| Nelle Gunston | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nelle Gunston | |
| Series: | Dark Shadows |
| Gender: | Female |
| Notability: | Minor character |
| Occupation: | Cultist |
| Location: | Richmond, Virginia Collinsport, Maine |
| Associations: | Leviathan Cult |
| Status: | Deceased |
| Died: | 1970 |
| First: | Episode 951 |
| Actor: | Elizabeth Eis |
Nelle Gunston is a fictional cultist featured in the ABC daytime Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows. She is part of a storyline that this database refers to as "The Leviathan Cult". Played by actress Elizabeth Eis, she made a single appearance in episode 951 in February, 1970.
Biography[]
Nelle Gunston was a young woman who originally hailed from Richmond, Virginia. In the year 1970, she met a man named Bruno, who convinced her to join a cult known as the Leviathans. He gave her a pendant, which was the symbol of the Naga that she wore about her neck. Tired of the grind of working a nine-to-five job, as well as additional stress from "mama" and "papa", Nelle left Richmond and traveled to the town of Collinsport, Maine, which Bruno had told her was the base of operations for the Leviathan cult. She learned of the cult's figurehead, a powerful entity who went by the name of Jeb Hawkes and knew that he resided at the antique shop owned by Philip and Megan Todd.
When she arrived at Collinsport, her first stop was the Blue Whale. She walked with suitcase in hand and asked bartender Bob Rooney where she might be able to find the Todds' antique shop. One of the bar's patrons, Barnabas Collins, interceded before Rooney could reply. Barnabas was posing as a member of the Leviathans at the time, but had actually shaken off their spell only to be re-cursed with becoming a vampire as a result. Barnabas recognized the Naga pendant hanging from Nelle's neck and continued to play up the part of being a devout cult member. Nelle was very excited to meet someone else from the cult and began asking questions about when she could meet Jeb Hawkes.
Barnabas told Nelle that he was planning on meeting Jeb at his own residence, the Old House, and offered to give her a ride. When they arrived, Barnabas realized that Nelle was on to him and was actually sent to assassinate him. She withdrew a dagger from her coat, but had not reckoned with the fact that Barnabas was a vampire. Barnabas used his vampire mesmerism to force her to drop the knife. Afterward, he revealed his fangs and bit into Nelle's throat, drinking her blood until she was dead. [1]
Notes & Trivia[]
- The character of Nelle Gunston was created by director Henry Kaplan and writer Sam Hall based on concepts developed by Dan Curtis and Art Wallace.
- The role of Nelle Gunston is actress Elizabeth Eis' first work in television.
- Nelle Gunston is the first of three characters that Elizabeth Eis played on Dark Shadows. She also played the roles of Buffie Harrington and Mildred Ward in later episodes.