Dark Shadows (2012)
Certified: 12
Duration: 113 minutes
Directed by: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Johnny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Chloe Grace Moretz, Gulliver McGrath, Ray Shirley, Christopher Lee, Alice Cooper
KRS release
After Planet of the Apes, Tim Burton tries his hand once more at a remake with the subject this time being ABC’s series Dark Shadows.
Dark Shadows hits the right bizarre tones- Johan Galea
The show, which had aired from 1966 to 1971, was distinguished by its supernatural elements... elements that only started appearing six months into the show.
The original script actually had no supernatural elements but the series went on to become a true camp and cult classic.
Since the series was a daily daytime drama it ended up running for 1,225 episodes.
I have never seen the series but it was always public knowledge that Johnny Depp was a huge fan of Barnabas, the vampire character.
The resulting film has all the marks of a Depp-Burton collaboration: gothic feel, wacky humour, a touch of the bizarre and loads of eccentricity.
Back in the 1760s, the Collins family was the major dynasty in Collinsport, Maine. However, when Barnabas (Johnny Depp) did not return the affections of Anjelique Bouchard (Eva Green), he was cursed.
His parents were killed, his girlfriend Josette DuPres (Bella Heathcote) died from a fall from a cliff and Barnabas turned into a vampire, an immortal to forever lie in anguish.
If this were not enough, Anjelique got the town citizens to catch Barnabas and chain him in a coffin.
When a construction crew accidently unearths his coffin two centuries later, Barnabas becomes free once again. He returns to his manor to find that this is now inhabited by his descendants.
The family is led by matriarch Elizabeth (Michelle Pfeiffer), who is at loggerheads with rebellious daughter Carolyn (Chloe Grace Moretz) while Elizabeth’s brother Roger (Johnny Lee Miller) is always worrying about the way the family’s finances are vanishing.
Meanwhile, his son David (Gulliver McGrath) needs help from the alcoholic psychiatrist Dr Julia (Helena Bonham Carter) after the death of his mother.
Barnabas finds his remembrance of Josette heavy in governess Victoria Winters (Bella Heathcote) while David also seems to find a sense of fellowship.
Barnabas wants to restore his family’s name and success but he will have to face off with Anjelique, who has spent the past two centuries building an empire and superpower but still wants him for herself.
The film differs from the TV series in its budget; whereas the series was made quite cheaply, Mr Burton’s attention to detail and atmosphere is here played out to the full.
He captures the tone just right, creating a look that sets the movie apart from his previous films.
Johnny Depp plays Barnabas as a comical tragic fish-out-of-water figure. It is obvious that he is paying tribute to the late Jonathan Frid, the original Barnabas and he seems to be having a ball doing just that.
Meanwhile, all the cast has the chance to shine with Eva Green standing out as a seductive element yet she also increases the quirkiness quota a dozen-fold. Scriptwriter Seth Grahame-Smith’s tongue is firmly in its cheek as shown by the mood of the film.
Dark Shadows hits the right bizarre tones. In his eighth collaboration with Mr Depp, Mr Burton has left out a bit of his usual flights of whimsical fancy and opted to inject more quirkiness.
The film has its comical elements mixed well into proceedings while delivering quite a few effective spooky touches.
The director here makes extensive use of CGI especially in the final sequences and it seems he wants to send the audience home in an over-the-top fashion.
Dark Shadows is not just a 1960s pastiche but also a phantasmagoria of weird and outrageous elements that are all ingredients for cult success.