“Dark Shadows” takes a bite out of the box office this weekend

Dark Shadows Fans will be mesmerized by Johnny Depp’s performance in “Dark Shadows”.

Review By Karen Dinkins/Tell Us USA News Network

DETROIT (Tell Us USA) - Don’t let the funny; trailers from the movie “Dark Shadows” fool you. This is a dramatic film that takes its Vampires seriously. I was expecting a more hilarious take on the “Dark Shadows” hit TV series we all watched and loved. I was pleasantly surprised to see that this movie was 95% about the Barnabas Collins dynasty and their vampire legacy and how it plays out in modern day America. The other 5% is where the humor and catchy lines come in because it updates the film to relate to present day audiences. That takes the edge off what the movie is really about, an ancient vampire who was cursed and imprisoned but has now been unleashed to wreak havoc on his ancestral Oceanside hometown.

Director Tim Burton is a master at making horror stories and the macabre look normal. He always presents his stories with an eerie, frightening back drop but the tone is that this way of life is normal and we, as voyeurs, have to adjust our perceptions to accommodate understanding the message he’s trying to convey. That’s why the comedic jabs and flippant references to modern society work in this film. Most people aren’t paying attention to what’s going on around them or they’re too afraid to address it, so Dark Shadows forces its characters and the audience to deal with their demons. Collins (Depp) gets to know his dysfunctional family upon his return and learns things have changed considerably since he was head of the household. Not only do they need his help but they also need his protection.



Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins is captivating, mesmerizing and charming in an aloof, arrogant way. He’s funny and handsome without even trying and steals all the scenes. This was a brilliant choice.

Michelle Pfeiffer as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard is perfect, she’s tough an unphased by her families deteriorating position, she knows all the family secrets and is a survivor an undaunted when she realizes who Collins (Depp) really is.

Bella Heathcote as Victoria Winters and Josette DuPres is enchanting in her roles as Collins’ (Depp’s) love interest. She reminds me of Marilyn from the hit show “The Munsters” only in the sense that she’s a beautiful girl who hangs around a bunch of creepy monsters and sees them and treats them like their normal human beings. She’s the proverbial damsel in distress searching to find answers to her past.

Eva Green as Angelique Bouchard is my only disappointment with “Dark Shadows” she was a weird choice for this role. She is the witch who cursed Barnabas (Depp) to become a Vampire because he was not in love with her. The chemistry wasn’t there it would’ve been more believable if they had cast Helena Bonham Carter as the seductive witch instead of her role as Dr. Julia Hoffman a psychiatrist for the children. Green seemed more like a pouty petulant child than the scorned lover of Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp). It would’ve taken the film up a notch if they had a sexy or beautiful villainess on the same acting level as Depp.

I am a long time fan of “Dark Shadows” the old TV show and I do like this new movie which was beautifully shot. I give “Dark Shadows” the movie 4 out of 5 stars. Click on the link below and check out one of the scenes from the movie.