The BEST episodes of Dark Shadows

Every episode of Dark Shadows ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Dark Shadows!

With vampires, witches, warlocks, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures, it became a surprising phenomenon. The show revolves around Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid), a guilt-ridden 175-year-old vampire who longs to be human again and returns to his estate after being chained inside a coffin for nearly 200 years.

Last Updated: 2/10/2026Network: ABC (US)Status: Ended
star
9.74
34 votes

#1 - DS-112

Season 1 - Episode 110 - Aired 11/29/1966

A shamed Matthew confesses the murder to a stunned Elizabeth, before fleeing. The police hunt for Matthew, who has hidden at the Old House. Victoria makes peace with Roger, apologising for her accusation.

Writer: Ron Sproat
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star
9.66
35 votes

#2 - DS-111

Season 1 - Episode 109 - Aired 11/28/1966

Matthew reveals that he killed Malloy, but that it was an accident, and vows to kill Victoria to maintain his secret. The police are called to search for Victoria, while Elizabeth pays a crucial visit on Matthew.

Writer: Ron Sproat
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star
9.14
50 votes

#3 - DS-6

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 7/4/1966

Victoria looks for David in the basement of Collinwood. While looking, a stranger enters the room and asks who she is. He accuses her of snooping around. Elizabeth comes down and says it's Matthew Morgan, the caretaker of Collinwood. She asks Victoria why she is in the basement, and when Victoria tells her that she is down there looking for David, Elizabeth tells her David would not come down there. Once she leaves, Elizabeth finds David hiding in the basement. Later, Victoria sees Matthew again, stoking the fireplace. She says she hopes they can one day be friends, and she starts asking him questions. She finds out that Elizabeth fired all of her servents 18 years ago and then hired Matthew, giving him a cottage on the edge of Collinwood grounds. In the basement, Elizabeth gets out a crate of adventure books that had belonged to Roger when he was a boy. David does not want anything associated with his father. Carolyn tells Victoria that she should ask Elizabeth about what happened 18

Directors: Lela Swift
Writer: Art Wallace
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star
9.00
3 votes

#4 - DS-575

Season 6 - Episode 114 - Aired 9/6/1968

Angélique plans on being the life force for the experiment, despite Nicholas' misgivings. Stokes intervenes when Adam and Jeff come to blows. Jeff is bitten by Angélique, as part of her latest scheme.

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star
9.00
1 votes

#5 - DS-1086

Season 10 - Episode 26 - Aired 8/24/1970

Hallie and David don’t go up the stairs, later they get locked in David’s room; David climbs out the window. Elizabeth finds Hallie locked in David’s room and she blames David. David and Hallie find a pirate flag on the model boat. David and Hallie have a dream in they see Flora and Quentin of 1840, the also see Carrie and Tad dead. When the children awake they find Gerard watching them.

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star
9.00
1 votes

#6 - DS-1032

Season 9 - Episode 52 - Aired 6/9/1970

After talking with Julia in the standard timeline Barnabas plans to go back to parallel to help save Maggie; Barnabas wait and is transported back to parallel time. Angelique is determined that she must destroy Barnabas. Maggie pretends to agree to go away with Yaeger. Julia sees Barnabas enter the secret room in the Old House, where his coffin is.

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star
9.00
1 votes

#7 - DS-1028

Season 9 - Episode 48 - Aired 6/3/1970

Yaeger is interrupted and leaves Maggie. Sabrina confronts Yaeger, she is sure he can change back to Cyrus; Yaeger warns her to keep her mouth shut or he will kill her. Yaeger rents a room at a remote farm then kills the owner. Yaeger lures Maggie to Widow’s Hill.

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star
9.00
1 votes

#8 - DS-991

Season 9 - Episode 11 - Aired 4/13/1970

Sabrina and Alexis are sure that Angelique’s death was murder, however Quentin believes that her death was due to stroke. Daniel sees Alexis and believes she is really his mother. Cyrus learns that a John Yaeger started a fight at the Eagle. Daniel has a dream about his mother, when he awakes he asks Alexis if she really is his mother.

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star
9.00
1 votes

#9 - DS-983

Season 9 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/1/1970

Daniel plans to drive Maggie out of Collinwood. Quentin tells Chris to make sure Bruno Hess, another loyal friend of Angelique, is kicked off the estate. Daniel frightens Maggie by having Amy hum a tune, making it sound like it was coming from Angelique’s portrait; Amy later tells Daniel that she did not make the humming sound.

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star
9.00
1 votes

#10 - DS-953

Season 8 - Episode 65 - Aired 2/18/1970

Nicholas Blair arrives to make sure that his plan for the Leviathans will not fail. Nicholas consecrates a new room in which Jeb can change to his true form, and makes him change. Jeb becomes paranoid and digs up Paul Stoddard’s grave, Paul’s corpse smiles at him.

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star
9.00
1 votes

#11 - DS-951

Season 8 - Episode 63 - Aired 2/16/1970

Barnabas, now a vampire again, kills Nelle Gunston a devoted Leviathan who has come to town in search of Jeb. Julia and Quentin find that Barnabas is a vampire again. Barnabas goes to the antique shop and burns it down.

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star
9.00
1 votes

#12 - DS-892

Season 8 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/26/1969

Megan and Philip find a book inside the box. Barnabas tells Megan that a room must be prepared. Philip and Megan put a cradle in the room they have prepared and claim “in darkness it will grow.” The strange man identifies himself as Paul Stoddard, Carolyn’s father.

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star
9.00
1 votes

#13 - DS-768

Season 7 - Episode 68 - Aired 6/4/1969

Barnabas orders Beth to guard him during the day when he lies vulnerable in his coffin.

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star
9.00
1 votes

#14 - DS-749

Season 7 - Episode 49 - Aired 5/8/1969

Magda describes the history of the curse to Quentin and tells him that it will begin that night.

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star
9.00
1 votes

#15 - DS-748

Season 7 - Episode 48 - Aired 5/4/1969

After Quentin accidentally kills Jenny, Magda informs him that he will be cursed for the rest of his life.

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star
9.00
1 votes

#16 - DS-747

Season 7 - Episode 47 - Aired 5/6/1969

Jenny prepares to kill Quentin and Beth after overhearing them declare their love for each other.

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star
9.00
1 votes

#17 - DS-727

Season 7 - Episode 27 - Aired 4/8/1969

Charity Trask (Gregory Trask’s daughter) shows up at Collinwood, Rachel is very upset by her presence. Rachel tells Barnabas that she used to live and work at Worthington Hall and was intimidated and blackmailed into staying there. Later Trask accuses Rachel of stealing and warns her to comeback with him. Barnabas bites Charity Trask.

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star
9.00
1 votes

#18 - DS-899

Season 8 - Episode 14 - Aired 12/5/1969

Elizabeth follows Carolyn and finds her with Paul. Elizabeth demands that Paul leave town. A sailor recognizes the Leviathan mark on Paul’s wrist and agrees to help him. Paul sits inside a pentagram and there is a knock on the door.

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star
8.95
57 votes

#19 - DS-3

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 6/29/1966

Elizabeth's brother, Roger Collins, desperately searches for local artist Sam Evans. Meanwhile, Victoria meets Elizabeth's teenage daughter Carolyn and begins to wonder if Collinwood is haunted.

Writer: Art Wallace
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star
8.91
34 votes

#20 - DS-108/109/110

Season 1 - Episode 108 - Aired 11/23/1966

Scared from her close call, Victoria unwittingly runs to Matthew's cottage for help. As they talk, she realises that he was the driver. Matthew refuses to let Victoria leave.

Writer: Ron Sproat
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star
8.91
56 votes

#21 - DS-4

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/30/1966

Victoria is interrogated by Roger over her knowledge of Burke Devlin and their encounter at the train station. Later that night, Victoria has an unpleasant first meeting with David Collins

Writer: Art Wallace
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star
8.85
33 votes

#22 - DS-103

Season 1 - Episode 103 - Aired 11/16/1966

Victoria is terrified at what Roger might do to prevent his secret from being made public. She is later disturbed to learn that Roger knows she lied to him about spending time with Burke earlier.

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star
8.82
34 votes

#23 - DS-142

Season 2 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/10/1967

Victoria receives the mysterious painting of Laura from Sam and passes it onto David. That night, the painting gives David a terrible nightmare vision of his mother calling to him.

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star
8.80
5 votes

#24 - DS-411

Season 5 - Episode 44 - Aired 1/22/1968

In an attempt to stop the vampire curse from becoming complete, Angelique attempts to drive a stake through Barnabas Collins' heart at sundown. However, Barnabas stops her and exerts his own revenge upon her by strangling her to death.

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star
8.80
5 votes

#25 - DS-666

Season 6 - Episode 203 - Aired 1/13/1969

Ben kills Nathan and Natalie before they can harm Barnabas. In the present Willie and Julia wait for Barnabas to return, however he never does. Willie checks the mausoleum but Barnabas is not in the coffin; shortly after Willie leaves the chains re-appear around the coffin and Barnabas is trapped inside. Josette appears to Willie, crying; he is convinced that Barnabas is in the coffin now.

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