Dark Shadows

ABOUT THE MOVIE

Dark Shadows
Dark Shadows

Dark Shadows

PG-13, 1 hr. 53 min.

In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas has the world at his feet -- or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy...until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard. A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive.

Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman, to help with her family troubles.

STARRING:Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Michelle Pfeiffer, Chloe Grace Moretz, Eva Green

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WHO WILL DIG IT?

Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp fans alike should relish in Burton's trademark visual style along with Depp's acting acrobatics (literally). Fans of the original show, even the diehard purists, should also enjoy this dusted off, updated version, including a cameo by the original actor who played Barnabas. Also see: Goths.

THREE GOOD REASONS

  • 1Inspired performance: Johnny Depp plays the role of Barnabas Collins, first made popular by Jonathan Frid in the late '60s soap opera on which the film is based. Depp was a big fan of the show, saying he used to run home from school to watch it.

  • 2Something new: Sure, this marks the eighth time Depp and Burton have teamed up, but "Dark" more concertedly explores the team's comedic sensibilities.

  • 3Two period pieces for the price of one! "Dark Shadows" takes place in the 18th century as well as the platform-walking, disco-shaking 1970s. Can you dig it?

BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW

Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Pfeiffer

There is a bit of a real-life haunt: Frid, who appears in a cameo in the film, passed away just a month before it was set to open. Fittingly, he died on Friday the 13th (in April, 2012, at the age of 87). Depp, who acknowledged his sadness over Fridss death called him "a true original," adding, "His elegance and grace was an inspiration then and will continue to remain one forever more."