at roughly two dozen more discs than that, covering over 1200 half-hour episodes that were broadcast every weekday from 1966 to 1971. So, while we don't know what the official disc count for The Complete Original Series DVD set will be until MPI issues their official announcement, it certainly looks like this will be the new record-holder!
Amazon's discounting this enormous set to $419.99 as of this writing (subject to change without notice, at Amazon's discretion), which happens to be less than the big Law & Order collection. A quick calculation shows that to be less than 35 cents per episode (plus we're not sure yet, but there's obviously a great chance it will include all the extras that the previous DVD sets have had in the past). It's a big amount of bucks at once, but even so you've got to see that this is a LOT of bang for your buck! We can't wait to bring you all the detailed info about this package, and the package art as well. Stay tuned, of course, and we'll bring that to you just as soon as we can!
