The arrival in Collinsport of Dr. Karl Ruthven's Carnival of the Occult coincides with the visit of Elizabeth's cousin, Constance Collins Harker, and her new husband Garry. The Harkers, who were introduced in Dark Shadows #13 (April 1972, "Hellfire"), return to Collinwood in order for Garry to use the Collins family library "to do some research on witchcraft for [his] psychology thesis."