Long before Twilight, Interview with the Vampire, or even Passions turned sympathetic vampires and melodramatic horror into trends, there was Dark Shadows — an audacious 1960s soap opera drenched in Gothic moodiness, supernatural happenings, and horrifying creatures burdened with angst. Despite boasting a distinct and experimental identity from the start, Dark Shadows didn't hook audiences until a desperate, and rather ingenious, ratings-grab: the introduction of Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid), a 200-year-old vampire with a tragic past and an ongoing obsession with his long-lost love.