It’s been a while since we’ve heard much about Tim Burton’s upcoming ‘Dark Shadows’ movie but the wait has been worth it. If you’d like, skip my rambling and head straight to the trailer below. It’s that good!
Otherwise, here’s the scoop. ‘Dark Shadows’, based on the supernatural soap opera from the late ‘60s, is the tale of Barnabas Collins, a 200 year old vampire who awakens in the 1970s. The original series was a half hour soap opera. As such, it played the gothic vibe will all seriousness. But the tight filming schedule and television budget made ‘Dark Shadows’ come across as quite hokey more often than not.
Burton’s reimagining seems like it’s going to play up the fun ‘70s hokey aura. He’s working with his usual cohorts Johnny Depp (Barnabas Collins) and Helena Bonham Carter (Dr. Julia Hoffman). Also starring in ‘Dark Shadows’ are: Eva Green (Angelique Bouchard), Michelle Pfeiffer (Elizabeth Collins Stoddard), Chloë Grace Moretz (Carolyn Stoddard), Jonny Lee Miller (Roger Collins), and Jackie Earle Haley as groundskeeper Willie Loomis. The trailer begins on a pure gothic note showing Barnabas’ origin and how he was cursed and buried. Then, shortly after his arrival, Tim Burton’s trademark whimsy kicks in and things get wild.
When I first saw the cast photo for ‘Dark Shadows’, I was turned off by the bright colors and cheesy look. It looked much too “Burton-esque” to me. Now, after seeing this trailer and understanding the angle that Burton has taken with this one, I am rethinking my position. This might be fun. And between ‘Dark Shadows’ and Disney’s ‘Frankenweenie’, 2012 might just be the year that Tim Burton returns to form.