It is said that blood is thicker than water.
It is what defines us.
Binds us. Curses us.
Come, my love. Let's go.
Come, Barnabas.
For some, blood means a life of wealth and privilege.
For others, a life of servitude.
Angelique, how many times do I have to tell you not to stare at him?
Remember your place.
When I was but a boy...
...my father took us to the New World to expand the Collins family empire.
We brought English industry to the wilds of Maine...
...and built a fishing business...
...the likes of which America had never seen.
A man should take pride in what he builds.
But remember, Barnabas, family is the only real wealth. Hm?
As our business grew, the town of Collinsport grew with it...
...and we decided to put down permanent roots.
We spent the next 15 years building our beloved home:
Collin wood
But not everyone shared in our family's success.
Let me hear you say "I love you, Angelique. I want you."
Angelique...
...I am sorry, my dear...
...but you would be hearing a lie.
Make the high and mighty low
Arrogant creatures, down you go
Convinced my parents' death was no accident...
...I became obsessed with dark magic and ancient curses.
"Lo! Above the gates of hell...
...he found a single letter.
A letter proclaiming Satan's true name.
Mephistopheles."
But even then, in the depths of my grief, not all was darkness.
For I had found my one true love.
Promise we'll be together forever.
God as my witness, Josette...
...I swear it.
Of all the servants I could have spurned...
all the hearts I could have broken
...I got the one with the secret.
I got the witch.
If he doth another choose
To lend his heart an eye
Then magic shall the slighted use
So all he loves will
Die
Caught in Angelique's spell...
...my beloved Josette wandered helplessly towards Widow's Hill...
...where many a despondent soul had leapt' to their death.
Josette!
Josette.
Help me.
Josette!
What have you done?!
Angelique had cursed me to be a vampire...
...so that my suffering would never end.
There's the monster.
Resolved that I would never belong to her...
...Angelique turned the townspeople against me...
...and condemned me to suffer my anguish alone in the dark...
Let me out!
...for all time.
Let me out, I say!
Release me!
Hello. My name is Maggie Ev...
Hello. My name is Victoria Winters.
Please, call me Vicky.
So where are you from, Veronica?
New York. And it's Victoria.
"And it's Victoria." I love this chick, man.
New York's a trip, huh?
I guess.
What about you?
What brings a New York girl out to the sticks?
An old friend.
- Be cool. - Have a nice day.
- Catch you later. - Take it easy, Veronica.
Hello. I'm Victoria Winters.
Congratulations.
I'm here to see Ms. Stoddard about the governess position.
Oh, yeah. Been expecting you.
Come on.
Sorry I didn't grab you down at the station.
Damn wagon's been acting up.
Miss Elizabeth won't spend the money to get her fixed.
It's beautiful.
A bitch to dust is what it is.
This place was designed for a staff of a hundred.
Now they got a staff of me.
Me and Mrs. Johnson.
She's about as useful as a bucket without a bottom.
Still, not every family has a house like this.
Or a whole town named after them.
Come again?
Collins. "Collinsport."
Never got that.
Who's that?
Barnaby, maybe.
Something with a "Barn" in it.
One of the real important ones from way back.
Back when they were rich, rich people.
Barnabas.
His name was Barnabas Collins.
And he was the finest man this family ever knew.
Welcome to Collinwood.
You'll have to imagine us on a better day.
The house has some 200 rooms...
...most closed off to save on heating.
We don't even go in the old wing anymore.
Sit.
There are only seven of us, after all.
My daughter, Carolyn, and I.
My brother, Roger, and his son, David.
Willie, who you've met.
Mrs. Johnson and Dr. Hoffman...
...who I suspect is sleeping off one of her legendary hangovers.
And where is David's mother, if you don't mind my asking?
Laura was lost at sea...
...when David was 5.
He's had a rather difficult time accepting her passing.
I brought Dr. Hoffman here to work with him for a month.
That was three years ago.
There are just a few questions, if you don't mind...
...that were not on the application.
Of course.
How do you feel about the president?
Never met him.
The war?
I don't watch television.
Do you think the sexes should be equal?
Heavens, no.
Men would become unmanageable.
I think we'll get along just fine, Ms. Winters.
Vicky. Please, call me Vicky.
Carolyn.
Carolyn, this is Ms. Winters.
Sick of hanging around your pad
You're from New York?
I am.
What's Manhattan like?
I'm going to live there when I'm 16.
Carolyn has a fantasy that I'm going to allow this.
And Mother has a fantasy I won't run away if she doesn't.
So you're here to babysit the loony.
What have I told you about using that word?
I'm here to teach David.
Good luck.
None of the others have made it past a week.
Ms. Winters.
Please, call me Vicky.
Chop-chop, Willie, I'm starving.
And God help me if it's another bone-dry pot roast...
Who's this?
Ms. Winters, this is my brother, Roger.
Roger, Ms. Winters is to be David's new governess.
Please, call me Vicky.
It's nice to meet you.
Yeah. Yeah. Nice to meet you.
That it's strange
You're a liar.
I can tell, you know. Just from a person's face.
Yours says:
"I might look sweet and innocent, but I have secrets.
Secrets that'll make the hairs on your arms stand straight up."
Leave her be, Julia.
You're the doctor.
Yeah. And you're "the nanny," and she's "the bitch."
How do you ever expect us girls to advance...
...if we keep reducing each other to labels?
So, Vicky, where'd you c...?
Carolyn! Will you please turn that noise down?
David, this is Vicky.
She's going to be your new governess.
You ruined it!
I was gonna scare her.
Damn it. What have I told you about cutting holes in the sheets?
Those are Egyptian cotton.
I was gonna scare you.
Were you scared?
Terrified beyond belief.
You don't have to be nice to him just because he's nuts, you know.
Carolyn...
Carolyn touches herself. She makes noises like a kitten.
- David. - You little shit.
Carolyn. Enough, both of you.
If I may, what is the family business?
Seafood, Ms. Winters. We had a large cannery in town.
We still own a few fishing boats.
Rusty old boats that no one will hire.
And David's mother's at the bottom with one of them.
Carolyn, go to your room.
Everybody in this house tiptoes around him, but no one cares how I feel!
She didn't die.
- She can't. - Enough, David.
Yes, David believes his mother has some kind of...
...cyclical immortality.
Fascinating, really.
I feel her.
She talks to me.
All the time.
Well...
...I think ghosts are just people...
...who've moved into a slightly different dimension than ours.
And I think some people just have antennas strong enough to pick them up.
There's actually scientific evidence to support...
Thank you, Ms. Winters.
David, you startled me.
Getting ready for Halloween?
He's coming.
We hit something.
Let's dig it out.
Get down here.
What the hell is this?
Think it's a gas main?
Not supposed to be any out here.
You've gotta be shitting me. Grab me some bolt cutters.
Jesus!
Run!
I am terribly sorry.
You cannot imagine how thirsty I am.
Mephistopheles.
Show yourself, Satan!
Mock me not with your strange luminance!
Curious terrain.
What is this?
Some specter approaches.
It is the eyes of the devil himself, come to drag me to my judgment.
Have at me, Lucifer.
My soul is prepared!
Asshole!
My beloved Collinwood.
What have they done to you?
I'll keep on drinking and trust my...
Hi, pumpkin.
Fear me not, drunkard.
You shall not be harmed...
...so long as you tell me all that I need to know.
Well, here's all you need to know.
See me, derelict.
Look into my eyes...
...and deliver me your innermost thoughts.
Awaken.
Well done.
Now, tell me, the Collins family...
...do they endure?
A-yuh. There's four of them.
Thank heaven.
Pray, what month is it?
October. That's why there's pumpkins.
- What is the year? - '72.
Wait. '71.
A-yuh, 1972.
1972'?
Hear me, future-dweller.
You shall be my loyal servant...
...until such time as I release you.
So, what first, master?
You will cleanse me, miscreant.
And then you will take me to these living Collinses you speak of.
Okay.
Have you ever seen such majesty?
Every day.
The perfect marriage of European elegance...
...and American enterprise.
Nine of the finest craftsmen the world will ever know...
...lost digit, limb and life...
...in the process of carving these glorious pillars.
And they all considered it worth the sacrifice, I assure you.
The opulence and complexity of this magnificent chandelier...
...should only be found in the palaces of nobility.
The fireplace...
...sculpted entirely of the most exquisite Carrara marble...
...from Firenze, Italia...
...each joint containing a single pearl.
Are you stoned or something?
They tried stoning me, my dear.
It did not work.
When did they start allowing women of the night on estate grounds?
Carolyn.
- Look. - Ah, yes.
Uncanny, is it not?
Worth every hour I spent posing.
Forgive me. My name is Barnabas Collins.
I'm David Collins.
- Are we...? - Related?
Distantly, you might say.
It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Master David.
Children!
Get away from that man.
He says his name is Barnabas Collins.
And I'm pretty sure he called me a hooker.
That'll do, Carolyn.
A word, please.
If this is some kind of a joke, consider it played.
If it's money you're after, I'm afraid you've been misinformed.
But whoever you are, you're not to look at those children again. Arrr I clear?
Your devotion to family...
...is admirable, madam.
And your suspicion...
...understandable.
A stranger arrives...
...claiming to be a distant relation.
The question of motive is to be expected.
As a Collins...
...surely you are aware of the darkness that has long plagued our family.
You mean our curse.
Witches, ghosts and vampires.
Myths.
And like so many before you...
...I suppose you're here to rid us of them.
For a price, of course.
- I can prove that I am different. - Oh?
Firstly, I do not come seeking money.
Rather, to provide it.
Secondly...
...I know the body of this mansion as well as I know my own.
Every nook...
...every corner...
...every secret!
That's where I keep my macramé.
A disgraceful misuse.
Impressive.
But there are plenty of old houses with hidden doors.
I hope you have a "thirdly."
Indeed.
Tell me...
...what do you know...
...of Barnabas Collins?
Just legends, really.
He was confident and strong.
Admired by all.
But he believed our family was cursed...
...and when his parents were killed, he went mad.
Went around insisting that a witch had turned him into a vampire.
And what is known of his death?
Nothing.
Not that I can think of.
That, madam...
...is because he never died.
I am Barnabas Collins.
That means you're...
A vampire, madam. Yes.
And most regrettably so.
But more importantly, I am a Collins.
And I give you my word of honor:
Neither you nor any under this roof need fear my cursed nature.
My father had quite a flair for secret passages and rooms.
As a boy, I took it upon myself to discover each one.
But this one...
This one was always my favorite.
"Family is the only real wealth," he would often remark.
Though clearly...
...he was not opposed to other kinds.
Oh, my God.
We've been sitting on top of a fortune all these years.
Know this:
I mean to stay.
I mean to be a part of this family again.
On one condition.
Yes.
Promise me that this...
...all of this, will remain our secret.
So be it.
Partners.
Welcome home, Barnabas Collins.
I was awakened...
...by a yellow dragon with iron teeth.
Confronted by a giant letter M with the luminance of a thousand lanterns.
He's not staying with us forever, is he?
I like him.
Yes, well, I'm sure things are very different in England.
So, Barnabas, what sort of business are you in back home?
The Collins family has always been in the fishing business.
But after two centuries of consideration...
...I have decided to devote the entirety of my energies...
...to family.
He means it seemed like two centuries.
Morning.
Who the hell is this?
Dr. Hoffman, this is our distant relative, Barnabas Collins.
The Third.
Barnabas Collins III is going to stay with us from England.
Barnabas? Dr. Julia Hoffman.
My God...
...a woman doctor.
What an age this is.
Is he for real?
I think he's just tired from his long trip.
I see that you have grown desperate enough...
...to sell off the prized family silverware.
How could you tell? These are exact replicas.
Had this fork been real silver...
...my hand would have burst into flames upon its slightest touch.
Yes, you mentioned you have a terrible metal allergy.
Anyway, the fishing business is all but gone.
The manor is nearly in ruins.
Well, I have returned.
And in short order, so shall our fortunes.
Huh. Good luck.
Angie has deals with most of the boats in Maine.
- "Angie"? - Angelbay.
They've taken just about every port on the East Coast.
Then that is where my work begins. And with your blessing...
...I shall restore the family business to its former glory.
Josette.
That's Vicky.
She believes in ghosts, like me.
Hi.
Enchanted.
Surely you do not let them call you "Vicky."
A name like Victoria is so beautiful...
...I could not bear to part with a single syllable of it.
Yeah, well...
...money might grow on trees where you're from...
...but it's a little harder to come by here.
Do not concern yourself with my methods.
I should like to see the factory immediately. How soon can the horses be ready?
We don't have horses.
We have a Chevy.
Hey, Angie, have a great day!
- Morning, Angie! - Hi, Angie!
Morning!
One of the seamers blew a clutch. It'll be two hours before it's back online.
Make it an hour. And start cracking the whip out here.
Everybody looks like they're moving at half speed today.
Tell you the truth, I think they're a little spooked about what happened last night.
- What do you mean? - Didn't you hear?
They found 11 workers dead in the woods off Route 9 this morning.
Well, accidents happen.
It wasn't an accident. Some maniac ripped their throats out.
Where off Route 9?
Yeah, Helen, it's me. Yeah, you heard me right. It's carnage here.
All right! I heard you the first 20 times.
Keep your damn panties...
- ...on. - I'll do my best.
A word with Barnabas Collins, please.
Oh, he's, um... Who?
Oh, I think you know who.
Black hair, handsome features.
Strange clothes covered in fresh blood.
My, we've let this place go to hell, haven't we?
Right where it belongs.
You must be Carolyn.
You're like a hungry tiger
We're growing into quite the fetching creature.
Angelique.
Elizabeth.
You're looking well.
And to what do we owe the pleasure?
I'm here on behalf of the town council to welcome our new visitor to Collinsport.
He's asleep, I'm afraid.
During the day? How odd.
What was that infernal banging?
Barnabas, we have a guest.
My apologies, madam I have just arisen.
You must think me a fright. Miss...?
Hello, Barnabas.
My name is Angie Bouchard.
So it is.
Do you know what I would very much like to do with you?
I can only imagine.
I would very much like to have a word in the drawing room.
With your permission, Elizabeth. Would you excuse us?
How dare you defile my manor with your noxious...?
Mmm.
It's really you.
How dare you place your wicked lips upon me?
I remember this place being less depressing.
I also remember the two of us having a lot of fun.
Here...
...and...
...here.
Have you any idea what you put me through?
You killed the woman I love and cursed me to be this hideous creature.
Barnabas, get over it.
Locked in a box for 200 years!
Don't exaggerate, it was only 196.
It was an eternity.
I shall have you tried for witchcraft and burnt at the stake.
Poor, sweet Barnabas.
Things have changed while you were taking your little nap.
My Angelbay is Collinsport now.
So you are the one who has sent the Collins family business into the abyss.
They love me here.
I'm the only big fish left in their little pond.
Is that so?
And do the good people of Collinsport know that their beloved Angie...
...is a whore of Beelzebub?
Heh. Do you really think anyone would believe a word you said?
I've been an upstanding member of this community for 200 years...
...in one form or another.
Your name may have changed, but you remain the succubus of Satan.
Harlot of the devil. Vulgar...!
The people of Collinsport are my worshippers now.
And to them...
...you're just a stranger who's afraid of the sun.
Welcome back to the shadows, Barnabas Collins.
I've missed you.
Angelbay.
The very audacity of the name summons vomit into the recesses of my mouth.
I always knew there was something off about Angie. But a witch?
Indeed.
But a witch with an impenetrable hatred of me.
Hate?
No, if she merely hated you, she would've killed you.
A curse takes devotion.
Why must I alone...
...bear the rotten fruit of our cursed family tree?
My parents, taken.
My true love, taken.
And what did you do?
I attempted to throw myself from a cliff.
Tragically, to no avail.
And then...
...I became a vampire...
...and started to kill innocent townspeople.
Yes...
...but you also kept the family business afloat...
...and tried to keep the manor from falling apart.
Yes.
Yes, I did, didn't I?
You fought on, Barnabas.
In your own crazy and miserable way, you fought on...
...until they had to drag you away and lock you in an iron box...
- ...to keep you from fighting. - My God, you're right.
You fought on because it's in your blood.
In our blood, madam.
And now you have a chance to fight again.
And fight I shall.
Just the same for you and me
All I need will be mine if you are here
I'm on the top of the world looking down
What sorcery is this?
Reveal yourself, tiny songstress!
You want fishermen, you gotta get Silas Clarney first.
He's got the ear of every captain from Bar Harbor to Boston.
They call him the "Godfather of the Grand Banks."
Excuse me. Captain Clarney?
Captain Clarney, I'd like you to meet Barnabas Collins.
"Collins"?
And why does a Collins want to talk to me'?
To offer you a contract.
I have a contract...
...with Angelbay.
And if I told you I could offer you a better one?
Then, Mr. Collins, I would tell you to take a long walk off a short pier.
There is such a thing as loyalty in our line of work.
I see.
Mr. Clarney...
...you have grown rather weary of working for Angelbay.
In fact, you would rather sell your soul to Satan...
...than sell another fish to Angelique Bouchard.
Do you understand?
L...-
...understand.
Very good.
Now...
...if you would be so kind as to introduce me...
...to some of your fellow captains...
Barnabas? Why are you staring into Carolyn's room?
What is that thing?
It's a lamp.
It looks like a pulsating blood urn.
I think it's time I showed you my office, Barnabas.
Do you know what a psychiatrist is?
Regrettably, the word is foreign to me.
May I assume it is some species of American delicacy?
It's a medical doctor that specializes in disorders of the mind.
- I'm a psychiatrist. - Hm.
Now, where were you born?
- Liverpool. - Can you describe it for me?
Filthy.
The air is choked with soot and the streets reek...
...of freshly hurled chamber pots.
The smell of urine permeates the air.
Have you any experience with hypnotism, Barnabas?
I find it very useful, yes.
Yes, I agree.
You see...
...sometimes we make up a fantasy world...
...to help us erase horrible memories from our past.
I find hypnotism cuts through all that.
I employ it for other purposes.
May I hypnotize you, Barnabas?
Madam...
...I do not believe that remotely possi...
Good.
Now...
...I'd like you to tell me a few things.
A vampire?
Keep your voice down.
What on earth are you talking about?
Oh, spare me. I had him under hypnosis for hours.
Barnabas?
There's a point where delusions fail, but his didn't budge.
He told me everything...
...including that you've known his secret since he arrived!
- Why didn't you say anything? - I was protecting the children.
Oh, by letting a vampire use one of the guest bedrooms?
He admitted killing those men at the construction site.
- He's a murderer. - He's a Collins and a good man...
...and these days, that's a desperately rare combination.
Oh, yes, I almost forgot, the family that can do no wrong.
You know, Julia, I'm surprised at you.
I'd think a physician like you would find him fascinating.
Well, sure.
Medically, psychologically and physically, he's fascinating.
Which is exactly why I came to you instead of the police.
Then be fascinated, Julia.
And if you have an ounce of love or respect for this family...
...keep your mouth shut.
I don't feel comfortable discussing this with you.
Do not fear, my child.
I simply seek advice on the art of courting a woman of this time.
Land.
And who better to tutor me than a woman of your age.
What is your age, if I may?
- Fifteen. - Fifteen and no husband.
You must put those birthing hips to good use at once...
...lest your womb shrivel up and die.
You're weird.
But do you think me too weird for a woman of this...
land?
You obviously mean Vicky.
She has the most fertile birthing hips I have ever laid eyes upon.
You're way too weird.
Do you really think so?
You're all stiff, proper and old-fashioned.
And Victoria...
...is she not proper?
She likes to pretend she's rock 'n' roll.
She's a Carpenters kind of chick for sure.
Do you mean to say that she has a penchant for woodworkers?
The Carpenters are musicians, stupid.
Ah, music.
Yes, I'm rather fond of the music of the day.
I am a picker
I am a grinner
I am a lover
And I am a sinner
I Play my music
In the sun
If only Shakespeare had been as eloquent.
Okay.
If you wanna get with her, you're gonna have to change your approach.
Drop the whole weird Swinging London thing...
...and hang out with a few normal people.
Hmm.
You know what's good about this war, man?
- What? - No way, man.
No, no, no, listen up.
What's good about this war...
...is that it's so bad...
...it's gonna be the last one.
- Yeah. - The last one.
And this last war we're in the middle of...
...who wins?
- Peace wins, man. - Yeah.
- Peace wins every war. - Yeah.
- Every war. - Yeah.
- You speak of peace. - Yeah.
I have spent the last two centuries locked in a box...
Whoa.
...staring into the all-consuming void.
The dark shadows of one's soul.
That's heavy, man.
Man, you tripped for two centuries?
Indeed.
But with great purpose, methinks.
For I believe that I have found my one true love.
Whoa.
Alas, I know not how to win her tender affections...
...for I fear that I am a relic in her eyes. - Aw.
- That's what they say about us. - Yeah.
Where I'm from...
...the love of a woman is won by giving money to her father.
Or sheep.
And if the love is earnest enough...
...then perhaps even a combination of the two.
Women don't care about money...
...or sheep.
Yeah.
Are you absolutely certain?
Love.
Chicks dig love, man.
Yeah.
Yes.
I am reminded of a line...
...from Erich Segal's wonderful novel, Love Story.
"Love means never having to say...
...you are sorry."
That is so beautiful.
However, please know that it is with sincere regret...
...that I must now kill all of you.
- Heh. - Yeah.
No, it's brilliant.
Theoretically, anyway.
A series of transfusions to try and purify your blood.
And my soul with it.
I should warn you, Barnabas, there's a slight chance it won't work.
It isn't exactly the kind of thing they teach in medical school.
You must have faith, doctor...
...for if a man can become a monster, then a monster can become a man.
But why become a man, Barnabas?
Why give up the gift of eternal youth?
Look at me. Every year I get half as pretty and twice as drunk.
If that is true, madam...
...you must have started as the most beautiful creature that has ever lived.
Uh...
Barnabas...
...are you aware of the concept of doctor-patient confidentiality?
No.
Perhaps you would be kind enough to enlighten me.
All right.
Barnabas!
Ah, Victoria.
Mind if I tag along?
Nothing would make me happier.
You've come down for a stroll?