Dark Shadows returns

April 8, 2004 -- 'DARK Shadows" - one of TV's oldest and weirdest cult classic series - is nearly ready to rise from the grave. The gothic soap opera - about a family of vampires and other assorted ghouls - originally aired on ABC from 1966 to 1971 and briefly returned for a few months in 1991.

The updated "Dark Shadows," from producer John Wells, the TV heavyweight responsible for "ER," "West Wing" and "Third Watch," is being filmed as a pilot for The WB network.

While the original "Dark Shadows"' was a low-budget, black-and-white production, sources told The Post yesterday that the new one will be "highly stylized" using vivid lighting and colors to communicate tension and fear.

Like the original, the new version will focus on the mysterious Collins family, who live on a creepy estate in Collinsport, Maine. It will feature the family's infamous "cousin" from England, Barnabas, a 200-year-old bloodsucker who was first introduced in the second season of the original series.

Of course, The WB is looking for a new vampire show to fill the shoes of two of its signature series - "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" - that won't be on the air next year.

But "Dark Shadows" sources insist the new show is geared more to attract the same audience that watched "The X-Files."

"It's not going to be 'Buffy' and it's not going to be 'Angel,' " a source said, adding quickly, "although we love both of those shows."

"Dark Shadows" still has legions of die-hard fans who like to dress up like their favorite characters, chat heavily online about the series and even meet face-to-face every year at "Dark Shadows" festivals.

"We read the Web sites to get their feedback - a lot," the source said. "We hope they'll be watching."

The show's producers have even asked Jonathan Frid, the actor who originally portrayed Barnabas, to make a cameo in the new version. (He turned them down.)

But, the source says, "This is not going to be your mother's 'Dark Shadows.' "

The new show may have a shot, the source says, because it would fill a hole in current TV programming: "There's nothing on TV right now that's truly scary.

"I don't think you need to see things to make them scary, it's more about what might be behind a door than actually seeing exactly what's there," the source said.