"Don't exaggerate, it was only a hundred and ninety-six."
Barnabas Collins (Depp) angered a witch in the 1700s and is cursed as a vampire. The people of the town chain him in a coffin and bury him alive. Almost 200 years later, Barnabas is freed and returns to the family estate. The years have not been kind to the Collins family, their wealth and business have grown stagnate, and they have been cursed.
The Collins estate is home to widow Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Pfeiffer), her angry teenage daughter Carolyn (Moretz), her shady brother Roger Collins (Miller), Roger's special son David (McGrath), David's new nanny Victoria (Heathcote), and psychiatrist Dr. Julia Hoffman (Bonham Carter). Angelique (Green), the witch who cursed Barnabas, has the Collins familly in her sights... can Barnabas save the family?
The film is based on the gothic soap opera with the same name. Dark Shadows originally ran from 1966 to 1971. It was revived in 1991 and 2004. Tim Burton and Johnny Depp were huge fans of the original show and wanted to bring it to a bigger audience. They recruited other Dark Shadows fans and Burton regulars to fill the cast and crew.
I've never seen the show, and don't really have a desire to see it... however, I enjoy (many) Burton films, so I figured I'd give it a try. Johnny Depp continues to shine in a quirky role. Yes, he can play the handsome leading man, but it really comes alive in the roles you don't expect. Helena Bonham Carter matches Depp's weirdness factor, while no one else quite reaches that level. They are all good, but Depp and Carter are the highlights.
It is an interesting film, that probably appeals more to fans of the show... and diehard Burton fans.
Dark Shadows (2012) 113 minutes
Rated: PG-13 for comic horror violence, sexual content, some drug use, language and smoking
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins
Michelle Pfeiffer as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard
Helena Bonham Carter as Dr. Julia Hoffman
Eva Green as Angelique Bouchard
Jackie Earle Haley as Willie Loomis
Johnny Lee Miller as Roger Collins
Bella Heathcote as Victoria Winters / Josette DuPres
Chloe Grace Moretz as Carolyn Stoddard
Gulliver McGrath as David Collins
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