Inside the Old House/Issues 21-30

Issues 01-10 · Issues 11-20 · Issues 21-30 · Issues 31-40 · Issues 41-50 · Issues 51-65

Issue 21

front cover of issue #21

back cover of issue #21

Inside the Old House 21 is undated (1983?) and contains 36 pages.

• [The Infidel], fiction by Jean Graham
• Omnipotence, fiction by Marcy Robin
• The Glass Eye, fiction by Lori Paige
• Recovery, fiction by Dale Clark
• Jonathan, poem by Tonya Berry
• An Open Letter to Dark Shadows Fandom by Kathy Resch
• Who's Who in Collinsport: Bramwell Collins by Geoffrey Hamell
• Q&A
• Portraits and Shadows, poem by Neta Przybylski

• 

  inside pages from issue #21, the art is by K.J. Kolka

• 

  centerfold from issue #21, Anne Marie Erental

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 21

Page 14: big mistake. According to the episode where Liz is going to jump off Widow's Hill and record her death date, Carolyn's birthday is plainly shown in the Collins Bible as July 16, 1946. Were there two dates given? This earlier date makes more sense than 1948 - Nancy Barrett was obviously not 18 when the show began. What's the story? ((There were indeed two different dates given for Carolyn's birth. The one that I printed last i ssue - December 8, 1948 - was aired recently here in Dallas during the Dream Curse where Carolyn opens the door in her dream and finds her own tombstone. An interesting side note here is that on that same tombstone the date given for her 'death' is July 15, 1968, just a day away from her 'original' birthday. The DS-writers seemed to not bother doing a great deal of research on things they'd already established as there are a great many contradictions like this one.

Having a Fan Page is a great idea. Yea, Kathy! THE INFIDEL was neat. I hadn't realized Jamison could have still been alive at that time. Good explanation of Vicki's origin. Poor kid still isn't a Collins. though. Great still of Quentin. Marcy's story was morbidly interesting. I guess Death would have a good time in Collinsport. Thank you for the bio on Bramwell; I'd been wondering about this sequence for a long time. It'd be nice to have seen THE GLASS EYE as a segment of the show. I'm looking forward to the rest of it.

I really liked Jean Graham's THE INFIDEL. She has a way of bringing the reader back in time - in your mind anyway. MarGY Robin's OMNIPOTENCE was a little different from what she usually writes, but very good. I always enjoy Geoffrey's WHO'S WHO. I can answer one question brought up in the LOC column about the DS script *l...the script has one word missing: SLOWLY --FADE OUT. I also liked the drawing in the center by Anne Marie Erental. When reading THE GLASS EYE by Lori Paige, it reminded me of the movie from 1978 called "Magic" with Anthony Hopkins.

First of all. I'd like to say to Kathy Resch, right on! She really laid it on the line. Getting to the fiction, THE INFIDEL made a lot of sense. Carolyn and Vicki are sisters! Well. half-sisters, anyway. Another fine story by Jean Graham. Good to have WHO'S WHO back again. Loved Anne Marie Erental's Barnabas. Sometimes a drawing is better than a photo. It definitely says more. THE GLASS EYE is great; can't wait for the next installment. The Shakespeare quote was an appropriate touch. "Portraits and Shadows" certainly paints its own picture - one of sadness and stillness.

I was really impressed by the high quality of the production and lay-out, the photos have printed up beautifully. I was especially interested to see Anne Marie Erental's drawing in #21 because Kathy has told me that she is drawing the illo. for my story to appear in Echoes. I was also pleased to see 'old favorites' - pieces by Marcy, Jean and Geoffrey and the fascinating new one by Lori Paige with a touch of 'Magic'. I've always appreciated Question and Answer columns because I've forgo.tten more bits and pieces of the show than I like to admit. Which is why I also liked the bio by Geoffrey Hamell, filling in details which have slipped my mind; and making me wish all the more that I could see it allover again and take notes!

Another enjoyable issue! Jean Graham's THE INFIDEL was a thought provo.king look into a period of DS history we never s.aw. The characters of Jamison Collins and Paul Stoddard were well drawn, and in its short two pages, gave us a lot of insights into the conflicts dwelling in Collinwood at that time. Tonya Berry's "Jonathan" was another fine example of her poetry. In OMNIPOTENCE, Marcy Robin brings an intriguing viewpoint as to just so much evil is drawn to Collinsport. Anne Marie Erental's centerfold is spectacular; she's one of the best DS artists around. Lori Paige's first installment of THE GLASS EYE was fast-paced and exciting and I can't wait for the conclusion! RECOVERY was one of my favorites. This period of DS history interests me greatly, and your insights into the characters were well-taken. Sebastion's ultimate weakness-- whether he was running from the devils in his head, or just basic irresponsibility--as he abandons Maggie only adds to the strength of her character as she faces that disasterous news and chooses to return, to do what she can. All around, it's continuing your tradition of high quality and I'm looking forward to many more issues!

I really enjoyed THE INFIDEL by Jean Graham; she is one of the best DS writers around and I can always expect an enjoyable story from her. 'Jonathan' was a nice tribute to Jonathan Frid. Tonya's style of poetry is really something else. I loved all of her work in REFLECTIONS (as well as Dianne Borsenik's) and enjoy seeing it regularly in ITOH. That picture on page 8 of Quentin was a very nice period shot from 1897; he looks as if he's planning something perfectly sinister. OMNIPOTENCE by Marcy Robin was certainly not the run-of-the-mill DS story. . .quite nice. It seemed that Death must have had it's own room at Collinwood. WHO'S WHO was informative and enjoyable even if it was a bit shDrt, but then I guess there isn't that much to say about Bramwell. When do we get tD see .one on Bramwell's father (our time)? K.J. Kolka's art on the opposite page was a nice moody piece: Barnabas must have gotten rather sick of having to go to that coffin every dawn. The center by Anne Marie Erental was one .of the best that I've seen in a long time; hope to see more of her work. THE GLASS EYE was the perfect thing to offset the rest of the issue. It's rather nice to have a continuing story in the zine. Of course, there's the old debate of having to wait for months to get the next installment, but I think they are worth it and Lori Paige's first part of EYE merely proves my point. Of course, I wouldn't want all the stories in ITOH to be continued but an even mixture as in #21 seems to work. Now, how about a sequel to your short-short RECOVERY? We saw in 1995 what happened (more or less) to the other members of the family after the disaster, but Maggie's fate was never explained. Did she try to fight Gerard? Sounds like a possible short-story to me…. P.S. Kathy Resch said everything I was thinking of only with more eloquence.

Issue 22

front cover of issue #22

back cover of issue #22

Inside the Old House 22 was published in 1983 (sometime before August) and contains 32 pages.

• The Glass Eye (Part 2), fiction by Lori Paige
• The Debt, fiction by Melody C.
• When You’re All Grown Up, fiction by Marcy Robin
• The Refugees, fiction by Geoffrey Hamell
• Q&A
• Julia, poem by Dianne Keith Borsenik
• 'Twas Nary a Splendor, poem by Tonya Berry
• From the Cellar, LoCs
• many flyers for cons
• Fan Directory updates
• publicity stills

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 22

Once again a great centerfold and a lovely cover. "The Refugees" was bizarre, but I loved it. Living at Collinwood definitely has had an effect on David. "The Glass Eye" really has my interest. Some really good Q&A's this time around. No wonder I didn't understand what was going on when OS ended! The two poems were lovely. "The Debt" was quite absorbing and well written. Clever point of view in Marcy's story.

The center photo of Angelique is very unusual and interesting, as is the cover. It's nice to see the photos of Hallie whom I remember from the show, though she has never had much coverage in the zines. The fiction is great, as usual, the poetry as well and, though I liked everything from cover to cover, I had quite a laugh when reading Geoffrey Hamell's "The Refugees" which was well done and sharp and crisp. In fact, even if it had not all been part of David's imagination I would have liked it just as well and wondered what other twists could be developed of a bizarre nature for the future Collinwood - a sort of Sci-Fi version of DS. The possibilities are just about as endless as the many trips back into the past or to parallel worlds.

I was particularly impressed with Marcy's story, "When I'm All Growed Up". While reading it, I had vivid mental images of an old fisherman sitting in his rocking chair, his young grandson listening, wide-eyed, to his grandfather's stories. I am really enjoying Lori Paige's story, "The Glass Eye"! I always anticipate reading the next installment. I was a little disappointed when I noticed Geoffrey Hamell's WWIC column was missing this time around though his David story, "The Refugees" was a nice substitute. "The Debt" was a good story. It's nice to read about a minor DS character; I'd like to see that happen more often.

First, let me thank you for the cover photo; that's always been one of my favorite shots of Angelique. Melody C.'s "The Debt" was marvelous. She does some beautiful imagery and word pictures in just those couple of pages. Even if readers don't recall or never saw the character of Hallie, they still can feel the desperation and love jn Kristen. Lori Paige's "The Glass Eye" continues to build. I see others noticed the strong similarity to

the movie MAGIC. Well, if the DS writers could lift plots and characters whole from classic films and books, so can DS fan writers,

I guess. Geoffrey Hamell has another unusual story in "The Refugees".

A rather nice, but offbeat issue this time around; more 'new' characters than the old standbys. I'm enjoying Lori Paige's "The Glass Eye" inunensely - and I'm damned if I know where that story is going. I suppose I'll just have to wait tip next issue. I missed WHO'S WHO IN COLLINSPORT (when will Geoff tackle Julia Hoffman? Perhaps I should have phrased that differently … ) but "The Refugees" was an interesting, unusual story. I couldn't help thinking Rupert Trask and James Watt would have been fast friends. I was half-expecting 01' Rupert to order David to macadam the groundS of Collinwood to eliminate tree pollution. Good story by Melody C. I love her style of writing. Interesting theory of Hallie's beginnings and how she came to live at Collinwood which I don't think they ever fully explained on the show - not that it ever worried the DS folks. Marcy's story was wonderful; she captured a child's natural fascination with the spookier aspects of local folklore. That feeling of wanting to believe it's true and at the same time hoping it isn't! I Wane would like to put a question to the readers of ITOH. Let me know your response and I'll print them next issue. Here's the question:)) DS left Barnabas and Julia in limbo after cancellation. What course do you think their continued relationship would have taken?

Issue 23

cover of issue #23

back cover of issue #23

Inside the Old House 23 was published in September 1983 and contains 32 pages.

• The Glass Eye (Part 3), fiction by Lori Paige
• Night Fingers, fiction by Marcy Robin
• Tate’s Child, fiction by Adriana Pena
• Who’s Who in Collinsport: The Johnsons by Geoffrey Hamell
• The Fan Page (spotlighting Julia’s treatment in fan fiction) by Lori Paige and Jane Lach
• Q&A
• From the Cellar, LoCs
• The Ghost of Josette, poem by Meghan Powell-Nivling
• Poor, Dear, Millicent, poem by Wynnie McBeth

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 23

I've been receiving ITOH now for several months an I just had to comment on the zine, its strolls, poems and artwork. I have learned so much about DARK SHADOWS and the people in Collinsport thanks to the zine's question and answer page and WHO'S WHO IN COLLINSPORT. Being new into Shadows fandom it is really great knowing there are so many loyal fans out there in which to communicate with, to share ideas and knowledge and to be friends with. In issue 23 I enjoyed the poem by Meghan Powell-Nivling, "The Ghost of Josette"; such a fantastic piece of writing. And Marcy Robin's NIGHT FINGERS - great! I could actually see the fog reaching out to touch the window pane and then rolling back to reveal the full moon. I'm really looking forward to future issues, more [the letter cuts out here].

In #23, "The Glass Eye" ended very nicely, though I'd hoped someone would shatter that single eye and so kill it once and for all. Some clever use of words in "Poor, Dear, Millicent," and a nice melancholy tone in "The Ghost of Josette". Marcy had another good single character piece. What an interesting view in The Fan Page. I can see where they get it, but there are some very good characterizations of Julia. And I think that Julia is not the only character to be given less than her true depth some times (like W illie). I liked "Tate's Child" very much. Adriana has a way of throwing in one-liners that catch me completely off guard--like Barnabas being accident-prone. I was also curious to what would happen when Adam woke up, but I guess that's self-explanatory. The bio of the Johnsons was interesting as that column always is. When is Geoffrey going to do one on Willie Loomis? (Hint! Hint!)

Congratulations--another excellent issue of ITOH. I was particularly pleased with the poetry and the debut of THE FAN PAGE. Nothing like starting out with a bang! Thanks to Jane Lach and Lori Paige for defending Julia Hoffman. Their reasoning for why she reacts - or doesn't - strikes me as being remarkably sound and help to lend depth to an already deeply complex woman. I look forward to seeing what the next issue tackled on THE FAN PAGE will be.

Lori sure wrapped up THE GLASS EYE with a bang (or should that be "with a splash"?) I admit it was hard to resist skipping to the last section to find out what finally happened, especially Once Graves and Barnabas confronted each other. Excellent story. Geoffrey also nicely capsulized Mrs. Johnson's life; I admit, seeing it all at once like this, it makes you realize that this silent (except when she was griping) member of the Collins entourage sure witnessed a lot! It does make you wonder what her early life was like, that she'd become so attached I 40ut of loneliness--fear of growing old--or--?) to such an odd family. "Tate's Child" by Adriana Pena gave us a couple of lesser- known DS characters; I don't remember the details of the show that could've led to this situation, but that didn't lessen my enjoyment of the story. I liked Meghan and Wynnie's poetry also, especially the latter: the usage of the familiar nursery rhyme pattern for one who's gone over the edge into a child-like innocence (a.k.a. madness) was a fine touch. Finally, seeing your ad for your DS con, and your editorial mention of the recent New Jersey DS Festival, made me want to wish you the best of luck with your gathering; I know many fans join me in applauding the different DS-oriented fan gatherings around the country. We are all in DS fandom--or any fandom--to share and enjoy together. Cons allow that to happen, and so many different cons offer just that many more opportunities. So I say "Bravo" to those who plan, organize, and run these cons, and support all their efforts, everyone of them.

Issue 24/25

front and back covers of issue #24/25

centerfold from issue #24/25, Anne Marie Erental

Inside the Old House 24/25 was published in November 1983 and contains 90 pages.

• Destiny, fiction by Marcy Robin
• From the Cellar, LoCs
• Death's Shadow, fiction by Jean Graham
• Past and Present Pain, fiction by Terri Cogliano
• Q&A
• Who's Who in Collinsport: Dirk Wilkins by Geoffrey Hamell
• Word Search
• A Running Man, fiction by Lori Paige
• The Tale of the Tomb-Gate Spire, poem by Tonya Berry
• The Fan Page, column this time by D. Emily Hellman
• publicity stills
• A Question of Conscience, fiction by John Taft
• Sweet Silence, poem by Kimberly Lawrence
• Flashback, fiction by Meghan Powell-Nivling
• Encounter, poem by Dianne Keith Borsenik
• A Childhood Rhyme, fiction by Virginia Waldron
• Fan Directory
• many zine ads
• centerfold art by Anne Marie Erental
• a Dark Shadows episode transcript that aired March 24, 1971

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 24/25

ITOH #24/25 was very good. My favorites were "Destiny", "Death's Shadow" and "Past and Present Paln". The rest of the fiction was equally well done. I thought Geoffrey Hamell's "Who's Who" was very interesting. The poetry in this issue was, I felt, exceptional. All in all, I think this was one of the best issues yet. For some reason #24/25 strikes me as very classy.

Oh, goody - a double issue! I liked "Death's Shadow" for its imagery but found Angelique's remorse a bit hard to swallow. If she truly possessed a conscience she never would have flirted with disaster again when she caused Sarah's death. If indeed she accepted the blame for Jeremiah's death she certainly didn't learn from it as she went on to repeat the same deadly mistakes again and again. Certainly, Angelique wasn't stupid, leading me to believe she was just incredibly selfish not to have changed her ways. Usually, DS concentrated on the horrific aspects of characters afflicted with supernatural maladies overlooking the everyday problems it created; an angle nicel explored in "A Running Man". The evasions and lies involved in hiding a secret were as hard for Chris Jennings to speak as they were for his cousin to understand. "A Question of Conscience" was pretty good considering Willie's reasoning was flimsy. Barnabas was never less of a threat to the people at Collinwood than while undergoing Julia's treatments. And Julia's immediate agreement was even more implausible. It was nice seeing the return of Sarah (in "A Childhood Rhyme") who found a playmate in David's daughter and Laurel's same unquestioning acceptance of a ghost as her father's as a child. I tend to agree with D. Emily Hellman's assessment of 1967. I'm one of those people who generally disdained all those trips into the past. I liked the characters of present time best and having to get acquainted with a whole slew of new Collinses . ..well. Not only did the present time folks have more depth but the plot contained quite a few interrelationships. Granted, I loved the supernatural stuff but you can have too much of a good thing - evidenced by the Leviathan sequence when action edged out emotion leaving a lot of hassled characters running in circles with little or no give and take between them. The only disappointment was receiving a double issue thinking it was filled with fiction and finding out half of it was a reprint of a DS script. Somehow the spoken word transferred to the printed page is flat; I guess I just don't care much for scripts in general.

"Destiny" is an interesting look at Barnabas' thoughts because we, having seen DS, know what's going to happen to him. The bio of Dirk Wilkins pulled together in my mind some straggling bits of plot from 1897. "The Running Han" was a good background story, helping to explain some of Joe's motivations on DS. The poetry in this is lovely, but very complex reading. It's good to know that I'm not the only one who's fond of the 1967 time period on DS. I have only one complaint with THE FAN PAGE this time and that's that I don't agree that 1967 was all that slow or with poor acting, etc. The show had a lot going for it in the thing when Barnabas kidnapped Maggie and was continually menacing everyone. That's not to say there weren't slow moments,of course. I got a little tired of Carolyn and Buzz, but waiting to see what would happen next to Maggie was worth waiting through the slow times. Even in 1968, when Barnabas is cured, he still has moments of his 1967-self. It's good to know that the writers didn't lose that. "Flashback" was great! Meghan is so good at these plot twist stories. I like the set up in "A Childhood Rhyme", and I'm curious to see what has happend to the other characters. I was glad to see the return of Sarah. The implications of this are intriguing. Anne Marie's centerfold was love ly, and the stills were all very good. I think it's great that you put the script from the last episode in there.

I thoroughly enjoyed THE FAN PAGE written by D. Emily Hellman about DS in 1967 as I'm witnessing this period presently during it's syndication in my area. While I disagree with her on the black and white versus color, I must concur with her on the effectiveness of the mood and flavor of kinescopes. However, it seems to be no accident that the episode which she mentions (where Maggie escapes from the Old House) was shot via this method. Indeed, without even looking too closely, it can be seen that this is no typical episode. I surmise that it was made for promotional purposes, perhaps to show TV executives throughout the nation in an effort to save the program from cancellation, brining attention to the "new" Dark Shadows.

I was surprised by the very large double issue. The script you reprinted of the last episode of DS sure was different from the transcript you did of it years ago. I also have an audio tape of that particular episode. It's nice listening to the tape while reading the script - noting all the changes. That still on page II of Barnabas and Quentin has always been one of my favorites. Just loved Anne Marie's centerfold of Barnabas and Maggie!

Thanks to all the contributors of #24/25! I loved all of the stories and I know I will reread them several times in the future. "A Childhood Rhyme" was especially appealing because I liked the character of Sarah, and I had always wondered if David and Amy would have married eventually. "A Running Man" was interesting because our local channel is showing the episodes about Chris now. I hope the quality of fiction remains at this high level indefinitely.

Loved that final day script. I never got to see it. Our TV set blewup just the day before… I'll have to say that I kind of agree with D. Emily. There was a lot of good stuff in '67 that got lost because the writers had gotten into a situation in which either Barnabas or Julia had to die and they did not want that. Thus a potentially great character, like Tony Peterson was allowed to lapse . True, the Trasks were a wonderful family, but Tony was exciting. In his scenes with Julia and Carolyn you hear very distinct echoes of "The Maltese Falcon", and that would not have been a bad direction to take. Come to think of that, with two women coming into his office and acting like mental cases over that notebook, shouldn't he get curious and read it? And if he did, to what use would he put it? I imagine him using it to blackmail Barnabas to some nefarious ends… Good fiction, especially by Lori Pagie and Virginia Waldron. I liked the fate Virginia had for Amy Jennings, living a life of self-denial and brown rice for the sake of some phony holy man. The Chris Jennings story was great. Only, in 1964, where was Tom? The Jennings twins shared in Quentin's curse (or at least they should, if the scriptwriters had tried to keep some consistency to the story).

(In response to The Fan Page in ITOH #23) My best friend and I were offended by what we saw as slurs upon the character of Angelique. One of the first things that I would like to point out is this: If she had not placed the curse of the vampire on Barnabas much of the drama of Dark Shadows would not be there. Whether she was Cassandra, Valarie, Catherine or Angelique, whether Quentin was a werewolf, the Leviathan stalked Carolyn, or Barnabas' first mysterious appearance , their love-hate relationship was evident throughout the series. The very fact that the authors of this articlerefer to Angelique's devices for destruction shows that Angelique had the ability to stir such feelings as hate. Perhaps it is that very ability of showing that passion - admitting to a love of such intensity --which is rather frightening to those who can not admit the possibility that a love of such fierceness could exist within themselves. How much better to come to the end of our lives knowing that we loved so intensely, stopping at nothing, rather than dying or even reaching old age, regretting that these passions remained unfulfilled! That could never be said of Angie. Let it not be forgotten that there were times when Angelique risked her life --indeed, finally lost it--because of her love for Barnabas. One certainly could not call that a "giggling school- girl crush." The only destruction that ultimately came to pass was Angie's. That Julia Hoffman was strong I am not questioning. Is it not possible, however, that, based on Grayson Hall's rather hesitant delivery of her lines, many writers misinterpreted her character as weak? In closing, I would like to say that, as one rarely, (if ever) uses the name of an enemy as it was meant to be by those who love her, it might be wise for the authors to refrain from using it, at least within sight (on the printed page) or hearing of Angie's fans.

Issue 26

front cover of issue #26

back cover of issue #26

centerfold by Anne Marie Erental

Inside the Old House 26 was published in spring 1984 and contains 28 pages.

• The Victor, fiction by Lori Paige
• Light of Knowledge, poem by Marcy Robin
• Angelique's Apology by Neta Przybylski
• Sweet Vengeance, poem by Wynnie McBeth
• Q&A
• The Fan Page ("Woodard's Death: A Critique") by Adriana Pena
• There's Always a First Time, Even If It's Not Quite What It Ought to Be…, article by Ann Wilson
• Who's Who in Collinsport: The Flashbacks by Geoffrey Hamell
• The Fan Directory update
• publicity stills
• From the Cellar, LoCs

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 26

The fiction this issue was outstanding. Lori's piece was so heavy and depressing. Barnabas' survivors were almost as cursed in this alternate universe story as Barnabas himself in the original version. Marcy's story was wonderful, too. The creation of Adam was a bit far-fetched, I admit, but I found it exciting. His was a frustrating struggle, knowing what he wanted to do but unable to execute his actions. The photo accompanying Marcy's piece was appropriate. Can you imagine? A doctor making a house...er, cellar call? No wonder Adam looks so scared - he knows what it's gonna cost him! I loved the photos of RIVALS. Interesting how both women were motivated by love, their actions were poles apart and yet, when forced to, they worked well together toward a mutal goal. I COUldn't agree more with Debbie Lawrence's comments that Angelique was a fantastic character responsible for instigating some of the best stories on OS. However, the subject of our fan page article (#23) was Julia Hoffman. Angelique and Maggie are only mentioned as examples of the diverse extremes to which Julia has been portrayed in fandom. If she read the article again, she would find that the 'slurs' of 'giggly schoolgirl' and 'vindictive maniac' were two examples of Julia in fiction; Angelique wasn't even mentioned in the paragraph. We purposely kept the tone of the article light. We didn't want to preach or convert but simply air our views as is the right of every DS fan. It is in that spirit the variation of Angelique's name was used--humorously and not with the contempt Debbie read into it.

Loved the latest issue! Lori Paige's THE VICTOR was very touching. What an agonizing, desolate future lies ahead for Jeremiah. I could almost hear Katie Scott speaking those poignant words to Barnabas' portrait. Marcy's Adam prose was splendid. She certainly is a gifted, creative writer. The Angelique poetry depicted an arresting ambivalence; pleading for understanding of her actions on one hand, her impatience with Barnabas' aversion to his immortality on the other. But then that's Angelique ... an altogether fascinating enigma. Q&A and the FAN PAGE were good. Particularly liked Ann Wilson's "There's always a First Time". She recalled some very bittersweet memories describing Barnabas' first visit to the Old House where he addressed Josette's portrait so reproachfully.

Well, it took you long enough to get this issue out! But then, I guess you have been busy, so I'll forgive you. Really enjoyed THE VICTOR by Lori Paige. I've always been partial to "alternate possibility" stories and this certainly lived up to my expectations. It's rather strange that Jeremiah and Josette had a child, however. I've read in DS fan-fiction stories which strongly hinted at the fact that Jeremiah might not, well, shall we say, 'sire' a son. But then, that's the beauty of fan-fiction, as many different ways of looking at a situation as there are fans. LIGHT OF KNOWLEDGE makes me now look at Adam in a somewhat different light. I've never cared much for the character((I mean, how many times did we hear "Barn-a-bas!" without getting a little sick)) but now I can be a bit more lenient. Good picture following the prose. Nice contrast between ANGELIQUE'S APOLOGY by Neta Przybylski and SWEET VENGEANCE by Wynnie McBeth. Planning on attending the Dallas Convention,but it's always nice to see reminders. I agree completely with Adriana Pena: Dave Woodard died when Gerringer left the role. Anne Marie Erental's center-spread was beautiful, as always. WHO'S WHO was not done in the usual vein, but it was enjoyable and informative. All in all, not bad, but let's try to get the next issue out a little sooner, okay? I mean, Geez, six months!

Issue 27

front cover of issue #27

back cover of issue #27

centerfold from issue #27, Anne Marie Erental

Inside the Old House 27 was published in 1984 (month not noted, but pretty quickly after the previous issue) and contains 44 pages.

After this issue, the editor quit the zine for over two years.

From the editorial:

Surprised you, huh? Didn't expect an issue out this soon since it took me six months last time, did you? There are reasons. The major of which is that I'm taking a little trip. I don't know how long I'll be gone or where I'm going, but I'll be out of touch for a while. Figured before I leave I'd better get another issue out.

• The 1840 Cycle, fiction by Kathy Resch
• A Love Remembered, fiction by Jean Graham (reprinted in The Best of Inside the Old House #1)
• Baby Doll, fiction by Marcy Robin
• The Laughing Shadow, fiction by Lori Paige
• The Cuckoo’s Tale, fiction by Lori Paige
• Who’s Who in Collinsport: The Flashbacks, part two by Geoffrey Hamell
• centerfold artwork by Anne Marie Erental
• Chronology: The Original 1795-1796 Sequence by Geoffrey Hamell
• publicity stills
• From the Cellar, LoCs

Issue 28

front cover of issue #28

back cover of issue #28

centerfold from issue #28: Willy Loomis by Mary E. Overstreet

Inside the Old House 28 is undated, but editor says he/she has "been away for a couple of years" which puts this issue perhaps very early 1987. It contains 50 pages.

[From the editorial]: I'm back!

And I bet you thought I was gone for good. For those of you new to ITOH, welcome! I've been away for a couple of years and DS fandom has grown quite a bit in that time so I'm sure there is going to be a lot of new names to learn. I hope you give me the chance. And for all of you old-timers out there, you didn't really think you were rid of me, did you? You've heard of the proverbial bad penny that always pops up. If you haven't, you've surely heard of a certain (do I dare say it?) Phoenix that rises from the ashes to live again. I rather like that analogy. There have been fires and ashes. To recap a bit, and so the new kids on the block can know where I'm coming from, I started ITOH back in the summer of 1978 after I quite literally stumbled upon DS fandom. Things were great then. Everything was fresh and exciting. But like anything, if you do it too much you can wear it out. Six years and two Dallas DS Conventions later, I was suffering from a severe case of burn-out. I needed a rest. So ITOH was put out to pasture (or Eagle Hill, if you likeiand I thought that would be the end of it.

Funny how things turn out. For the past couple of years I've taken things pretty easy. I kept in touch with many of my friends made from doing the 'zine and it appeared that something really good was happening in DS fandom. It was finally getting some of the attention it so richly deserved. The show was gaining popularity all over the country. The ranks of fandun were growing. Things were happening. One of which was my slowly, and somewhat hesitantly, being drawn back into DS fandom. Then, a few weeks ago, DS finally returned to the Dallas area and I was hooked again! And here I am. Back again. Ready to join in the fun. Enough history.

One of my all time favorite pieces of DS ficiton has been Kathy Resch's THE COLLINS STORY. In my opinion, this serial has more of the flavor of the series than any other I've read. You can imagine my surprise when Kathy asked if I'd be interested in running TCS in ITOH! Of course I was interested! Kathy explained that she really enjoyed doing the story but that often she would have to 'bump' it from her own 'zine, THE WORLD OF DARK SHADOWS, to run other things that she'd have. I assured her that there would always be a home for it in ITOH. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

• The Collins Story, fiction by Kathy Resch
• Buck Fever, fiction by Melody C.
• photo stills
• No Surrender, fiction by Marcy Robin
• Old House, poem by Tonya Berry
• centerfold art of Willy Loomis by Mary E. Overstreet
• Wedding Night, fiction by Lori Paige
• The Hapless Corsair, fiction by Tonya Berry
• Wildflowers, fiction by N. Dale Clark

Issue 29

Inside the Old House 29 was published in 1987.

• Hanging On, fiction by Adriana Pena
• The Collins Story, fiction by Kathy Resch
• Survivor, fiction by Mary E. Overstreet
• Pygmalion's Hand, fiction by Lori Paige
• Hide and Seek

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 29

What a pleasant surprise to find ITOH #29 in my mailbox and what a pleasant shock to discover my name and comments in it! I too think the 1795 episodes were very well executed plus the writers did an excellent job of interweaving the main plot and subplots. 1897: If Count Petofi had such power, wouldn't he have known that Quentin was a ghost in 1969? Also, it seems to me, that they spent too much time in getting to Quentin's "problem".

The big photo on the cover of #29 was a big surprise. There's Barnabas casting a dark look before he goes inside the Old House. "Hanging On" was also a surprise with woodard helping Barnabas. There's a fresh idea, considering how Woodard was murdered. "Survivor" was a tense and rough story, but I liked the way it closely paralleled certain scenes in the TV series. I didn't like Maggie dying in this version, but it was good to see Willie coming out free of Barnabas at the end! "The Collins Story" has brought up some questions about family links. I noticed the name James Stockbridge and linked him to Laura the Phoenix. ((Only Kathy Resch knows the link between them and she's not telling--yet. DC))

Those pictures are wonderful! Rose Cottage (some cottage!), the centerfold of Roxanne and Barnabas, and that really strange picture of Barnabas and Amy (?) on page never saw any of those before. ((That isn't Amy, but I don't know who the child is but thought it would be fun to run anyway. Anyone out there know the identity of the child? DC.)) I really l iked Adriana Pena's "Hanging On". She has to be the biggest (and maybe only) Dave woodard fan. That question of 1795 versus 1897 - I'm voting for 1795, in

my opinion the best DS ever was - tight plotting, beautiful costumes, every day was exciting. 1897 was too long and that detracted

from it. Although I did love the gypsies, Pansy Faye, Carl Collins- John Karlen took that one over the top and seemed to enjoy it, and last but not least, Quentin's many wonderful one-liners! I liked 1841 Parallel Time too, mainly because Jonathan Frid got a chance to do something different and really loosened up with the passionate character of Bramwell. My least favorite has to be 1970 Parallel Time. Boring. They should have mounted a commando raid to get him out of that chained coffin sooner. Even the usually dashing Quentin was dull. Too bad New Jersey Network ended on that note.

I enjoyed the stories and photos in #29. I especially liked Guy Haines explanation as to why Jenny, Megan, and Eve all looked alike in "Three Faces of Eve". I also liked "Pygmalion's Hand" by Lori Paige.

Really enjoyed the last issue, particularly the wrap-around cover. Nicely done. It's terrific to see The Collins Story regularly. All the other stories were excellent also - Marcy couldn't write bad stuff if she was under ether. Liked Lori's period piece, and Mary's "Survivor" as well. It's nice to see Guy Haines evolving as a writer; I'm glad to see he's continuing to write, but I hope that doesn't keep him from his wonderful artwork.

Well, I'm not going to kill you, but I do want to say that for various reasons, I'm not starting up a John Karlen fan club at this time. KarlenZine -II and the theatre courses I'm taking are two major reasons (after work). Cover looked really great, and it's really nice to get to read more of "The Collins Story." What a creepy story Lori Paige wrote! Very unique and mystifying. "Hide and Seek" had a nasty, clever twist to the end of it. Nasty to Barnabas if Sarah was just playing a game... The piece by Guy Haines was clever also, great way to explain Megan's resemblance to Eve, give the DS plot a little continuity. Some great photos in this issues, especially the one of Barnabas in the drawing room of the Old House, page 24. I do want to add that I'm so glad you brought ITOH back! And thanks for the unexpected notice, but you neglected to mention that I lived in San Antonio for 2 1/2 years and that I . .. .

It was a real delight to see ITOH in print again. Your most recent issue (#29) started out with another thrilling chapter of "The Collins Story" which only proves my theory that James Stockbridge is a phoenix! Will the unborn child prove to be the 1897 Laura? Loved the picture of Rose Cottage. One of the things that sets this zine from others is the photos that are never published anywhere else. Guy Haines' story made a lot of - how else could Eve resemble both Jenny and Megan"? The real highlight was Mary Overstreet's epic -- it is a perfect 'what if' story , reminiscent of both 1967 and HODS. I like the idea of having the Old House featured on continuous covers. For your next ish. how about a shot of the Old House foyer - that way, the cover of "Inside the Old House" can really be from inside the Old House! I'd l ike to see some nonfiction items in the zine as well as some artwork. My only objection is that it takes so long between issues!

Being a long time reader subscriber to ITOH I wads saddened to hear that you had cancelled the 'zine a couple of years back and patiently waited for it to return. I haven't been disappointed. ITOH #29 was beautiful! I really enjoyed the wrap-around cover (quite an improvement over the wraparound on #5 way back when) with Barnabas standing on the porch of the real Ol House. What a pity that the house is no longer standing. I'm really enjoying "The Collins Story" by [Kathy Resch] even though I've only read the last two installments. Any chance of the first twenty-odd chapters being reprinted? [(Yes. [Kathy Resch] is planning on doing something along those lines m the near future. DC)) I especially like the fact that we are getting to see what happened to the Collins family after 1840. Desmond and Leticia are two personal favorites. The Guy Haines story was a nice piece. I like stories that seem to explain the unexplainable and this one did that quite well. Didn't anyone besides Victoria Winters get confused when people with the same faces kept popping up with different names? It seem: that after 1795 everyone just took it for granted. I also greatly enioyed the Lori Paige story; always get a kick out of reading her work. A very talented young lady, hope to read more from her soon. My one complaint is that it takes quite a while between issues, but then I guess you do have a life of your own. But I'm selfish; slow down a little and spend more time on ITOH.

Issue 30

front cover of issue #30

back cover of issue #30

centerfold art from issue #30, Mary E. Overstreet

Inside the Old House 30 was published in June 1987 and contains 60 pages.

• The Collins Story, fiction by Kathy Resch
• Three Fishers, fiction by Marcy Robin
• Echoes of a Dream, fiction by Joyce Fink
• A Late Observation, fiction by T. Berry
• centerfold artwork by Mary E. Overstreet
• From the Cellar (Letters of Comment)
• Fan Focus: Kathleen Reynolds
• The Fan Page by Charles L. Ellis
• In Darkness, poem by Adriana I. Pena
• Outside My Door, poem by Nicholas Caputo
• photo stills

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 30

The poetry was good and I did like the information about what happened to Vicki's character after Alexandra Moltke left the series, I've never seen those episodes. Maybe someday we'll have a written history covering them and the episodes between when Barnabas' release from the coffin and Vicki's going back to 1795. A LATE OBSERVATION - hard to know just what to say. I became extremely frustrated wondering about the identity of the narrator. My favorite part of it is the part before the introduction of the second character - absolutely loaded with beautiful details.

I think my favorite part of this iauue was the new picture of Grayson and Nancy in 1840, Grayson'a hair was styled so becomingly in that time period, and pictures of her from then seem to be very scarce. Please try to find more! The plot thickens with Kathy's story. She certainly made up some good characters there--I'm so sorry for poor little Evelyn, and those twins are positively fiendish! I can imagine them in the show, but I wonder who could have played them. The other stories are good too. T. Berry and Marcy both did a good job of capturing the flavor of the 1790's, their use of words in the narration seemed very authentic. And as for THE FAN PAGE, I agree with Charles Ellis that it was a crime to replace Vicki, though I don't remember Betsy Durkin's version. And they sure didn't have to have the Leviathans kill her? I can't properly vote on the 1795/1897 contest as my memories of 1795 are extremely hazy (I was not quite three years old when my older sister began watching DS), and as for 1897, well, I was four then and I've retained several vivid memories, mostly of Magda and Julia (when the later made the time trip), and an impression of the atmosphere, etc., but it's not enough to really judge. However, to go by what I've read, I think I'd probably be voting for 1795, as 1897 does indeed seem to be too long and haphazard. BUT from what I do remember, my favorite time period was 1840, without question. It may have something to do with the comparison to 1970 PT, (which was indeed boring), and the Leviathan sequence (which kind of scared me a little, because it began to look like you couldn't trust anybody any more), and 1897, (which didn't have enough of Julia to suit me, even though I enjoyed Magda). Or it may be because at last Barnabas was beginning to really show his true feelings for Julia (he was lying when he told Angelique he loved her, did you know that?), and also Julia herself looked the best she ever had in the series, as I mentioned before. So my vote goes to 1840 -- now if only World Vision would let us see it again!

Received ITOH #30 today. The poem "In Darkness" by Adriana Pena was very good; so was "Outside My Door" by Nicholas Caputo. Joyce Fink's "Echoes of a Dream" was excellent. Also some great photos in this issue--the one of Angelique on page 19, the one of Maggie on Page 36.... By the way, who are the man and woman kissing on the bottom of page 37? ((That's Quentin and Angelique from Night of Dark Shadows. DC.)) But do you know whet I really liked about #30? Being a voyeur (voyeurese?) in A LATE OBSERVATION. I only wish Tonya Berry had chosen a woman's viewpoint , not Reverand Bland. But it was still fun to read. Yeah! I like Tonya Berry's stories — THE HAPLESS CORSAIR in #28 also had a few erotic lines (a reference to his "lean, but well-muscled torso"). Thanks a lot for including A LATE OBSERVATION, it just about made my day.

I must say that I personally look forward to the thoughts of my fellow Shadowites, so the Fan Page and the letters were the first thing I read (in #30). I would like to see an expanded letters page commenting on all aspects of DS. Aside to Sue Guentner: Yes, there is another Dave Woodard fan. I must compliment Adriana Pena's "In Darkness". It was quite compelling and made me feel the same melancholy I strove for in my own poem. I've always found the character of Barnabas, at its best, filled with a longing for things that can never be. A tragic figure, which is what made him different from all the other vampire characters.

I really enjoyed A LATE OBSERVATION by T. Berry. Her style of writing captures a part of the flavor of DS but adds so much more to it. Very distinctive. I hope there will be more of her work very soon. It isn't often that someone can write stories like that as well as poetry. The rest of the issue was as equally entertaining. The photos were great - especially the one of Julia and Leticia from 1840. Pictures from that era are fairly uncommon, or at least, I haven't seen very many of them. The center spread with the illustration of Barnabas by Mary Overstreet was very good. Is that a slight smile on his face? Makes you wonder what he's thinking.