Movie Review: Dark Shadows

MOVIE REVIEW

Dark Shadows

Rated: M

Review: Jackie Coffin

Rating: 7/10

Dark Shadows is a love story —albeit a very dark one with blood, curses, witchcraft, ghosts, avery splendid yellow chevy and Alice Cooper, but a love story nonetheless.

The newest film by master of the beautifully bizarre Tim Burton, Dark Shadows is a twisted tale of love and revenge, with a bit of vampire action for good measure.

Like Quentin Tarantino, Burton’s work is so unique and recognisable as to have become its own genre and by now movie goers know what to expect from one of his films.

You either get it or you don’t.

Dark Shadows stars Burton stalwarts Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter and is quite sinister despite what the trailers might have you believe.

While there is an odd humour in some parts, the whole film possesses a decidedly creepy undercurrent.

Barnabus Collins (Depp) is patriarch of a well established, fine old Maine family and is heir apparent to the family business.

Not so odd so far, except that Barnabus is a vampire — because we all know that in Burton land nothing is ever straightforward.

Some 200 years old, Barnabus has returned to the family fold to discover the Collins’ fortune all but gone, with along-standing curse still wreaking havoc on the line and his descendants in dire need of rescuing.

First on the agenda is resurrecting the family business which has become a shell of its former glory.

The company has been run into the ground by a rival company owned by Angelique Bouchard — Barnabus’ archnemesis and the young witch whose heart he long ago spurned as a precocious young man.

The cause of all his troubles, Angelique is hell-bent on claiming Barnabus’ love or preventing anyone else from having it.

A crazy scheme is thus launched to remove Angeliqueandallow the family to live happily ever after which Barnabus undertakes simultaneously dodging witchy Ms Bouchard and her wicked ways and trying to woo his love interest Victoria Winters — a dead ringer for the one that got away.

Barnabus is charming and eccentric in just the right doses and the motley crew that make up his family is deliciously zany, each in their own ways.

Depp is magnificent, as he always is in a Burton film, with the two men having an understanding of each other’s art — a symbiotic relationship if you will as actor and director — and is complemented by a cast of fantastically loopy characters.

This film has it all—secret passageways, hidden treasure, black magic,a great soundtrack and a glorious surprise at the end.

Dark Shadows is based on the gothic horror soap opera of the same name, which has enjoyed a cult following for many years and is regarded as something of a camp masterpiece by its fans.

It would appear then that Burton has done a good job of reinventing it.

If you’re a Burton fan you won’t be disappointed.

If Dark Shadows is your first attempt at the Burton genre, just go with it and enjoy the ride.