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, Eva Green

2 wins & 13 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:

vampire | camera shot of feet | foot closeup | female stockinged soles | female stockinged feet | 

---

Taglines:

Strange Is Relative

---

Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Maggie Evans reads a poster saying "Victoria, BC Winter Sports" and comes up with the alias Victoria Winters. In Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985), Tim Burton's first theatrical movie, Madame Ruby read a delivery truck label saying "Al and Moe Basement Bargains" to come up with the treasure quest destination: "the Alamo, in the basement."

---

Goofs

When Maggie Evans arrives at Collinswood, her first conversation with Willie indicates that she has applied for the governess job under the name Victoria Winters. An earlier scene shows that she didn't invent the name until earlier that same day, on the train en route to Maine.

---

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

The opening credits feature Victoria Winters en route to Collinwood, repeating her name to herself ("My name is Victoria Winters..."), while the prologue featured a shot of waves breaking onto a cliffshore. This is a reverse of the Dark Shadows (1966) opening, where the prologue featured Victoria Winters traveling and the title sequence was of the waves breaking upon seashore scree.

---

Connections

Referenced in Foxfur (2012)

---

Soundtracks

Season of the Witch
Written and Performed by Donovan
Courtesy of Donovan Discs

User Reviews

Family Is the Only Real Wealth

In 1760, the Collins family moves from Liverpool to the Maine to expand the family empire and dedicate to fishing business. One year later, they are successful and the city of Collinsport is raised in the place. Then, for fifteen years, Joshua and Naomi Collins build their Collinswood mansion. Their servant Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green) has an unrequited love for their son Barnabas (Johnny Depp) that actually loves Josette DuPres (Bella Heathcote). But Angelique is a powerful witch that curses Barnabas and his family, killing his parents, Josette and turning him into a vampire. Then she brings the locals that lock him in a coffin and bury him for the eternity.

In 1972, the young Victoria Winters (Bella Heathcote) comes to the decadent Collinswood to be the tutor of the young David Collins (Gulliver McGrath), who lost his mother two years ago. She finds a dysfunctional family composed by the devoted matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) ahead of the family business that is near bankruptcy; her rebel daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloë Grace Moretz); her brother and David's father Roger Collins (Jonny Lee Miller); the psychiatrist Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter) that takes car of David; and the servants Willie Loomis (Jackie Earle Haley) and Mrs. Johnson (Ray Shirley).

When eleven workers release and awake Barnabas, he drinks their blood and returns to Collinswood. He meets Elizabeth and she tells that the family has been cursed, and Barnabas shows a hidden room with a treasure in side and he promises to protect them and assume the business. When he sees Victoria, he rekindles his love for her. But the witch Angie is still alive and is prominent in the town and she has not forgotten Barnabas.

"Dark Shadows" is a film by Tim Burton that has a promising beginning but the development is lost between comedy and horror. As usual, the dark cinematography is awesome and the music score is spectacular, with hits from the 70's. This film is certainly not among the best films by Tim Burton, but is entertaining. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Sombras da Noite" ("Night Shadows")

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA Australia UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 May 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dark Shadows

Filming Locations:

Black Park, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$29,685,274, 13 May 2012

Gross USA:

$79,727,149

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$245,527,149

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