Quite a treat to see Jerry Lacy, Lara Parker, and Kathryn Leigh Scott-- all of Dark Shadows--reunited again. But, the characters really don't do much in the film. The artsy blue screen projections detract from a slim plot. Just what did Dr. Mabuse do to warrant his exile? He's a criminal mastermind...just what did he do? My biggest problems with the film include uneven audio levels. I had to jump up once or more to turn the volume down or up on my stereo from scene to scene. Plus, the characters do not pronounce the name "Mabuse" the same by any means. I heard "Maboose" from Lara Parker...and "Muh-buse" from the young police policeman and others. Even in the the special features section on the DVD, the latter actor referred to Lara Parker as "Laura," when my understanding is the pronunciation is "Lara," rhyming with "Sara." So, these problems did detract from my enjoyment of the film. I would like nothing better than to see a Dark Shadows TV or studio film with Parker, Scott, David Selby, etc. on a higher production level. But, kudos to the director and writer--who, as other reviewers said--could do much more on a bigger budget.
