There's something to be said for simplicity, especially in terms of title sequences.
The introductory montage for the color era of Gothic/Horror soap opera Dark Shadows (1966 - 1971) gets the job done with elegant simplicity. Just a few shots, one title, and no distractions.
On the soundtrack, the music is haunting (and indeed terrifying), and on-screen, we reckon with waves crashing against a rocky shore.
The title 'Dark Shadows' rolls in -- like a wave -- and we can contemplate the uncluttered imagery with clarity.
The rocks of the shore are eternal, unchanging. The waves beat against them, ever crashing, ever changing, dying on the stone surface. The tides roll in and out, but the craggy shore-line is the same.
If Dark Shadows (the Barnabas Collins years...) could be considered a story of an eternal or immortal vampire seeking love in an ephemeral, human world, then this imagery is perfect. Barnabas is the rock; humanity the waves. They live and die, and he remains...alone.
In the last shot of the introductory montage, we transition to a Collins Manor, in the fog...the location of the action, and the horror.
You can watch the (brief) but effective Dark Shadows introductory montage below:
No comments:
Post a Comment