House of Dark Shadows

The story focuses on a traditional romantic pursuit where Barnabas Collins searches for a surrogate for his lost fiancée, reinforcing a framework centered around straight relationships.

Male characters take the lead in driving the narrative, while female characters mainly serve as objects of romantic obsession or the 'lost love' archetype.

The film reflects the Eurocentric casting norms typical of its 1795 setting, with an ensemble that is largely homogeneous and focused on the aristocratic Collins family.

The film uses classical gothic traditions such as family curses and ancestral legacies, operating within a traditional moral framework of good versus evil.

Vampirism is portrayed as a supernatural curse or predatory state, serving horror clichés rather than offering a nuanced exploration of disability or neurodivergence.