English
1909
Chris Jennings returns to Collinsport after living abroad for several years. Having grown up in the seaport town, he has learned to despise the Collins family, with an irrational passion. However, despite this bitterness, he manages to find love in the young Paula Collins. The two meet at an autumn party and a fiery courtship begins.
1910
By March, Chris Jennings and Paula Collins get married. Chris moves them into the spacious seaside mansion known as Cranshaw House. Among their staff is the hideous, Abel, Abel’s witch-like sister, Peg and a young girl named Lizzie Wells. Chris suffers many peculiarities however, and Paula quickly realizes how difficult her life is to become. He makes them sleep in separate bedrooms, and Paula discovers that Chris has a short temper and is prone to rude outbursts.
One evening, Paula witnesses a wolf running across the grounds of the estate. She is horrified as she watches it shape-shift into the form of the servant, Abel. She tries to bring this to Chris’ attention, but he dismisses her claim as the product of a fanciful imagination. Several similar incidents take place over the course of the next few evenings.
Several nights later, Paula meets Barnabas Collins, a resident of the nearby Collinwood estate known as the Old House. She discovers that Barnabas is a vampire, and comes to sympathize with his haunted condition. Barnabas warns her that Chris Jennings may be dangerous and he schedules a visit to Cranshaw House.
Barnabas arrives under the pretence of an amateur artist in the hopes of sketching Paula’s profile. Chris takes an instant disliking to Barnabas and suspects that Paula may be developing a romantic interest in him. Barnabas tells Chris that he is knowledgeable of the history of Cranshaw House and shows him a secret cellar vault that the home’s builder, Captain Cranshaw, used as a hidden treasure-room.
As April arrives, a series of strange attacks takes place in Collinsport. Victims of these attacks are said to have been found with their throats ripped out, as if by some ravenous animal. Paula begins to suspect that Chris and Abel have an unspoken foresight into these attacks. After consulting with a man named Joseph Sharon and later with Barnabas, Paula learns that Chris and Abel are werewolves.
Barnabas sets a trap for Abel on the beach outside of Cranshaw House. He ensnares Abel’s leg inside of a bear trap and then bludgeons his head with a rock, killing him.
Soon after this event, Chris Jennings hires a new house-servant, Melissa Henry. Melissa is in fact the centuries-old witch known as Angelique. Chris and Melissa begin establishing a black magic wolf-cult at Cranshaw House and they transform the cellar-vault into a sacrificial altar. Melissa sneaks into Paula’s bedroom late at night in an effort to attack her, but the ghost of Barnabas’ former lover, Josette Collins drives her away.
Later, Chris and Melissa transform into werewolves and attack Paula outside the front entranceway of the house. Barnabas arrives in the form of a vampire bat and distracts the two animals, allowing Paula a chance to reach the safety of her room inside the house.
The following evening, Chris and Melissa capture Paula with the intent of indoctrinating her into the cult. They lock her away inside the cellar vault. Chris pompously boasts about how he will own her – body and soul.
Barnabas arrives at Cranshaw House and rescues Paula from the chamber. He then traps Chris and Melissa inside, and opens an unseen valve which floods the room with water channelled from the nearby sea. Chris and Melissa drown, and Paula is now free of the horror that she had been forced to live under.