Hello, new to this forum

Hi, I'm new here. I watched the original DS to the end, and was a rabid fan.
I guess the Depp/King DS movie project is the current hot topic. When I first heard about it, my first reaction was "but Depp isn't Jonathan Frid. It ain't right."  To my mind, he doesn't have the ancient look that Frid had in the role and wouldn't have the Shakespearean gravelly delivery that Frid had. Who knows, though, he could be great as Barnabas. Depp does have the prerequisite "baleful" eyes.
An actor that came to mind as maybe more suitable is Daniel Craig. With the correct makeover, he would be more in line with the Frid role than Depp. So... just clone Depps eyes onto Craig. Perfect! 
One thing I hope for in the new DS movie is that they do not rely heavily on spectacular special effects. For example, an over-the-top CGI demon in a new DS movie might not be appropriate. I would rather hope for a production that plays up the creepy/gothic aspect of the DS storyline... it's tie in with the past, ghosts and all that. Something where what you don't see is more important than what you do see, and scares the pants off ya. I haven't seen a really creepy/scary movie in years. The last one that comes to mind is The Sixth Sense , but that was not a gothic flick.
One thing about the original series, that a new movie would have a hard time duplicating, is the serial aspect, ie. a story that takes a long time to develop over many episodes. For example, if I had seen either of the two original DS feature films without having been into the series, I would not have been impressed. Likewise, a new DS movie has as its task to develop pathos equivalent to the series in a short two hours. For me, I will have to judge a new DS movie on its own merits, rather than trying to dovetail it in to my expectations based on my love of the original series. For example, my wish to see Craig as the Barnabas lead... ain't gonna happen.
That the movie will be made at all is exciting enough for me.
I haven't read through this forum enough yet, but what's the latest skinny on the new movie?

Welcome, Shokan. You make some very valid points about the forthcoming Depp movie and special effects. I've seen the WB pilot from a few years back, and the special effects were very good, but it wasn't DS the way we know it -- gothic, as you said. I, too, didn't like the two DS movies made back in the '70s, although I adored the series and watched it from day one as a kid.

We're going to find out more about the Depp movie at the upcoming festival in July. I'm sure there'll be a thread or two about that after the fact.

Cool!
I just had a flash of a possible scene for a movie. If you have seen Saving Private Ryan, you may recall the drawn out fight to the death scene in a lonely upostairs room between a sinister German and the likeable American private, where the scene grinds painfully to the end and a closeup of the knifing. Harrowing. The same could be done with a vampire attack.

Welcome to the Forums, shokan!
You'll find a discussion of the Depp movie in a topic that's stickied near the top of this board.   

Welcome, you will find that people here are really excited about the movie. But no one can
do Barnabas the way that JF did.  Much of the show came from the idea that it was done
live to tape, there was that hidden terror and energy.

Welcome.

As for the movie, I'll believe it when I see it.   Film projects can be announced, and sometimes all it means is that someone bought the rights to make a film, and maybe years later they'll get it going, and the film can go through so many changes it's not the same film anymore.   Depp has some influence, but he's doing other films first, I think.  I'm sure I'm way behind on the news on this, though.

I may be wrong, but I think the whole process that led to the Tim Burton Planet of the Apes remake started years and years earlier, early 90s maybe, as a project to do a sixth official POTA film, a sequel to the five previous films, and they'd signed Roddy McDowell for it.  This was officially announced.   Well, years passed, Roddy McDowell died, RIP, and the whole thing mutated beyond recognition.

That Superman film with Nicholas Cage was talked about for years and years, then that mutated into something almost completely different.

I dread remakes.   I don't think anyone now has the proper sensibilities to reignite the flame of any of the great series or film series of the 60s or 70s.   

It was only recently that I have seen the original series again, the 1897 flashback specifically, and I was surprised to find that I found it pretty boring. Interesting because, from 1969 through '71, Dark Shadows was a major fixture for me. The books, the bubblegum cards, the magazines, the whole shebang.

WELCOME SHOKAN!!!

I'm sure you'll like it here!  I'm excited about the possibility of the movie, but am basically adopting a "wait and see" attitude.

Welcome, shokan!

I hope you enjoy yourself here on the DS Forums.

I haven't seen a really creepy/scary movie in years. The last one that comes to mind is The Sixth Sense , but that was not a gothic flick.

Have you seen The Orphanage (El Orfanato)? It was in limited release back in January but is on DVD now.  I highly recommend it as a very creepy, traditional supernatural thriller.  But just be prepared to read a lot of subtitles.

ProfStokes

Welcome to DS Forums, shokan! 

Now on the subject of the Johnny Depp movie, I agree with Josette.

I'm excited about the possibility of the movie, but am basically adopting a "wait and see" attitude.

----- Sally -----

Welcome, shokan!  As for movie...the best I hope for is that it will interest more people in the original series.

Thanks for the numerous welcomes.

Howdy Shokan: 

At first thought (or at least my first thought) Johnny Depp as Barnabas didn't seem right.  However, the more I thought about it, the more I began to think that he would be a brilliant choice for Barnabas.  Maybe the man wasn't trained at the Royal Shakespeare school but there is no denying that JP can act.  He's at the perfect age to play Barnabas IMO. From everything I've heard about JP, he's able to really emerse himself into a character and does a lot of research to get it right. I think that Daniel Craig is also a good choice but he might be a little too blonde IMO.  I think that JP has all of the physical characteristics that would blend in perfectly with a dark movie. I'd like to see a psychological thriller somewhat along the lines of a 'Black Christmas' and yes please, go easy on the computer graphics.

Miss Winthrop: Depp sure does have the required baleful stare. With his acting ability, I'm sure he'd pull it off wonderfully.

One wonders how they'd approach the whole production, though. Sleepy Hollow comes to mind as an example of the campy approach, if that's the right term. But, it was very creative and it worked in a comic-booky sort of way... not especially scary, except for Christopher Walken at the end as the Headless Horseman with reclaimed head... but, it was entertaining, very atmosheric and highly creative. Tim Burton could pull that off for a DS movie, fer sure, if it is decided to go full bore in that direction... instead of more in the direction of supernatural stuff in a realistic context. By this other approach, I mean something like: "...a modern-day Maine seacoast town is stricken with a rash of bizarre deaths where the victims' throats were..." etc etc. There's all different approaches, but Supernatural/Campy or Supernatural/Realistic (a contradiction in terms, lol) seem to be the two big choices and I'm sure the principals of the new production are wrestling with the same dilemna. When there is a mix of the two, on the other hand, silliness becomes a real issue because of the resulting lack of focus and direction. Badly made reality haunting-type series on TV come to mind where they expect us to be creeped out by the silly video post effects. Speaking of those haunting shows, one that does occasionally pull it off well is a Canadian production (I live in Toronto BTW) called Ghostly Encounters. The original DS rose above believability issues because we as viewers all agreed en masse to participate in a fantasy ... BECAUSE of its episodic series format, where we couldn't wait to see what happened next and cared about the characters we'd known for several years, in real time. That's something a movie has a hard time accomplishing in two hours, especially in the fantasy genre. As a creative/artistic teenager most heartily depressed by a day at public school, DS was actually the highlight of my weekday.

In the end, as with LOTRings for example, the cinema experience is bound to butt heads with the nostalgic expectations of old fans of the original production looking for a repeat of the original experience. So, as with all remakes, creativity in storyline, production and acting needs to be top-notch and needs to stand on its own... more so than if it were a purely original concept with no old-version precedent.

I feel that a new DS storyline is in order for this new movie, however, or at least with a major twist on the DS theme,  just because I know all about what happens in the ones from the series. If it's a good movie on its own, it could become a franchise cinema feature series.

Speaking of Depp/Frid baleful stares, if there is an Angelique character in the works, that actress would definitely need the Lara Parker eyes or a similarly menacing face. Casting a pretty face just for marketing sake wouldn't be good, as with any movie.

ProfStokes: I see that there is a lot of acclaim for The Orphanage, which I have never heard of before now. I will have to check it out.

OT

The Orphanage:

Got a chance to see it. Definitely creepy. I liked it a lot.