With its alluring tales of Gothic mystery and supernatural intrigue, DARK SHADOWS (1966-71, ABC-TV) became one of the most popular daytime series of all time. The character of Barnabas Collins, a guilt-ridden, 175-year-old vampire, brought the show tremendous success. Now, for the first time on DVD, MPI presents the spooky series' rare, early episodes before Barnabas.   Victoria Winters and Frank Garner anxiously search for clues to Laura Collins' strange origins and are led to a series of bizarre discoveries. Elizabeth Collins Stoddard orders Laura to leave Collinwood, but Laura secretly visits Elizabeth while she sleeps and places her in a trance. Laura warns Victoria that she will take control of her son, David Collins, but becomes frightened when the ghost of Josette Collins appears to her. Against Roger Collins' wishes, a psychic investigator, Dr. Peter Guthrie, is called in to examine the strange occurrences at Collinwood and a seance is held. Victoria and Guthrie learn that the body of a dead woman identified as Laura has disappeared from the morgue in Phoenix, Arizona.