Old House

The "Old House" is the informal nickname attributed to a fictional location featured in the Dark Shadows television and movie franchise. It is based on a setting featured in the original 1960s daytime Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows. The Old House made its first cinematic appearance in the 1970s film adaptation House of Dark Shadows.

The Old House is the original family mansion of the Collins family of Collinsport, Maine. Located on the grounds of the greater Collinwood estate, it housed the family until the construction of the second great house in the early 1800’s.

In 1797, Joshua Collins, patriarch of the Collins family, awarded possession of the Old House to his son, Barnabas Collins. Barnabas spent little time there as head of the household before he had a curse placed upon him, turning him into a blood-sucking, vampire. Joshua Collins, unwilling to destroy his only son, decided to chain him up in a coffin and seal him away for all time in a secret room in the Collins family mausoleum. By the time Joshua Collins passed away, the Old House was no longer being used. It fell into disrepair and by the late 20th century, was practically falling apart.

In June of 1970, Barnabas Collins awakened and left his crypt to rejoin the modern Collins family. He asked the head of the household, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard for permission to move into the Old House. Upon doing so, he employed several workers (not always through reputable means), including Willie Loomis in an effort to restore Old House to its original condition. Eventually however, Barnabas’ vampiric nature became known and he was chased away from the Old House. The Old House fell into disrepair again and was unoccupied by the time Quentin Collins inherited the Collinwood properties.