Amber Benson added to the cast of Big Finish Dark Shadows

[drlloyd11]

http://www.bigfinish.com/news/Amber-Ben ... rk-Shadows
AMBER BENSON JOINS DARK SHADOWS
(28/02/2012)
Big Finish is pleased to announce that Amber Benson, best known as Tara in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, will be taking on the iconic role of Judith Collins in upcoming Dark Shadows release Dress Me in Dark Dreams. Fans of the TV series have already seen Judith as the stern matriarch of the Collins household in 1897 but this story visits her as a young, carefree woman whose life is blighted by having to care for her elderly grandmother, Edith. Edith is played by Terry Crawford, reprising her role for the first time in over forty years.

“It was always a dream of mine to have a shot at the Dark Shadows blend of horror and romance,,” says writer Marty Ross, “and the characters of Judith and Edith, these two strong and impassioned women, offered all the inspiration a writer could want in terms of what I hope is complex, creepy but ultimately rather moving gothic drama.”

Completing the cast for Dress Me in Dark Dreams is James Unsworth, playing the sinister and seductive Redmond Van Buren. The story was recorded simultaneously in London, Los Angeles and Florida earlier this year.

“The story gives us a chance to delve into the history of one of my favourite characters from the show,” says series co-producer Joseph Lidster. “Judith is such a glorious creation but with Joan Bennett sadly no longer with us, it didn't seem as though we'd be able to feature her in one of our Dramatic Readings. It was James Goss's suggestion that we get Amber in to play her at an earlier age and it works beautifully.”

Further details are available here.

[Hemiola]

It should be marvelous. Who's playing Barnabas??

[drlloyd11]

It should be marvelous. Who's playing Barnabas??

In the radio play, no idea. In the upcoming movie Johnny Depp.

[Hemiola]

Thanks drlloyd

Depp should be good (think of his Ichabod Crane), but it will be tough to erase memories of Ben Cross and, of course, Jonathan Frid.

[drlloyd11]

Thanks drlloyd

Depp should be good (think of his Ichabod Crane), but it will be tough to erase memories of Ben Cross and, of course, Jonathan Frid.

Jonathan Frid will have a cameo (his first screen appearance in almost 40 years) !

As if that isn't enough it will also have
Chloe Moretz (let me in, kick ass)
Michelle Pfieffer
Jacke Earle Hayley (watchmen , breaking away)
Christopher lee
and "Alice cooper"..yes that one.
Anyway Tim Burton directs.

[CaptMurdock]

It should be marvelous. Who's playing Barnabas??

From what I've read, this story will not involve Barnabas; it takes place before the 1897 storyline that originally featured Judith (played by Joan Bennett).

I'm excited. I've recently rediscovered my love for DS and would love for Amber to get really involved. This might lead to a lot more work with Big Finish, which also does Doctor Who audio stories.

[ETA: I'm sorry, but I am holding out almost no hope for the DS movie. Depp, I'm sorry to say, looks ridiculous. While i have no doubt Johnny could do Barnabas if handled by a good director, I think Burton is going to screw this up mightily.

[WebWarlock]

While this is beyond awesome I have to admit my first thought was "OHH I hope she is playing Angelique!!"

Tim

[willowtaralover]

YAY WOOOHOOOO I am such a big fan of the big finish audios, primarily the Dr Who adventures, so to hear that one of my favourite girls is going to be in a BF story just has me geeking out with excitement. I am aware of Dark Shadows but don't know it too well though I do know of the character of Barnabas Collins. This for me has to be the most awesomest news in the universe ever so thanks Dr.Lloyd and please let us know when it's coming out

P.S. I do agree with Capt. Murdoch that the DS movie could be pretty rubbish. Tim Burton's other versions of films already made, Planet of the Apes & Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, were, to be blunt, pretty crappy.

[taralicious]

I am such a big fan of the big finish audios, primarily the Dr Who adventures, so to hear that one of my favourite girls is going to be in a BF story just has me geeking out with excitement.

The Big Finish audios are such a brilliant format for the Doctor's adventures as they can envisage the grandest space opera concepts or the most emotionally intense scenes with the imagination bringing the stories to life.
Equally I was thrilled that BF had lured Amber to record a "Dark Shadows" story as her mellifluous and dulcet vocal tones add such a level of siren song to any recording; listen to her recordings of her "Death's Daughter" novels and you'll wish she would do phone work or Internet webcams.

[Redsbird]

I'm looking forward to learning more about this! I *loved* Dark Shadows (in reruns) as a kid. And I'm looking forward to the Tim Burton movie. YAY Amber!

[BeMyDeputy]

I had never heard of Dark Shadows, or Big Finish. But this looks super cool.

[Hemiola]

Oh my, but you're in for a treat.

"Dark Shadows" was a soap opera from the 1960s. Long before all of the supernatural series that are so popular today, "Dark Shadows" reigned supreme. You had vampires (especially one called Barnabas Collins, played by Jonathan Frid), Frankenstein-type creatures, and I think that there was also a werewolf.

It was the perfect series for high school kids (which I was ), since school let out at 3PM and "DS" came on at 4 or 4:30.

[Hemiola]

Well, I have just seen a long trailer for the film, and I have some misgivings. It appears that they have decided to do the film as a goof on the series, at least this is the impression that I got.

If they weren't going to do the thing seriously, they shouldn't have done it at all. :(

[willowtaralover]

I just saw the trailer on YouTube, dear god what a travesty. And it starts out so well too, all dark and gothicky with Depps sonorous voice then it devolves into stupidity. Shame on you Messrs Depp and Burton for getting involved.

[DaddyCatALSO]

That's what I'm hearing, and a TV commercial for the film also shows this. Then again, maybe a vmap spoof, in the wake of all the twilight "vampiromance" clones out there, is timely. just , why destroy an old franchise to do it?

I've long ha d a fantasy of Amber, Alexis, and James (each one reading one story in an altenrating pattern) of an audio colelction of old Weird Tales stories. Amber doing Hamilton's lyrical "He That Hath Wings," ALexis Lovecraft's "Call of Chtulhu," James Howard's "Pigeons from Hell," and so on thru SMith, BLoch, Derleth, Quinn, Jacobi, maybe soem others.

[Hemiola]

Ah, memories *sigh*

The original Weird Tales is a little before my time, but I gobbled up reprints of Lovecraft, August Derleth and Robert Bloch. Maybe someone could interest NPR in doing such a project.

Even today, Lovecraft's uniquely "baroque" writing style can bring smiles to the reader ("...the bats chittered horrifically as I insinuated myself into the sombre cavern." ).

[drlloyd11]

Ah, memories *sigh*

The original Weird Tales is a little before my time, but I gobbled up reprints of Lovecraft, August Derleth and Robert Bloch. Maybe someone could interest NPR in doing such a project.

Even today, Lovecraft's uniquely "baroque" writing style can bring smiles to the reader ("...the bats chittered horrifically as I insinuated myself into the sombre cavern." ).

Hemiola, have you ever heard of "lights out"? It was a radio show in the 1940s that started with a dark voice intoning "its later..than..you..think.." as the chimes hit midnight.
Some of the them are around on internet archive.org, and some are pretty damn scary!
The one I remember is a young debutante is kidnapped into the Paris sewers, and kills her kidnapper. She is lost in the total darkness until she finds a man who lives there and makes jewelry from the bones of the suicides that wash up, and he wants her to be his assistant.
I mean, really scary stuff. You can download most of them here (very bad quality audio on some).
http://archive.org/details/LightsOutoldTimeRadio
The writer/producer/announcer of this was a prototype of Rod Serling named "Arch Oboler" who never quite fit into the network mold.
He had some early television episodes of it as well, which some are also available.
http://archive.org/search.php?query=%22lights%20out%22%20%22classic%20tv%22%20horror&sort=-avg_rating%3B-num_reviews

There is also a group of people on the web, called "buffy between the lines" http://www.buffybetweenthelines.com/ who put on radio plays of "lost" Buffy scenes from season 5.
Ok, I get excited sometimes


citation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lights_Out_(radio_show)

[CaptMurdock]

Here's the cover for Dress Me in Dark Dreams...


Yowza!

[drlloyd11]

Here's the cover for Dress Me in Dark Dreams...


Yowza!

I think Yowza! is only the beginning!

[willowtaralover]

Holy macaroni cheese, that is one awesome cover with Amber looking like a drker alternative to Tara. Also I was wondering Dr lloyd if the 'Buffy between the lines' people have their stories for download. I've been to their site and it doesn't look that way but I may have missed something and I'd be really grateful if you point me in the right direction.

[willowtaralover]

WOOHOO I got my copy of 'Dress Me In Dark Dreams' with Amber at her most gorgeous . Now I just need to listen to it, or maybe just drool over the cover at Amber he he.

[willowtaralover]

Ok, I listened to 'Dress Me In Dark Dreams' this morning and it is awesome. The play is primarily a three hander between Amber's character, Judith Collins- a lonely young woman stuck at home to care for her invalid grandmother whilst the rest of her family are making their way through the world, Judith's grandmother Edith and the suave but very sinister Raymond van Buren. The play is really well written and acted in a dark tale of romantic longing and corruption. I'd got a couple of Big Finish's Dark Shadows series when they first came out but found them slow and boring. This is anything but with a good pace to the story so you can barely tell that an hour has passed and you want to know more about what the grandmother's dark secrets are. If they do more like this I'll be an eager purchaser again 10 thumbs, way up.

[Ariel]

Incredible pic! Amber/Erotic/Artistic - yep, those go together!

Thanks!

Ariel