Barnabas Collins was a distinguished member of the Collins family raised during the latter half of the 18th century.

In 1797, Barnabas met and fell in love with a woman named Josette DuPres. Before the marriage could take place, Barnabas found himself the victim of a terrible curse that transformed him into a vampire. Despite this hellish existence, he still loved Josette, and wanted her to be his bride. Josette was horrified by Barnabas and rather than become his vampire lover, she instead chose to take her own life by leaping off of the cliffs of Widows' Hill. Her body crashed down onto the rocks below. Barnabas was devastated. He revealed himself to his father, Joshua, and begged him to end his life. Joshua could not bring himself to murder his only son; so instead, he bound him within a chained coffin inside of a secret antechamber within the bowels of the Collins family mausoleum, where he remained for many years.