After a two-and-a-half year break, I finally had the chance to start listening to more of the Dark Shadows audio tales. The CD player in my car had stopped working, so I was not able to listen to any CDs (driving is my best time to listen to them); but, now that I have a new (relatively speaking) car with a CD player that actually works, I can listen to the continuing stories of some of my favorite characters. In a way, I'm glad I had the break, as it means I still have "new" stories to listen to - since Big Finish has not any new Dark Shadows audio stories in quite some time. But, after this one, I still have one more audio tales collection, along with the Quentin/Maggie set of stories, and the three Tony & Cassandra Mysteries series - so I've got plenty more Dark Shadows goodness enjoy for months to come!
Love Lives On is the fifth collection of short audio tales (released in 2017), and this set features Professor Stokes, Gerard Stiles, Hallie Stokes, Jessica Griffin, and Sabrina & Cyrus Longworth. Each story deals with love on some level - whether it's thought long-forgotten love, or the unknown desire for love, or sought after revenge for lost love, or a unfulfilled wish for more love. And, in its usual way, each story builds upon the multitude of Dark Shadows audio stories that have come before, ever expanding the continuing stories of some of daytime drama's most popular Gothic heroes and villains...
"Tuesdays and Thursdays" features Matthew Waterhouse (best known for his role as Adric, one of Tom Baker's companions in the Doctor Who series back in the '70s) as Professor T. Eliot Stokes. Written by Cody Schell, the story finds Professor Stokes attending an auction in order to bid on an item that he knows to be supernatural in nature. But a mysterious woman at the auction outbids him, and Professor Stokes is determined to find out why. It turns out the woman is a psychic, and she has had some very pointed visions ... and when Stokes runs into the woman again ... and again ... and again ... the two of them must work out the nature of these fated meetings. I must say, Matthew Waterhouse has done an outstanding job assuming the role of Professor Stokes. Thayer David, the actor who portrayed Stokes in the television show, had a very distinctive voice and manner of speaking, and while Waterhouse does not match it exactly, he does manage to make the character his own, and he gives listeners the feeling that he IS Professor Stokes.
"The Velvet Room" features James Storm as Gerard Stiles, returned from the dead, and also features Hallie Stokes (although, sadly, not performed by Kathleen Cody - these short tales only feature one actor in each). Written by Antonio Rastelli, this story sees Hallie leading Gerard to New Orleans to investigate a potential supernatural force. They discover an old warehouse that has been converted into something else entirely - a place where stories are more than they seem - and deals made with the owner come with a deadly price! Gerard watches in horror as some new acquaintances pay the prices for their stories told, and as he thinks he and Hallie are about to escape, he finds that everything is not what he thought - and that his past may have very well caught up to him! Storm gives the character of Gerard a mixture of good and evil, leaving listeners to debate as to whether he truly deserved the fate he received!
"Behind Closed Doors" features Marie Wallace as Jessica Griffin, the owner and bartender of The Blue Whale. Written by Paul Phipps, the tale is one of past regrets, new love, and one's past never truly staying dead. Jessica is happy about her impending nuptials with Willie Loomis, but some photos from their recent trip begin to take on an eerie life of their own - and before you know it, Jessica is forced to face a past she would have just as soon forgotten! A former love is hell bent on coming back for her, and Jessica must not only face her past, but find a way to put it behind her and let it go once and for all! Of the four stories on this CD, I think this was probably my favorite, as it deals with a subject I think most of us can identify with and turns it into a terrifying supernatural battle for freedom.
"The Suitcase" features Lisa Richards as Sabrina Longworth, the bride of Cyrus Longworth. Written by Alan Flanagan, this final story of the CD centers around a mysterious woman who arrives in town with a suitcase that she never lets leave her sight. The Longworths now own and run the Collinport Inn, and the woman shows up unexpectedly on their doorstep one day to rent a room. Sabrina is uneasy for some unexplained reason, but Cyrus and the other townspeople seem to like the woman. Soon enough, Sabrina sees through the facade and discovers that the woman is granting wishes that have the most devastating results! Sabrina has to stop the woman before Cyrus makes a wish for something that could destroy their lives forever. Richards reads this story with fervor, as you can hear the anxiety in her voice build as the story progresses - first leading the listener to wonder if Sabrina is just imagining things in her own mind because of her past, but ultimately hitting the high note as Sabrina reveals the woman for who - and what! - she truly is.
While the stories all deal with love in one fashion or another, they also deal with considerable psychological terror - which, in most cases, can be more terrifying that actual physical horror. Yes, three of the four stories do have a somewhat violent, horrific climax to them - but those elements are minor compared to the terror that builds within the characters minds leading up to those final scenes. I think all four writers did an excellent job capturing the psychological side of Dark Shadows, and not focusing on the visible horrors. Vampires, witches, werewolves, and the like are easily seen and feared - but personally, I think it's the unseen and the unknown that instills a greater fear in a story, and these four managed to capture that perfectly!
RATING: 10 long forgotten photographs out of 10 for reminding listeners exactly why Dark Shadows has endured for so many years with so many fans - the characters, the stories, and the sheer terror of it all!
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