Dark Shadows began life as an ABC soap opera in 1966. It concerned the sordid lives of the Collins family, an old-money New England family living in a decaying mansion in Maine. The show started off pretty much like every other soap opera albeit with a bit more Gothic tone but started introducing more overt supernatural elements 200 episodes in with the introduction of Barnabas Collins. Barnabas was one of the original Ensemble Darkhorses, the family's patriarch from back in the day who was also an immortal vampire. Dark Shadows was kind of melodramatic and silly, but there was a charm to it that garnered a cult audience. Two of those fans? Tim Burton and Johnny Depp.
And so...
Okay, first the plot. Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp) is the scion of a wealthy New England family in the 1700s. After rejecting the advances of a witch (Eva Green) she kills his girlfriend, turns him into a vampire, and locks him in a coffin. What a bitch. Accidentally released in the early 1970s, Barnabas sets out to see what has become of his family. He finds that they have squandered their wealth, let their business and mansion fall into disarray, and their personal lives horribly messed up. Seeing what's left of his legacy, Barnabas sets out to restore his family and their reputation. The only thing standing in his way? The witch Angelique, the same witch who cursed him 200 years prior. Now immortal and dedicated to destroying his family.
That's the main plot anyway. There are a lot of other plotlines but some of them don't go anywhere or get enough buildup. Burton has a habit of doing that. On the plus side, the acting's good. This is another one of those Burton movies where he gets a good cast of skilled actors and just let's them be silly. I think everybody in the cast gets one really funny bit. But the best are definitely Depp and Green. Eva Green looks like she's really having fun playing the dangerous vamp, snapping back between homicidal rage and lusty predator hilariously. And this is probably Depp's best performance in a while. His Barnabas' stiff, refined manner and fish out of water tendencies give the film much of its humor, and he plays the sort of retro Bela Lugosi vampire perfectly.
Don't be fooled by the trailer. This is an entertaining movie, but it isn't the straight up comedy the ads are making it seem. It can be weird and scary just as often as it's funny. Kudos to the production designer, giving the decrepit New England mansion and town an appropriately Gothic look. And as a New Englander, I'm glad to see a movie set here that conveys how many goddamn trees there are. If you're a fan of old-school vampires, you'll be glad to know this movie follows most of the traditional vampire rules. Barnabas burns in the sun, sleeps in a coffin, has fangs and sucks blood. And I'm glad to see the oft-forgot vampire power of hypnosis used.
So if you like talented people being silly in gorgeous locations or just like retro gothic horror, go see Dark Shadows. I don't know if it's for everyone, but I found it entertaining. And if you do see it, wait for the scene of Barnabas and the hippies. Comedy Gold.
Final Score: 4/5
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