Charles Collins

Charles Collins is a fictional land-owner and a secondary antagonist featured in the 1971 horror/romance film Night of Dark Shadows. He was played by actor David Selby and appeared in flashback scenes in the movie.

Biography
Charles Collins was the Collins family patriarch living at the lavish Collinwood estate in the early 19th century. In 1810, Charles Collins had an affair with his brother Gabriel's wife, Angelique. Angelique loved Charles more than she could ever love Gabriel, and the two enjoyed a passionate if albeit brief love affair. Charles learned that Angelique was actually a witch, and that she had cast a spell upon him, which forced him to fall in love with her.

One evening, Gabriel learned of his wife's mystical heritage, as well as her extra-marital indiscretions with Charles. The two brothers came to blows and Gabriel's marriage to Angelique was essentially destroyed. Gabriel alerted a local clergyman named Reverend Strack who promptly had Angelique arrested for witchcraft (he charged her with the mysterious murder of a fellow clergyman named Harridge).

After Angelique's trial and subsequent execution, Charles went insane. He tracked Reverend Strack down and trampled him to death beneath the feet of his horse.

The story of Angelique did not end with her death however. Her ghost lived on through the years and manifested itself at Collinwood in the year 1971. By this time, Charles' descendant, Quentin Collins had become the heir of Collinwood. Quentin was the reincarnation of Charles Collins. Angelique's ghost used her magic to slowly infuse the spirit of Charles Collins inside the body of Quentin. As Charles' influence became dominant, he attempted to eradicate all emotional ties to Quentin; namely, his wife Tracy and his friends, Alex and Claire Jenkins.

Before long, Charles Collins took full and permanent possession of Quentin Collins.

Abilities

 * Possession: With some doubltless assistance from the witch Angelique, Charles' spirit was able to possess the body of his own descendant, Quentin Collins. As it turned out, Quentin also happened to be the reincarnation of Charles.


 * Reincarnation: The soul of Charles Collins was reincarnated into the body of his twentieth century descendant Quentin Collins.

Notes & Trivia



 * Actor David Selby played both Charles Collins and Quentin Collins in Night of Dark Shadows.


 * Charles Collins is unique to the continuity of the MGM film series. He had no direct counterpart in the original Dark Shadows television series.


 * The final fate of Charles Collins in his original lifetime is unclear.


 * Charles Collins had a small scar that ran down the left side of his cheek.


 * Charles Collins walked with a limp. The nature of his injury has never been revealed.


 * A portrait of Charles Collins was hung at Collinwood. It was painted around the time of the 1810 incident.