Thanks for linking the soundtrack, Cousin Barnabas! I'm listening to it right now. Obviously the track titled "Dark Shadows-Prologue" is VERY evocative of the HODS sound, but I even think I can hear the original theme in there very faintly, and VERY different sounding from what we are used to. Ultimately I love what I'm hearing, which, given Elfman's past scores that I've listened to, isn't a surprise.
I have to say that what he's done with the score fits what we know to be DS very well. If it weren't for the spoiler-ific titles for the tracks, I would encourage everyone to go have a listen. I also have to say, given that the music in a film can tell you so much about the tone of the film, I'm not hearing very many notes that would produce a comical atmosphere. Instead, I'm hearing some romantic sounds, very intense sounds, lots of mystery and intrigue, and some particularly other-worldly and trippy sounds.