And Yet Another New Slideshow

[Josette]

What bothered me the most about Carolyn was that there seemed to be no hint of anything, even with her family.  Even if they didn't suspect her, presumably there would have been unexplained events in the past and that this would finally provide them with the explanation.  But it seemed as though everything had been totally normal, yet here's this big secret of hers.

[dom]

Totally normal? Carolyn was the only character whose odd behavior didn't make sense to me. I chalked it up to teenage angst but was never really comfortable with that diagnosis. I can see where being a teenage werewolf might give one a bad attitude, lol.

[Josette]

By totally normal, I meant within the context of the family.  They clearly didn't suspect anything.  I, too, assumed it was teenage angst.  But, there's no indications that there were ever werewolf attacks in the area or anything, then suddenly she announces to the family that she is one.  It just seems that there should have at least been a hint that such a creature was around.

[michael c]

Carolyn was a minor character in the movie. it wasn't about her in any way shape or form. she was just part of the odd Collins family "atmosphere"...


making the "reveal" even more pointless because the character didn't factor heavily into the storyline anyways.


it was just about a sequel.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I wouldn't say it was all about a sequel - it was more about keeping with how all the residents of Collinwood were supposed to have secrets. Unfortunately the whole secrets bit was downplayed in the final edit of the film (it's really a shame that in particular the whole exchange between Vicki and Julia dealing with secrets was cut), so the payoff to Carolyn's secret may seem to come out of left field - though there is at least one hint: the remark David makes in the first dining room scene about Carolyn making sounds in her room (and there would have been more if the scene between Carolyn and Vicki in Carolyn's room hadn't been cut). Though it's also true that David's remark is only significant in retrospect once Carolyn's secret comes out - it not like anyone would jump to the conclusion that she's a werewolf simply because of it. Though, because we'd been told prior to release that everyone at Collinwood would have secrets, it really didn't surprise me or seem out of place when it turned out that Carolyn was a werewolf because I'd been waiting to see just what her secret was.

As for werewolf attacks, I got the impression that Carolyn stayed in her room whenever she was a werewolf. And she's a werewolf unlike any other werewolf we've ever come across in the DS universe in that she retains the ability to speak and to grasp what's happening around her. That may be because she's only 14 in the film and thus her werewolf self may not be fully realized yet. Most werewolf stories don't have the cursed person making the complete change until reaching adulthood. But who knows?

But to get to what I really wanted to post about today, I really like how Carolyn throws in the "Woof" at the end of today's quote in the slideshow:

1972 - Carolyn: 'I'm a werewolf, okay? Let's not make a big deal out of it. Woof.'

Particularly how she tilts her head when she says it:

It's perfectly in keeping with the sarcastic nature of Carolyn's personality. 


Also, and something that may only interest someone like me who's really into the sets and the production design, but it wasn't until I was taking captures from this scene that I noticed that there's a second fireplace in the foyer on the wall opposite the fireplace where Barnabas' portrait hangs:

But then, we see that wall so infrequently in the film.

[michael c]

true. in retrospect there were a couple of "clues" about Carolyn. but it's rather irrelevant since the "reveal" didn't add or mean anything to the overall story. it didn't remotely factor into anything else that had happened in the previous 90 minutes other than an off-color remark made by a nine year old. and for 99.9% of the viewing public, who are not going to review the DVD ad nauseum looking for "clues", it was totally out of left field and pointless...


I forget where we first heard that everyone in the house harbored a dark "secret"? because it really didn't turn out to be true. Elizabeth, Roger and David really didn't have any "secrets" unless you count Roger stealing people's wallets at a party. there were certain pre-release rumors that have taken on a life of their own(the "secrets", Elizabeth being a "recluse", etc.)and become a strange "truth" even though nothing that happened onscreen actually bear them out.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Well, David's secret was that it wasn't just his imagination that he sees his mother and talks to her because that turned out to be real. Of all the supposed secrets harbored by the residents of Collinwood, that one was the most fully realized. Though as you say, whatever the secrets were supposed to be for Roger and Elizabeth, they pretty much remain secret because as the film stands we only get the barest of clues, like possibly Elizabeth's reaction to Carolyn performing the intro to Alice Cooper's "The Ballard of Dwight Fry" and possibly Roger extreme fidgitiness whenever the subject of his dead wife comes up. Though with regard to David's remark about Carolyn being significant in retrospect, one didn't need to review the DVD/Blu-ray of the film to hit on that because we discussed it here on the forum (in the "Depp/Burton DARK SHADOWS Is In Release!!" topic) long before the DVD/Blu-ray was released. 

As for where we learned about the supposed secrets, if it had just been reported on the typical horror Internet sites, then it would have been something that we certainly could have taken with a grain of salt. But it was mentioned by several sources, including reputable print sources, and chiefly in WB's own Official Press Release for the film. Though, of course, that press release came out before most of the film was even shot much less edited, so in all likelihood it was based on info that was in the script rather than the finished film - and we know that so much of what was shot, particularly with regard to Roger's character, was left on the cutting room floor. 

[michael c]

since David was open and above boards about his communications with his mother from his opening scene I didn't consider it a "secret"...


in terms of Carolyn "hints", "clues", whatever I still found it unforgivably stupid.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

since David was open and above boards about his communications with his mother from his opening scene I didn't consider it a "secret"...

Well, of course we're wise to the ways of DS  - but at the outset at least the audience is supposed to follow Liz and Roger's belief that David is very troubled, Carolyn's opinion that he's nuts, and Julia's assessment that David has a psychosis in which he believes his mother has some sort of cyclical immortality (all of which Julia finds fascinating). But David's "secret" is that everything he claims about his mother really is true.    For most of the film, the only people who are possibly willing to believe that might be true are Barnabas and Vicki.  Though, of course, both of them have good reason to possibly believe it. 

[michael c]

and...


if the structure of the narrative demanded that everyone in the house harbor a dark "secret" then Carolyn's could have been anything. in fact it could, and should, have been something that tied her more closely to the storyline as a whole. not remove her from it. she could have been a vampire herself. she could have been an apprentice sorceress under the tutelage of Angelique.

but c'mon. making her a werewolf of all things??? in the context of the storyline at hand it was completely random. but in the context of the DS universe that means one very, very, very specific thing. and that thing of course is............................................




QUENTIN

more specifically here a future hoped for sequel featuring the other member of the bobble head duo. as it stood some fans had their panties in a bunch he wasn't in this movie(as if it would have made any sense).

so I still think it was just a very cynical ploy to open the door to a sequel about him. one, again, that does not appear to be in the works. so to me it just added to the mess that was the film's "climactic scene".

[Gothick]

I totally missed Julia's dialogue about David's beliefs about Laura, beyond that he was more or less obsessed with her (which seems completely understandable given she was his Mother and she was dead), and I also missed the fact that Barnabas and Vicki took seriously David's stories about Laura.  In fact , I don't even really Laura being mentioned except very briefly in the scenes of Vicki's arrival.

But then, I only ever saw it once... A LOT MORE was said and done in the final 10 minutes than I realized... judging from the recent images and quotes.

Carolyn turning out to be a werewolf somehow seems to fit the kooky/ooky Addams/Munsters tone of the publicity and at least some of the material... I didn't really react one way or the other.  It seemed to be presented in a very throwaway fashion.

G.

[Gothick]

Does Depp's Barnyboo makeup include a fake nose?  We've already discussed the fake fingers, fingernails, ears and hair.  Looking at the screenshot that I think is about to switch, it suddenly occurred to me that his nose had been at the very least embellished.

I really wonder how long it took every day for Depp's transformation into Barn--I am guessing a minimum of two hours.  More likely closer to three.

G.

[Gothick]

I'm quite baffled about what's going on in this slide show at this point.  If I remember correctly, what we've seen over the last couple of days is the result of Angie being zapped by Laura's ghost (who I thought had at least some dialogue, but apparently not).  The backdrop looks as if they're standing in Collinwood's own answer to the Crystal Palace (a fancy of Grandmamama Edith's in this version perhaps?) but I assume it is just an area of the Collinwood-on-fire set.

Is that weird thing on Angie's shoulder a tattoo the actress bears in real life, or a sign of the "cracking," or a result of Barn having attacked her?  I can't recall.

G.

[KMR]

I'm going to have to take a look at the 2012 movie again to get a clearer look at the scene for today's pic.  I'm sure it's just the afghan on a sofa, but it looks like there's a big dog waiting for Vicki to pet it!

Oh, and yesterday or the day before showed Liz at the piano.  I laugh every time I watch that scene--I just *love* how Liz, after having noticed the dust on her fingers, puts even *more* of her hand on the piano, and then offers that same hand to shake Vicki's!  What a hoot!

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I'm going to have to take a look at the 2012 movie again to get a clearer look at the scene for today's pic.  I'm sure it's just the afghan on a sofa, but it looks like there's a big dog waiting for Vicki to pet it!

Wow, I never noticed that before you pointed it out, but it really does give the impression that there's a dog there:

The space between the pillows even gives the impression of the dog's leg and that its paw is on the pillow! What it mostly is, though, is simply the curve of the back of the couch. But talk about an optical illusion! 

Oh, and yesterday or the day before showed Liz at the piano.  I laugh every time I watch that scene--I just *love* how Liz, after having noticed the dust on her fingers, puts even *more* of her hand on the piano, and then offers that same hand to shake Vicki's!  What a hoot!

Yes, indeed!