Dark Shadows (2012)

An imprisoned vampire, Barnabas Collins, is set free and returns to his ancestral home, where his dysfunctional descendants are in need of his protection.

Director:

Tim Burton

Writers:

Seth Grahame-Smith (screenplay), John August (story),

Stars:

Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter

1 win & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Johnny Depp	...	Barnabas Collins
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Elizabeth Collins Stoddard
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Dr. Julia Hoffman
Eva Green	...	Angelique Bouchard
Jackie Earle Haley	...	Willie Loomis
Jonny Lee Miller	...	Roger Collins
Bella Heathcote	...	Victoria Winters / Josette DuPres
Chloë Grace Moretz	...	Carolyn Stoddard
Gulliver McGrath	...	David Collins (as Gully McGrath)
Ray Shirley	...	Mrs. Johnson
Christopher Lee	...	Clarney
Alice Cooper	...	Alice Cooper
Ivan Kaye	...	Joshua Collins
Susanna Cappellaro	...	Naomi Collins
Josephine Butler	...	David's Mother

Storyline

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 (Johnny Depp) 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 (Eva Green). 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 ...

---

Plot Keywords:

witch | vampire | curse | maine | psychiatrist | 

---

Taglines:

The legend bites back.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for comic horror violence, sexual content, some drug use, language and smoking

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 May 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sombras tenebrosas

Filming Locations:

Black Park, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$29,685,274 (USA) (11 May 2012)

Gross:

$79,711,678 (USA) (10 August 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Village Roadshow Pictures, Infinitum Nihil

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In Dark Shadows, , Dr Julia Hoffman was played by Grayson Hall, wife of the show's head writer Sam Hall. In an interesting parallel, Dr Hoffman in this film is played by Helena Bonham Carter, wife of the director Tim Burton.

---

Goofs

The Amtrak engines are in one order in the overhead shot, then reverse themselves in the ground shot.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Barnabas Collins: [narrates] It is said that blood is thicker than water. It is what defines us, binds us... curses us.

---

Crazy Credits

When the Warner Bros and Village Roadshow logos appear, the Dark Shadows score "The Secret Room" can be briefly heard.

---

Connections

Featured in Half in the Bag: Battleship and Dark Shadows (2012)

---

Soundtracks

"You're the First, the Last, My Everything"
Written by Barry White, Tony Sepe, and Peter Radcliffe
Performed by Barry White
Courtesy of The Island Def Jam Music Group
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

OK if you haven't seen the older versions

I am a huge fan of the old Dark Shadows shows. I liked the old series, bloopers and all. I liked the films House of Dark Shadows and to a lesser degree Night of Dark Shadows. I liked the 1991 revival series of Dark Shadows. This new Tim Burton/Johnny Depp version has some good elements in it, like the costumes, soundtrack and special effects, but the problem here lies in the written word. The script relies too much on gags, some funny and some rather lame. The basic characters are mostly here with the exception of the melding of Maggie Evans into Victoria Winters, and the actor playing Willie Loomis does a better job with the character than did the one from the 1991 revival, who chose (or was directed) to play the role as a half-wit.(The one element I disliked about the revival). The 1970s music, cars, costumes and hairdos are spot-on and add to the comfy 1970s feel of the piece. The climax is all special effects and one "revelation" of the plot is so absurdly done here that it is (unintentionally) laughable. In all, I would say that this film may appeal more to those who never saw any of the original versions of this than the fans of them. I didn't hate this film, I just didn't love it either.