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| Matthew Waterhouse, Scott Haran and Stephanie Ellyne visit Collinwood. |
Some describe it as the town at the edge of the world.
When Melody and Michael Devereux come to Collinsport on their honeymoon, they don't know the secrets that are hidden behind closed doors. But those secrets will be unearthed when an innocent is viciously murdered.
Collinsport will be a town divided. One woman's rise to power will lead to further death and destruction. Families will be ripped apart. Blood will be spilt.
And the dark forces that wait in the shadows will wait no more. For in Collinsport, death is never the end ...
That's the official plot synopsis of DARK SHADOWS: BLOODLUST, a 13-part serial coming from Big Finish in January. Earlier today, the company announced the cast of the serial, which will see the return of Stephanie Ellyne as "Amy Jennings." Joining her are DOCTOR WHO icon Matthew Waterhouse (previously heard in the DARK SHADOWS audio dramas "The Creeping Fog" and "The Crimson Pearl"), and Scott Haran, best known as the boy wizard "Tom Clarke" in CBBC's WIZARDS VS ALIENS.
DARK SHADOWS: BLOODLUST takes place in the 1980s, following the events of "Kingdom of the Dead."
"One thing we wanted to do in BLOODLUST was to create a next generation of Collinsport residents," said co-producer Joseph Lidster. "Harry's something of a loner but he'll soon find himself making friends with other teenagers in the town."
"Like many of the residents," said co-producer David Darlington, "the Cunningham family are hiding secrets - both from the other townsfolk and from each other. But could one of them be a killer?"
The Big Finish press release raises more questions than it answers. First off, will any members of the original television cast make appearances in BLOODLUST? "Kingdom of the Dead" had one of the largest roster of characters to appear in any of the DARK SHADOWS audiodramas, and even included Andrew Collins as "Barnabas Collins." More importantly, I'd like to see these characters develop beyond their roles on the original television series (which has already happened, to a certain extent).
Which leads me to another question: Does Big Finish have the balls to launch a DARK SHADOWS serial without any original cast members? That would certainly be a bold move. It might even be an essential strategy if we're going to see DARK SHADOWS continue well into the future.
From a storytelling perspective, the plot summary also begs the question, "Why the hell is Amy Jennings back in Collinsport?" She vowed never to return in the last episode, "The Carriage of the Damned," set sometime in the early 1970s. Jennings appears to be at the center of the story in BLOODLUST, with Waterhouse playing her husband, "Andrew Cunningham," and Clarke playing her step-son, "Harry."
You can read the complete news release from Big Finish HERE.
And listen to Amy, Andrew and Harry introducing themselves at Big Finish's official Soundcloud page HERE.
7 comments:
Listened to the commercial but think I'll pass. Apparently I missed the story where they picked the town up and moved it to England. Trash.
I've already subscribed to this and can hardly wait! As for Amy coming back to town, I didn't believe it when she said she'd never return. After all, she's a student of the paranormal. What better place to find it? BTW, I don't like all the bad things the characters say about hating Collinsport, hating Collinwood, etc. The fans don't hate it or we wouldn't keep returning. It's a way for the audios to express the gloom of the place, but it would be better to find another way instead of all the venom.
I would hope that Bloodlust would have more than 3 characters. Just saying.
Of course there are original cast members returning! This was only the first announcement and there are 20 speaking parts! As for picking the town up and moving it to England, and calling it "trash"...that's a bit small-minded. Of the 20 speaking parts, only 3 have British accents. And, if not for our friends from the UK, DS would not have this continuing saga. Not one bit of what Big Finish has produced is "trash". In fact, it has been the best thing to happen to DS since Dan Curtis. Sorry for sounding a bit defensive, no offense intended. I just happen to love the Big Finish audios and the respect that these folks have shown to fans old and new, original actors whenever possible, and original characters. Anything new they have introduced has been spot-on. Dan would be proud!
Many of the very fans who used to dream that DS would return are ignoring the fact that this is THE ORIGINAL CAST back in production since 2006. It took me a while to fully appreciate these audios. At first hearing I, too, was critical. But after that 2012 movie, I started replaying all the audios from the beginning (over 50 hours!) and have enjoyed them immensely. Of course there are things here and there that I would have preferred done differently. But the cast is outstanding and some of the stories downright frightening. For the last two years I've eagerly awaiting each release. If you're not getting them, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE MISSING!
Yeah, I don't know where all of this negativity is coming from.
I once wrote to Big Finish to thank them for everything they have done to keep Dark Shadows going.
I have bought all the DS audio books that they have released so far.
My biggest wish would be for them to actually do the Petofi story that was teased at the end of Kingdom of the Dead. That would be awesome!
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