Fans of the original TV series “Dark Shadows”, avert your eyes now. Because for you, it’s going to get ugly. The horror show has been reinvented as a camp comedy by Tim Burton, purveyor of Gothic quirk like “Sleepy Hollow” and “The Corpse Bride”. The approach of this remake has caught many by surprise, and not just fans either. I have very little memory of the 60s original but Burton’s movie does strike even me as a tad… inappropriate. After all, the show was always meant to creep you out, not make you chuckle at its silliness. Then again, for all its supernatural-themed seriousness, the show was a very silly affair. What with its wobbly sets, soap opera acting and sometimes unintentionally goofy plot (I YouTubed some old episodes). So it looks like Burton decided to run with that. I’m still not entirely convinced that’s the best way to honour the source material, but if he can pull off a successful comedy then why the Hell not, eh. Based on this trailer, the humour certainly is pretty wacky, taking full advantage of the 70s setting.



“Dark Shadows” stars Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Chloe Moretz, Gulliver McGrath. It premieres 11th May.

2 comments

  1. gwen10

    March 20, 2012 @ 6:53 pm

    Johnny Depp has done so many weird/strange/off-kilter characters that it’s hard to imagine how he can keep each of them original. Though admittedly, some characters are more iconic than others (ie. Edward Scissorhands vs. the Mad Hatter). Here, he seems to be fairly…different. I’m just glad he doesn’t sound like Cap’n Jack. But then again, I don’t think Barnabas Collins was English.

    Still, with absolutely no recollection of the TV series, I think the trailer makes the movie look fairly entertaining. I hope it doesn’t go all-out camp though. A little restraint does a comedy good.

  2. Wai

    March 21, 2012 @ 2:36 pm

    gwen10: Barnabas Collins is indeed meant to be English, as that’s how he was portrayed in the original series. Also, in the 1991 TV remake, he was played by a British actor, Ben Cross.

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