In the realm of spooky tales and dark folklore, the concept of a dark shadows witch has long intrigued and captivated audiences. This enigmatic figure, often portrayed as a sorceress, possesses an uncanny ability to control and manipulate shadows. The idea of harnessing the power of darkness itself is both fascinating and haunting. The origins of the dark shadows witch can be traced back to ancient myths and legends. In many cultures, shadow manipulation is associated with dark and forbidden magic. It is said that these witches delve into the deepest corners of the occult to tap into the mysterious energy of shadows.
Lara Parker, who found the role of a lifetime at just 28 years old when she was cast by Dark Shadows producer Dan Curtis as the beautiful, vengeful and altogether evil witch Angelique Bouchard Collins, died October 12 in her sleep in Los Angeles following a battle with cancer. She was 84.
Posing as her own great-great-great granddaughter, Angie Bouchard makes it her hobby to cause suffering to the remaining members of the Collins family. Master of deception Manipulator Angelique is skilled in deception and manipulation having convinced all of Colinwood that she is human and manipulated the people to turn on the Collins family.
It is said that these witches delve into the deepest corners of the occult to tap into the mysterious energy of shadows. Their intense connection with darkness allows them to shape and direct it to their will. The dark shadows witch is often depicted as a solitary and enigmatic figure.
Lara Parker, the Witch Angelique on ‘Dark Shadows,’ Dies at 84
In her first professional acting gig, she battled the vampire Barnabas Collins on the ABC daytime serial. Years later, she wrote four novels based on the show.
Mike Barnes
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Lara Parker, who as the vengeful witch Angelique Bouchard spent centuries entangled in a love-hate relationship with Jonathan Frid’s Barnabas Collins on the gothic ABC soap opera Dark Shadows, has died. She was 84.
Parker died Thursday in her sleep at her home in Topanga Canyon in Los Angeles, her daughter, Caitlin, told The Hollywood Reporter.
On the big screen, Parker stood out as a prostitute whose client has a heart attack in John G. Avildsen’s Save the Tiger (1973), starring Jack Lemmon in an Oscar-winning turn, and she played the wife of Peter Fonda‘s character in the satanic horror film Race With the Devil (1975), also featuring Warren Oates and Loretta Swit.
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Mere days after arriving in New York in 1967, the green-eyed Parker auditioned for Dark Shadows creator Dan Curtis, who cast her as Angelique in a story arc that would detail the origin of the tortured vampire Barnabas.
A soldier and the son of a shipping magnate, Barnabas in 1795 seduced and abandoned a servant girl from Martinique not realizing she was a witch. That girl was Angelique. “He just dallied with her and then dismissed her, and she was not to be dismissed,” Parker said in an undated interview for a Dark Shadows home video release.
An enraged Angelique would damn Barnabas to enteral life as a vampire, kicking off a battle between the two that would continue through different time periods.
“I played her as somebody who was much more of a tragic figure, who was desperately, desperately in love,” Parker said in 2016. “And her heart was broken. That’s much more sympathetic than just being a mean old witch. I felt that her acts were acts of desperation, not acts of evil.”
Though Angelique and others she would inhabit would perish, she would remain with the daytime serial through its April 1971 demise.
“Dan Curtis [would call Parker and say], ‘You’ve been great, kiddo, but we’re going to kill your character. Thanks a lot for everything,” she recalled in 2020. “Of course I was very sad, but about two months later they called me and said that they wanted me back.
“We were kind of the first team, and the fans seemed to watch it more when Angelique and Barnabas were fighting it out. That seemed to be the most popular part of the show, so [Curtis] brought me back many, many times.”
Lara Parker as Angelique Bouchard with Jonathan Frid as Barnabas Collins on ‘Dark Shadows’ Courtesy of Dan Curtis Productions
Parker was born Mary Lamar Rickey on Oct. 27, 1938, in Knoxville, Tennessee. Her father, Albert, was an attorney, and her mother, Ann, was active in civic groups.
She graduated from Central High School in Memphis and attended Vassar — she roomed with Jane Fonda there — and Rhodes College in Memphis, where at 19 she served as Wink Martindale’s assistant on his WHBQ-TV show, Dance Party. She then earned a master’s degree from the University of Iowa.
After a busy summer acting at the Millbrook Playhouse in Pennsylvania, Parker left her husband and two kids in Wisconsin for a spell to see if she could find work as an actor in New York. “By the time the children were 6 and 7 years old,” she said in a 1972 interview for Mid-South magazine, “I knew that I just couldn’t sit there and look at those fields for the rest of my life.”
In New York for her second-ever professional audition, she was cast as Angelique. “I think my only reaction to it was paralyzed fear,” she said.
Dark Shadows, which had debuted in June 1966, received a viewership jolt when Frid was introduced as Barnabas in April 1967. Parker arrived in the fictional town of Collinsport, Maine, seven months later.
“We realized [the show] was popular,” she said. “Everywhere we went [the cast was] recognized. There was a huge crowd outside the [Manhattan] studio when we finished in the afternoon of autograph seekers. People would show up, the same people every single day, day after day. They worshipped some of us and would walk us to the subway.
“I can remember standing on the subway when school got out and seeing 200 or 300 kids all waiting to take the train. They would see me and start screaming and run to the other end of the platform! They were so terrified because I was so evil.”
Meanwhile, feminists admired Parker because of her character’s strength, she said. “She was coming in at the beginning of the women’s movement and she was very independent,” Parker noted. “They sort of missed the fact that she was obsessed with her love for Barnabas and that was destroying her.”
On Facebook, her Dark Shadows co-star Kathryn Leigh Scott wrote Monday that Parker’s death left her “heartbroken, as all of us are who knew and loved her. She graced our lives with her beauty and talent, and we are all richer for having had her in our lives.”
During breaks in production, Parker acted on Broadway in September 1968 in Woman Is My Idea, which lasted just five performances, and in the early Brian De Palma film Hi, Mom! (1970), starring Robert De Niro.
And toward the end of the daytime serial, she and fellow castmembers including John Karlen, Kate Jackson, David Selby and Grayson Hall appeared in the poorly received MGM film Night of Dark Shadows (1971).
In 1972, Parker relocated to Los Angeles and went on to appear on episodes of such shows as Medical Center, Kojak, The Rockford Files, Police Woman, Kolchak: The Night Stalker (as a witch) and The Incredible Hulk, where she played David Banner’s first wife in a flashback sequence in the pilot.
After stepping aside from acting, Parker worked as a teacher, earned another master’s in creative writing and wrote four Dark Shadows novels: Angelique’s Descent, first published in 1998, followed by 2006’s The Salem Branch, 2013’s Wolf Moon Rising and 2016’s Heiress of Collinwood.
More recently, she was active in the audio-only continuation of the Dark Shadows franchise through Big Finish Productions.
Parker rejoined Frid, Selby and Kathryn Leigh Scott to make cameos in Tim Burton‘s 2012 remake of Dark Shadows — Frenchwoman Eva Green portrayed Angelique in the Johnny Depp-starrer — and reteamed with Scott and another Dark Shadows co-star, Jerry Lacy, in the crime film Doctor Mabuse (2013) and its 2014 sequel.
Survivors include her second husband, Jim Hawkins; children Caitlin, Rick (a music producer) and Andy; daughters-in-law Miranda and Celia; grandson Wesley; and her dog, Pearl.
Cloaked in darkness and secrecy, she remains hidden from the world, operating in the shadows (quite literally). Some believe that their powers come from a deep understanding of the relationship between light and darkness, while others suggest that it is a result of a pact made with supernatural entities. One can imagine the dark shadows witch using her powers to create illusions, summon shadow creatures, or even travel through dimensions via the hidden pathways of darkness. Her abilities may be used to conceal her presence or manipulate the perception of others. She could cast spells that cause shadows to come alive, morphing and stretching into eerie shapes that send shivers down the spines of those who witness them. The dark shadows witch is often associated with mayhem and mischief, using her powers for personal gain or causing harm to others. Legends and tales tell of curses placed upon unsuspecting victims, haunted by the constant presence of dark shadows that follow them wherever they go. These witches are believed to be capable of instilling fear and paranoia in even the bravest hearts. Despite the darker aspects associated with the dark shadows witch, there is an allure that draws some individuals towards her. For those seeking forbidden knowledge and power, she represents the ultimate temptation. Some might be willing to risk everything, including their own souls, to gain her favour and gain access to the secrets of shadow manipulation. In literature and popular culture, the concept of the dark shadows witch has been explored in various forms. From classic gothic novels to contemporary fantasy novels and films, these characters continue to captivate our imaginations. They serve as a reminder of the eternal fascination with the unknown and our desire to explore the depths of darkness. In conclusion, the concept of the dark shadows witch reveals our fascination with the mysterious and the forbidden. From her ability to manipulate shadows to her enigmatic nature, this character offers an intriguing glimpse into a world where darkness takes on a life of its own, holding both dangers and secrets that continue to entice and terrify us..
Reviews for "The Enigmatic Darl Shadows: Unmasking the Secrets of Witchcraft"
1. Heather - 2/5 - I was really disappointed with "Dark Shadows Witch". The story felt slow and predictable, with characters that were one-dimensional and lacked depth. The writing itself was average at best, with awkward dialogue and unnecessary descriptions that didn't add anything to the plot. I found myself getting bored and frustrated, as the story seemed to drag on without much happening. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone looking for a captivating and well-written witch-themed novel.
2. Mark - 1/5 - "Dark Shadows Witch" was a complete waste of my time. The plot was confusing and disjointed, making it difficult to follow along. The characters were poorly developed, and I had a hard time connecting with any of them. The writing was also lacking, with repetitive phrases and dull descriptions. I struggled to finish this book and felt no satisfaction when I finally reached the end. I would advise others to steer clear of this disappointing read.
3. Sarah - 2/5 - I had high hopes for "Dark Shadows Witch", but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. The story felt rushed and lacked depth, with underdeveloped characters that I couldn't connect with. The writing style was mediocre and didn't do justice to the potentially intriguing plot. There were also several plot holes and inconsistencies that made it difficult to fully immerse myself in the story. Overall, I found "Dark Shadows Witch" to be a mediocre and forgettable read.
4. Alex - 1/5 - I couldn't finish reading "Dark Shadows Witch" because the story simply did not grab my attention. The pacing was off, with long stretches of nothing happening followed by sudden bursts of action that felt forced. The characters were forgettable and lacked substance, making it difficult for me to care about their fates. The writing itself was uninspiring, with cliché dialogue and predictable plot twists. I was extremely disappointed with this book and would not recommend it to anyone.