Josette DuPres was a French aristocrat who met and fell in love with Barnabas Collins in the 18th century. She moved to Barnabas’ home in Collinsport, Maine, where the two made plans to get married. As a wedding gift, Barnabas gave her a small music box.
In July of 1797, Barnabas fell victim to a curse that turned him into a vampire. He knew that he would remain forever young while Josette would age and eventually die. Realizing that a traditional marriage was impossible, Barnabas decided to make Josette his vampire bride. Josette was horrified at the idea. Rather than continue to exist as a potential vampire, she chose instead to take her own life. On the night of their wedding, Josette ran away from Barnabas and flung herself from the cliffs atop Widows' Hill. This single incident represented the greatest tragedy in Barnabas Collins’ life.
In June of 1970, Barnabas met a woman named Maggie Evans. He was astonished by how much Maggie resembled his lost Josette. He convinced himself that Maggie was in fact the reincarnation of Josette and that fate had given them another chance to be together. In July, he kidnapped Maggie Evans with the intention of turning her into a vampire on the anniversary of Josette’s death. Maggie’s boyfriend, Jeff Clark, managed to destroy Barnabas and rescue Maggie.
Notes
- In the continuity of the movies, Josette never married any member of the Collins family, thus she maintained her maiden name.
- Barnabas recovered Josette’s wedding dress after she died and stored it safely away. It was eventually relocated from the Old House to the attic of Collinwood, where it was discovered many years later by Maggie Evans.
- Whether Maggie Evans was in fact the reincarnation of Josette or whether this was just wishful thinking on the part of Barnabas has never been revealed.
- A portrait of Josette hung in her old bedroom at the Old House. Even as late as 1970, the portrait still remained in the same spot where it had always been.
- The prop used for Josette’s music box was the same one that was used in the original Dark Shadows television series.
- Canadian music composer, Robert Farnum created the piece of music used for Josette’s music box.
- Josette’s counterpart from the original series was played by Kathryn Leigh Scott. In the movie, Kathryn played the part of Maggie Evans.
Appearances
House of Dark Shadows (referenced only)
House of Dark Shadows (novel) (referenced only)