655

Elizabeth has a dream in which Cassandra warns her that she will be buried alive; she later appears to die, but she does not.
== Synopsis ==
: The second night of a full moon shining over the great house of Collinwood, a night marked for tragedy, for in the village one man has watched his cousin turn from a human being into a mad, vicious animal, an animal that only the night before tried to kill him. And having escaped, he has only one thing he must do. The shock and horror have robbed him of his reason and sent him on a mad mission, which must necessarily end in disaster, perhaps for more people than anyone realizes.
Carolyn has returned home and is quite distraught over Victoria's disappearance and her mother's condition. She asks Julia if anything can be done, and Julia does her best to explain Elizabeth's preoccupation with death. Meanwhile Joe sneaks into Collinwood, obsessed by what he has witnessed. He finds Amy and impulsively decides to take her away, to save her from the curses that befell her brothers.
Joe and Amy are eventually found by Julia. Amy is frightened of Joe's rambling and runs upstairs. Joe tries to follow her, but Julia stops him. She tells him that if he can explain himself she might let him take her. He tries, but is unable to say anything except "the animal!" He starts giggling hysterically and Julia slaps him to bring him to his senses. It works, but they are interrupted by a loud scream from upstairs.
Julia rushes to find Carolyn screaming, as she has discovered her mother - dead.
== Memorable quotes ==
: Carolyn: My mother--is there anything anyone can do for her?
: Julia: Do you want me to answer that as a doctor?
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: Carolyn: You think she's going to die.
: Julia: No, she thinks she is. That's more the point.
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: Carolyn: What am I going to tell my mother?
: Julia: Lie to her.
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: Cassandra: You must know of my powers by now, Mrs. Stoddard.
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: Elizabeth: You did this!
: Cassandra: Oh, you give me too much credit.
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: Elizabeth: Why can't I speak? Why can't I move? Why can't I somehow let them know?
== Dramatis personae ==
* Joan Bennett as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard
* Grayson Hall as Julia Hoffman
* Nancy Barrett as Carolyn Stoddard
* Joel Crothers as Joe Haskell
* Lara Parker as Cassandra Collins
* Denise Nickerson as Amy Jennings
== Background information and notes ==
=== Production ===
* Lara Parker returns to the cast after an absence of 24 episodes. The is the final appearance of Angelique's "Cassandra Collins" alias.
* First episode directed by Henry Kaplan. He will remain with the series until its cancellation in 1971.
=== Story ===
* Harry and Mrs. Johnson are mentioned but not seen. Harry was previously seen in 631 and Mrs. Johnson in 615.
* DREAM SEQUENCE: Elizabeth dreams of Cassandra, who tells her about the curse.
* INTERNAL MONOLOGUE: Elizabeth: Why can't I speak or move?
* SEDATIVE: Julia offers Elizabeth a sedative to get back to sleep. She refuses.
== Bloopers and continuity errors ==
* The howl in the middle of Joan Bennett 's opening narration is loud enough to drown out some of her words.
* The front door does not completely shut after Joe closes it when he sneaks into Collinwood.
* In the teaser, Grayson Hall steps on Nancy Barrett's line: Carolyn: I must see her... Julia: Yes, you must. Carolyn: ...now!
* Just before Carolyn and Julia move to take the luggage upstairs, we see a crew member's head on the bottom of the screen trying to avoid the camera.
* At the beginning of Act I, as Julia and Carolyn stand over Elizabeth sleeping in bed, there are footsteps, whispering, and shuffling noises heard from off-stage. There is also off-stage noise during the dream when Elizabeth is talking to Amy. As well, there is a lot of off-stage shuffling when Carolyn goes back to Elizabeth's room after discovering that Amy is missing.
* During Elizabeth's dream, when she hears Cassandra's laughter, you can see that the studio floor is only partially covered in the "grass."
* During the dream, as Cassandra approaches Elizabeth, you can see Joan Bennett ducking down on the left side of the screen (to return to the bedroom set).
* Carolyn and Julia enter Elizabeth's bedroom as the last door in the hallway on the left, which has usually been Victoria's bedroom (and has been other bedrooms as well).
* When Julia and Carolyn rush into Elizabeth's bedroom after hearing her scream, the lights are lit before Julia actually turns to the wall and pretends to turn the switch.
* When Amy rushes in the front door of Collinwood after escaping Joe, there is a sound effect for the door closing, but Amy leaves the door wide open when she runs in.
* Julia wrongfully declares Elizabeth dead. She has made the same mistake before, most recently with Elizabeth in 604.
==External Links ==
Dark Shadows - Episode 655 on the IMDb
Dark Shadows Every Day - Episode 655 - Accidentally Yours
== Gallery () ==
655m.jpg|Dreams of Death
655zn.jpg|Joe's Insanity
655zp.jpg|Elizabeth's Curse
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