Depp/Burton DARK SHADOWS Is In Production!!

[arashi]

i just thought of all of those new images of barnabas and mrs.butterworth at the breakfast table...

how is it that a vampire is able to appear at breakfast?

In the novel Dracula, Dracula could walk about during the day but his powers were greatly diminished. The film Nosferatu started the myth that sunlight could kill vampires.

[Brandon Collins]

One of the things that I liked about the original series, which is something that seems to be a huge deal (in that it is repeatedly being brought up) is that Curtis skipped the whole "Barnabas adjusting to the 60s" thing and just dropped him right in there. The show was FANTASY. That's why that was possible. It used to be that movies and television belonging to the fantasy genre could tread much more lightly in the real world compared to what we expect today.

Now, even when something is Sci Fi or Fantasy we expect it to be grounded in reality so that we can relate. Otherwise, the show or film doesn't do very well. If the audience can't relate to what the characters are going through on a VERY basic level (because, let's remember, most production companies and film studios believe the audiences to be highly ignorant) then what's the point of making the film at all?

I liked the original series simply because it was different and it was something that you could sort of fall into without much thought. All you had to do was pay attention to what was going on (and half the time you didn't have to even do that) and you were provided with an easy escape from the real world. This would not work today. If DS were remade as a television show, whether daytime or primetime, it would have to be infinitely more realistic for it to do well. Just look at the plethora of fantasy driven shows/movies now:

The Vampire Diaries has characters who are vampires, but one of them is in high school, and that's where the show was rooted in the beginning.

Twilight began with kids in high school. Both this movie and The Vampire Diaries are geared toward that age group. Buffy also began in high school.

Once Upon a Time has fairy tale characters but shows us them in "fairy tale land" as well as in the real world due to some curse the Evil Queen placed upon Snow White.

Even Lost was a fantasy/Sci Fi that began LITERALLY grounded with a plane crash, and explored what the aftermath of that and people being forced to live on an island to survive would be like.

Personally, I don't believe there is any hope that a DS that would even come close to the tone and idea of the original will ever exist. That's not to say that any extension of the brand is going to be bad. But as time passes and people evolve, things have to change. I wouldn't be surprised if this same kind of thing were happening if DS were currently airing or being developed as a television program. It's just something that must be tackled in order for the audience to not completely make Swiss cheese out of the plot holes.

[borgosi]

I never needed to see Barnabas adjust to a new time just like I don't need to see cowboys or cops reload. I always assumed that if Barnabas saw something he had never seen before like a car or TV that he would keep his cool and ask Willie about it when he got a chance.

When I first heard they were going to play for comedy it make me think of Escape From The Planet Of The Apes. That is what we got. I didn't think it was funny then and I don't know. I hope they cut some of the humor out as that was a question on the test screening cards, or so I've been told.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

It will definitely be interesting to see how that pans out - particularly because ProfStokes believed the test screening audience was genuinely amused by the humor.

54 days 5 hours 11 minutes 49 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

[Cousin_Barnabas]

I've heard from at least one other individual at the screening who suggested they cut the humor back. 

[neiljohnson]

What Borgosi and Cousin Barnabas have just posted gives me a little hope -- that they might cut-out some of the humor.  However, considering the age restrictions for the screening, how many of those people are going to suggest cutting back on the humor?  The individuals at the screening may not even remember the original series, and may absolutely love the humor.  I feel sad suggesting this, but -- how many of the people at the test screening are likely to suggest removing any of the humor?

[tragic bat]

I've been trying to avoid learning any more information before I actually see the film, but I've just watched the trailer anyway.  I don't think there is really anything new in it; Depp said a long time ago they were going to play up how Barnabas adapts to life in the 70's, and they've been using the word comedy to describe it for years; people just didn't want to beleive it.  I thought two of the jokes were really amusing; regarding Barnabas being 'stoned' and Elizabeth informing him they don't have horses.   Even that scene where Angelique rips open her blouse or w/e was fun, and sort of reminded me of a scene in Eating Out 3...  But it is a very typical trailer in that jokes and humurous, light moments are edited and emphasized in ways that don't really reflect the resulting film (for instance, it seems obvious to me that they edited in the phrase "I'm a vampire.")  I thought it was interesting how Angelique in the 1700's had dark hair, and then blonde in the present; sort of a reverse Cassandra.   

I don't really hate the trailer, I wasn't that shocked by it and I still want to see the film.  What has always interested me was seeing what they did with the material, how they interpret, adapt, and comment on it.  If they didn't make any interesting changes or choices then it would just be another 1991/HODS retread, which I would rather boil my eyes than sit through. 

Personally it is my feeling that the original series was on the air long after it's prime, and storylines such as the Summer of 1970 and 1840 were really bad, campy, and cheesy at times. I imagine a trailer could be made emphasizing things like Pansy Faye's dance in the 1897 old house, Prof. Stokes walking down the stairway through time surrounded by psychedelic flashing colors, Quentin and Desmond's "jailbreak" in 1840, etc. that would make it seem like the original series was also never serious.

[borgosi]

You're right, cast members have been saying it was funny from the start. I wish JD and TB would have also. They would tell us it's has some "dark comedy", that they wanted to make vampires scary again, they wanted to keep the tone of the original. If they had just told us the truth we would all be over it by now.

[jimbo]

Dark Shadows movie is first listed as a Comedy at the IMDb website. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1077368/

I really enjoyed 21 Jump Street. It was a lot more funny than I thought it would be.

[usffan]

I just saw a commercial for The 3 Stooges.  That is a movie that SHOULD be funny that definitely doesn't look like a barrel of laughs. 

Is there any chance that we all walked into the parallel time room? 

[PennyDreadful]

Nope, still not liking the tone of this trailer.  Here's the thing, even if the wacky antics in the trailer comprise a small portion of the film, that stuff still doesn't belong in something called "Dark Shadows" IMO. Barnabas brushing his fangs in the mirror?  Hanging upside down from the canopy like a bat while Mrs. Johnson dusts?  Flying around the ceiling of a room with Angelique while they do the nasty like lusty wolverines? *Pffffftttt!*  No.   

As for things "getting ugly out there," I'm not sure exactly what's being said but I think if folks aren't liking what they're seeing they are well within their rights to express their criticisms, just as fans who like the trailer are within their rights to express their enjoyment as long as they don't put down others.  It's all in how you say it.   I do get the vibe, from the responses I've been getting via email and FB, that a lot of people are disappointed.  Some think it's amusing, but the majority seemed turned off by it.

Michael - You thought the opening of the trailer was stale?  Really?  I thought that part was the most true to the feel of classic DS! Inf act, my trepidation faded as I watched that portion and I was thinking "hey, maybe it won't be a comedy like everyone is saying." Ah well, to each their own I suppose.

Gerard - As Brandon alluded to, injecting too many real-world concerns into a fantasy setting, especially a gothic setting, essentially destroys the feel and mood of that setting.  Inserting those elements results in absurdity (i.e. the wacky bits in the trailer).  I don't need to see how Barnabas learns to drive a car or where Chris Jennings pees when he's a werewolf.

[Cousin_Barnabas]

Nope, still not liking the tone of this trailer.  Here's the thing, even if the wacky antics in the trailer comprise a small portion of the film, that stuff still doesn't belong in something called "Dark Shadows" IMO. Barnabas brushing his fangs in the mirror?  Hanging upside down from the canopy like a bat while Mrs. Johnson dusts?  Flying around the ceiling of a room with Angelique while they do the nasty like lusty wolverines? *Pffffftttt!*  No.

This is exactly how I feel, Penny.  I agree with everything you said.  But what was even worse, for me, was the idea of Angelique ripping offer her underwear and placing it on Barnabas's face while he is in the coffin!  Because I am pretty sure that is exactly what happened.  And I was pretty shocked that such a scene could take place in a movie called "Dark Shadows".

Like I said before, I hope that this stuff is quite minimal in compared to the supposed "horror" and "drama" we keep being told about, but this trailer is not reflective of the tone any of us are used to, and I am glad you were able to sum that up so eloquently.

As for things "getting ugly out there," I'm not sure exactly what's being said but I think if folks aren't liking what they're seeing they are well within their rights to express their criticisms, just as fans who like the trailer are within their rights to express their enjoyment as long as they don't put down others.  It's all in how you say it.   I do get the vibe, from the responses I've been getting via email and FB, that a lot of people are disappointed.  Some think it's amusing, but the majority seemed turned off by it.

I have seen some pretty disturbing things out there, personally - especially today.  And I understand that people are upset, but some have taken it really, really far.  Fortunately, that is not the case here or in most places. 

Dark Shadows movie is first listed as a Comedy at the IMDb website. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1077368/

The final nail in the coffin or just another temporary move until March 30 (supposedly when the second trailer comes out)?  We will see...

[Richard]

Author Susan Hill was influenced by Dark Shadows when she wrote The Woman In Black, published in 1983, and now considered a classic Gothic ghost story.

In case Jim Pierson or anyone else tries to tell you that Gothic horror films don't work today, The Woman In Black has been a tremendous success this year. It opened in February and is still in theatrical release. It is more like a Dan Curtis film from the 1970s than Tim Burton's Dark Shadows. In fact, Burton and his entourage could learn a lot from it about how to tell a story.





By ridiculing Dark Shadows and turning the film into a parody of the program, Burton and Depp have insured that a straightforward adaptation will never get made. Industry insiders will ever take it seriously again, and neither will the general public.


Richard

[Richard]

Come to think of it, too bad Daniel Radcliffe didn't play Barnabas Collins in a film directed by -- oh, anybody but Burton. Radcliffe is one of England's finest, a superb talent, and he can act circles around Depp. He doesn't try to be cute all the time, either.


Richard

[michael c]

hi penny,

i'm not going to get into an abstract conversation about "rights" but i think you're aware of how intense and unpleasant the conversation has become on other unmoderated forums.

it's not enough just to not care for it or even dislike it. it's hated with a virulency that borders on madness. on one board apparently anyone who says they like the trailer is a plant for tim burton. that's not exactly rational thinking, is it?

to paraphrase nancy one can express disappointment without throwing sanity and emotional stability out the window.

we're fortunate enough to post on a board moderated by two sane, reasonable people and in general populated by such. for that reason i only post here and occasionally a couple FB boards but that's it. the bits and pieces i've read elsewhere are too scary.

as far as the first part of the trailer in concerned i think we're just coming from different sensibilities. by nature i'm not a horror person. in fact my interest in DS in general is anomalous. otherwise i'm not remotely interested in "the occult". the barnabas and josette "my darling" stuff just felt stale to me.