What do you think?
The Dark Shadows Daybook
Rondo Award-winning website, The Collinsport Historical Society, presents this wide-ranging collection of essays, insights, and observations from its long-running column, The Dark Shadows Daybook. From the earliest episodes to speculation on the future of the franchise, author Patrick McCray celebrates the grand themes and iconic characters of Dark Shadows with a devout irreverence. Winner of the 2018 Rondo Award for Writer of the Year, Patrick McCray chronicles the unforgettable series by exploring its episodes in articles and asides, all originally written on the anniversary of their filming. With a new introduction by Emmy award-winning humorist, Dana Gould, The Dark Shadows Daybook is affectionate, spontaneous, and refreshingly raucous reading for fans of the series and anyone else looking to learn why Dark Shadows matters.
251 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2021
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 14, 2026
In THE DARK SHADOWS DAYBOOK by Patrick McCray, the writer endeavors to engage in a truly formidable task. Apart from the usual writings available regarding the iconic daytime soap opera that focus on giving a synopsis of episodes, publishing scripts or delving into stories about “the usual suspects,” McCray seeks to analyze the years of episodes as parts of one whole, ongoing story.
Perhaps the idea was born from his 45-day marathon viewing of all of the existing 1225 episodes. Condensing the experience allowed him to take note of prevalent themes and weigh them as to consistency. He also detected a definite three-act beginning, middle and end to the overall storyline. Yes, he is aware that many writers were involved and that the demands of what was needed next took precedence over story development rather than adhering to a “master plan” for the entire tale.
I can’t say that I agreed with all of his speculations, but there were many that I’d never considered before and that had me doing some analyzing of my own. An intriguing example was that the house itself, Collinwood, may have been a “living” entity with its own mysterious purpose. Consider the structural appearances that arrived when most needed by characters in life-threatening conditions. (One could argue that one such appearance was also an attempt to save itself from destruction!)
THE DARK SHADOWS DAYBOOK centered on the episodes from the appearance of Barnabas Collins to the end of the series. There is scant mention of the earlier episodes, and The Phoenix episodes are entirely omitted. However, McCray does shed a more positive light on the latter episodes that had sent many long-time fans packing.
The book is essentially a collection of essays, and it is the first of three books. Initially, I felt that it read too much like a fan newsletter. As I continued, though, I began anticipating what would be discussed next. Most of all, it was an enjoyable experience. I will be continuing with this series … and I’ve begun rewatching the episodes!
Perhaps the idea was born from his 45-day marathon viewing of all of the existing 1225 episodes. Condensing the experience allowed him to take note of prevalent themes and weigh them as to consistency. He also detected a definite three-act beginning, middle and end to the overall storyline. Yes, he is aware that many writers were involved and that the demands of what was needed next took precedence over story development rather than adhering to a “master plan” for the entire tale.
I can’t say that I agreed with all of his speculations, but there were many that I’d never considered before and that had me doing some analyzing of my own. An intriguing example was that the house itself, Collinwood, may have been a “living” entity with its own mysterious purpose. Consider the structural appearances that arrived when most needed by characters in life-threatening conditions. (One could argue that one such appearance was also an attempt to save itself from destruction!)
THE DARK SHADOWS DAYBOOK centered on the episodes from the appearance of Barnabas Collins to the end of the series. There is scant mention of the earlier episodes, and The Phoenix episodes are entirely omitted. However, McCray does shed a more positive light on the latter episodes that had sent many long-time fans packing.
The book is essentially a collection of essays, and it is the first of three books. Initially, I felt that it read too much like a fan newsletter. As I continued, though, I began anticipating what would be discussed next. Most of all, it was an enjoyable experience. I will be continuing with this series … and I’ve begun rewatching the episodes!
March 12, 2022
A bloody brilliant book. One of the best books I have read about Dark Shadows. Fantastic exploration of the DS episodes with incredibly interesting insights into the story lines and characters of the DS story-world. A must read for all DS lovers!
February 19, 2023
I read this book slowly during my latest re-watch of Dark Shadows, and I would definitely recommend this method of reading it. It's best if you've just seen the episode McCray is discussing. McCray is clearly passionate about the show and has spent an arguably unhealthy amount of time thinking about it. As someone who also falls into that category, I can't help but admire his work, even though I didn't always agree with his opinions about individual episodes or the show in general. He definitely made me think differently and gain a much deeper appreciation for the haunting of 1970 storyline. The book is worth it for the illustrations alone, especially the wonderful parody of The Scream with Grayson Hall as the screamer. I heartily recommend this book to any fan of DS!
September 8, 2021
The author has a huge knowledge of individual episodes of Dark Shadows. I like how he has researched the history around the creators of the show, and the actors, although this is more about very detailed accounts of certain episodes. My friends and I would run home from school to watch "Dark Shadows", and were avid members of the Fan Club!
February 20, 2023
Fascinating analysis by a well schooled writer of many favorite Dark Shadows original TV episodes. If you watched them on television and remember them when you were growing up this book will be a delight. As a fan it's worth going through several times.
February 17, 2022
Normally I enjoy books about series or movies I have enjoyed, BUT..... This was just horrible! I swear the author sat with his Thesaurus at the elbow so he could find the most pretentious adjective to use in every single descriptive sentence. Obviously thought he was clever, I found it boring. I would never have even finished it other than I felt I needed to after purchasing it. Don't waste your money or time! If you want to read anything good about the series Dark Shadows, read any of the books written by Kathryn Leigh Scott, who was also on the show.
January 17, 2023
I highly recommend this book if you are a Dark Shadows fan. Very interesting analysis of key episodes of the original series. Illuminating, and often very humorous. I loved it!
April 28, 2022
If you loved Dark Shadows as a kid this book will be great fun to read. The author has studied each episode indepth and written a book of highlights with well researched knowledge. This book will not make you want to go check out Dark Shadows if you never saw it, but if you were a fan you will love each page of the book.
August 14, 2024
Did friends of the author write all the positive reviews?Don’t waste your time like I did! Bought this as an impulse buy at the antique mall and it is Terrible! As a fan of this series I just could not comprehend the point of this book. Nothing novel or compelling about it at all. The best parts were the parts not written by the author. 😂
February 25, 2023
If you're a fan this is a four star, and I am a fan, but as it went on I agreed less with McCray's assessment of the series and honestly he gets lazy. That's to be expected when you watch the entire series in 45 days.
April 21, 2025
The Dark Shadows Daybook is a collection of essays that were previously published online on The Collinsport Historical Society website.
For some reason my version on the Kindle had the first two essays printed twice. I had to skip over it once I noticed I had been rereading the second essay.
While interesting, it read more like an episode guide (even though some of them were more opinion pieces), and after reading halfway I was bored rather quickly considering I have read similar books with episode guides on Dark Shadows.
For some reason my version on the Kindle had the first two essays printed twice. I had to skip over it once I noticed I had been rereading the second essay.
While interesting, it read more like an episode guide (even though some of them were more opinion pieces), and after reading halfway I was bored rather quickly considering I have read similar books with episode guides on Dark Shadows.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews