Dark Shadows ** (2012, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green, Helena Bonham Carter) – Classic Movie Review 10,801

Director Tim Burton’s playfully eerie fantasy horror comedy Dark Shadows (2012), starring Johnny Depp as the 18th-century vampire Barnabas Collins who awakens in the 20th century, is insubstantial and unsatisfying, with lively characters and striking situations in search of a story, and a director in search of energy and drive. But it is expectedly campy and stylish with many humorous moments and a good central turn by Depp – and undoubtedly some fun some of the time. Perhaps it was inevitable that it was going to all style and no substance, maybe that is even what they were going for.

It stars Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Chloë Grace Moretz, and Bella Heathcote in a dual role as Victoria Winters and Josette du Pres, and Alice Cooper as himself.

It is based on the Sixties gothic TV soap opera Dark Shadows, and four actors from the original show, Jonathan Frid, Lara Parker, David Selby and Kathryn Leigh Scott, spent three days at Pinewood Studios in June 2011 to film cameo appearances as party guests during a ball held at Collinwood Manor. Depp recalled he had a childhood obsession with Dark Shadows, and called it a dream to play Barnabas Collins, and it was Depp who persuaded Burton to direct.

Author and screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith replaced John August in writing the screenplay, although August did end up with joint story credit. It has to be said that the film’s main weakness is the screenplay, though it does have many good ideas and good dialogue, nevertheless reusing to cohere as a satisfying whole.

It was filmed in England, at Pinewood Studios and on location.

It is scored by long-time Burton collaborator Danny Elfman, with a soundtrack of several 1970s rock and pop songs. Other important Burton regulars are production designer Rick Heinrichs, costume designer Colleen Atwood, and editor Chris Lebenzon. The French cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel is probably largely responsible for it being so visually stylish. You kind of feel that all the elements are here for a great movie, but that greatness evades it, and Tim Burton lets it slip through his fingers.

Jonathan Frid died on 14 April 2012, so this is his final film appearance.

The film is produced by Richard D Zanuck, who died on 13 July 2012 two months after its release.

It was the 200th film appearance of Christopher Lee, and his fifth and final appearance in a Burton film.

The film was released on 11 May 2012 in the United States to disappointing box office ($79,727,159), but it then did well overseas ($165.8 million), with The Avengers dominating the box office.

Two other feature films are based on the soap opera Dark Shadows: House of Dark Shadows (1970) and Night of Dark Shadows (1971).

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 10,801

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