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: 11/8/2024Network: ABC (US)Status: Ended
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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
9.50
2 votes

#3 - DS-638

Season 6 - Episode 176 - Aired 12/4/1968

Chris and Julia find themselves at odds over Amy's care, as she begins life at Collinwood. While walking in the woods at night, Elizabeth finds herself at the mercy of a wild animal.

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star
9.50
2 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
9.33
3 votes

#5 - 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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star
9.14
50 votes

#6 - 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
9.04
57 votes

#7 - 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
9.02
54 votes

#8 - 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
9.00
2 votes

#9 - DS-682

Season 6 - Episode 219 - Aired 2/4/1969

Maggie dreams that Quentin chokes her to death. Maggie tells everything that has happened to Barnabas who agrees to help her. Stokes suggests holding a seance to contact Janet Findley who died investigating the house. During the seance Mrs. Findley speaks through Mrs. Johnson who says “he killed me.”

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star
9.00
2 votes

#10 - DS-686

Season 6 - Episode 223 - Aired 2/10/1969

Barnabas and Julia contemplate what Ezra was going to tell them. David takes the ledger which Ezra brought with him to Collinwood; Quentin makes David rip out a page which contains crucial information. Roger returns to Collinwood and is upset that his son has been accused of some of the strange things occurring recently. The ledge is later found in the drawing room. Julia finds a picture of Beth in an old family album.

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star
9.00
2 votes

#11 - DS-688

Season 6 - Episode 225 - Aired 2/12/1969

David writes a story about a man who turned into an animal and was hidden in a room, later someone lets the animal out of the room and a hunter kills it. David runs out of the house and Maggie searches for him. Julia and Barnabas find David’s story and speculate if David knows about Chris (who is locked in the mausoleum. David goes to the mausoleum and starts to open the secret panel.

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star
9.00
2 votes

#12 - DS-689

Season 6 - Episode 226 - Aired 2/13/1969

Barnabas stops David from opening the secret panel in the mausoleum and brings him back to Collinwood. In the morning Barnabas lets Chris out of the mausoleum and tells him that Ned Stuart is looking for him. Chris explains that he was engaged to Ned’s sister and she was the first person to see his transformation into the werewolf. David tells Quentin that he does not want to “play the game” anymore, Quentin touches is arm and makes it feel like it is on fire. Maggie hears David screaming and the sound of a man’s laughter.

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star
9.00
2 votes

#13 - DS-690

Season 6 - Episode 227 - Aired 2/14/1969

Maggie finds David half unconscious with a burn on his arm asking Quentin not to hurt him; when David revives he denies everything and runs out of the house. Ned confronts Chris, telling him his sister is still alive and he wants Chris to see her. Quentin catches David and Amy in the woods, he wants them to drive everyone out of Collinwood. Maggie searches the house for David and Amy and hears the sound their laughter along with Quentin’s.

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star
9.00
2 votes

#14 - DS-692

Season 6 - Episode 229 - Aired 2/18/1969

Julia and Elizabeth are convinced that the children must be possessed; Professor Stokes agrees to help. Ned threatens Chris that he better see his sister (Sabrina). A disembodied hand tries to stab Elizabeth with a letter opener; Stokes plans to perform an exorcism on Collinwood. Chris and Julia visit Sabrina Stuart and find that she has been in a state of shock for the last two years (the last time she saw Chris). When Sabrina sees Chris, she climbs out of her wheel chair and falls to the floor, reaching out to him.

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star
9.00
2 votes

#15 - DS-693

Season 6 - Episode 230 - Aired 2/19/1969

Chris plans to leave Collinsport, Julia tries to convince him to stay. During the exorcism David passes out, and the exorcism fails. Stokes sees Quentin in a mirror and the room starts to burn.

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star
9.00
2 votes

#16 - DS-695

Season 6 - Episode 232 - Aired 2/21/1969

Chris and Maggie manage to point out the man they have both seen, Quentin, in a family history book to Barnabas. David and Amy sneak back into Collinwood to get the old telephone, however they cannot find it. Maggie catches them and tells them to never go back to the house. Later David and Amy find the telephone in his room. Maggie finds the children missing.

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star
9.00
2 votes

#17 - DS-697

Season 6 - Episode 234 - Aired 2/25/1969

Maggie comes around and can only remember seeing Quentin then she was dressed in 19th century clothing. Roger is determined to find David, Quentin leaves a note saying “David is mine.” Ned calls Chris and finds that Sabrina can say his name. Barnabas takes Chris to the mausoleum as he starts to feel the transformation starting. Barnabas visits Sabrina and when she sees his wolf’s head cane she becomes very upset.

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star
9.00
2 votes

#18 - DS-699

Season 6 - Episode 236 - Aired 2/27/1969

Julia thinks there must be some connection between Quentin and Chris. Maggie has a nightmare about Quentin which she later tells Julia and remembers a room at Collinwood that they had not searched. Amy warns Quentin that Maggie knows about the hidden room and they are coming to find David. Maggie and Barnabas find the hidden room.

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star
9.00
2 votes

#19 - DS-700

Season 6 - Episode 237 - Aired 2/28/1969

While searching the hidden room Stokes finds I Ching wands and is convinced they may be the key understanding Quentin. Amy tells Maggie that if they don’t find David soon he will die. Maggie goes to Collinwood and finds David, when she does he falls unconscious; later Julia tells everyone that David is in a coma and will die soon. Against Stokes’ advice Barnabas decides to use the I Ching wands contact Quentin and save David. Barnabas enters a trance and makes a mental journey through a door where he sees a chained coffin.

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star
9.00
2 votes

#20 - DS-701

Season 7 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/3/1969

Barnabas finds himself locked in his coffin. In 1897 gypsies (Sandor and Magda) live in the Old House. Quentin returns to Collinwood after some time away. Edith Collins, head of the family is expected to die soon, and is expected to tell the family secret to the next in line, Edward Collins. Magda sees the mausoleum in her crystal ball and sends Sandor to find jewels; however he finds and releases Barnabas.

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star
9.00
1 votes

#21 - DS-704

Season 7 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/6/1969

Barnabas asks for permission to live in the Old House. Barnabas finds that Beth is hiding something when she denies the existence of a third child at Collinwood. Barnabas attacks a woman in the village (Sophie Baker). Quentin threatens Edith to make her tell him the family secret.

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star
9.00
1 votes

#22 - 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

#23 - 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

#24 - 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

#25 - 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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