and i'm not really seeing the connection between whether the film is a comedy or not and the production values of the sets and costuming.
Maybe it's just me, but I think the loyalty to the original look, especially for Barnabas, Julia, and Roger and the fact that Burton's team scouted Seaview tells us that they are trying to keep the look of the show true to original form. They could have gone with radical new designs for these characters, but they chose not to. HBC's wig, Depp's bangs... All original elements that are instantly recognizable. If Burton was going to deviate in tone there would be no reason to be so strict to the original look of the characters - unless it was a downright parody. If he wanted to create a new tone for the movie, why be so slavish to the original look? He could just make his own new look to go along with the new tone... That's how I see it anyway.
Since March, Burton has stated that he has been wanting to get the tone "right". That doesn't indicate to me that he is creating a new (different) tone (a la overall comic tone). That indicates he is trying to set a tone in a similar way to how he designed the looks of the characters and of the sets - a tone that would reflect the look of the film. I don't really see an out and out comedy doing that, as it deviates from the look. If it's a parody, I get it. If it's not, I don't see a point to recreating the original look and then not recreating something akin to the original tone.
Almost everything we have been told about these trailers would seem to contradict that. And yet I can't help but remember exactly what MB brought up about what KLS, LP, and JP said at Comic Con... Plus, we have been told it's a horror film, that the comedic elements are all based around Barnabas and his transition to his new life.
Which leads into this...
That they've done that, and are making a goofy love letter to the original show, without any kind of slavish fanboy loyalty, is kind of what excites me.
I agree 100 percent. I just hope that it doesn't end up being an outright comedy, that it balances the comic with the dramatic, and that it holds true to what we can all recognize as being Dark Shadows.
And I think we can all agree with MB that the part of the trailer description that deals with Josette is on par with what we are hoping for... This kind of description has me thrilled. I just don't want the comedy and "light raunchiness" to detract from that - which is why these trailer descriptions bother me. But, as has been said before, they may not be reflections of the final product... or even legitimate reflections of the final movie at all.
Then again, my optimism could be leading me towards disappointment. The finalized promotional materials will definitely help me in coming to a better conclusion though.