Dark Shadows Trailer

[Brazoo]

The trailer is finally here:

Dark Shadows - Movie Trailers - iTunes (http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/darkshadows/)

I'm not too familiar with the original material for this, but I imagine it has less fish-out-of-water jokes.

I guess it looks entertaining enough - again, not knowing much about the original - I'm glad Burton is back to creepy/funny stuff, cuz I think that's what he's best at.

[The Toyroom]

Trailer almost makes it play like a comedy...Uh oh....

[MegoScott]

Almost? It look hilarious...

[The Toyroom]

The original was unintentionally campy so I guess it's got a good pedigree :smiley1:

[ShadowAvenger]

That was wrong on so many levels.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Wow. I wasn't expecting THAT.

On it's own, it looks fun, but I have a feeling the faithful are going to be TICKED.

Chris

[The Toyroom]

I was hoping for something a bit more serious to show the Twilighters (my daughter included) what a "real" vampire is but oh, well...This might not be that bad after all.
I'm digging the 70s vibe it has going on and maybe this is the right direction, who knows.
I'm still seeing it no matter what... :wink:

[palitoy]

Burton always uses humour and I think the trailer highlighted that. I doubt it'll be as light as it seems.

Having said that, as a fan of the original series, it made me smile. I look forward to it.

[MegoScott]

I know you are a big fan, I'm glad you aren't bitterly disappointed. It made me laugh.

[palitoy]

Remakes can never take away what was, so I'm rather zen about them in the first place.

Nobody hears "frankenstein" and thinks Robert Deniro!

[The Toyroom]

Having said that, as a fan of the original series, it made me smile. I look forward to it.

Ditto! I think it'll be just fine :yeah:

[mego73]

I had my worries when Depp Barnabas looked like a renagade from an emo goth club. It looks like they are playing it for laughs.

[madmarva]

Here's some stills
www.bleedingcool.com/2012/03/15/21-fresh-images-from-dark-shadows/

I wanted a serious take on Dark Shadows until I saw that trailer. Now, I want to see that movie. What a great trailer and a fantastic and great-looking cast.

[MIB41]

After having to endure watching vampire lore b*stardized into one dimensional Harlequin novels like "Twilight", it is so incredibly refreshing to see Burton and Depp find a fresh spark in the genre. It looks to me like it will be QUITE SERIOUS. But without the trappings of being bland, predictable, and dull. Looks like another Burton/Depp classic coming. I'm pumped!:smiley13:

[Dark Shadow]

The trailer seems heavy on the comedy, hopefully due to the fact that it will first be linked up with 21 Jump Street this weekend. It will be interesting to see if the trailer is altered in any way when it is shown with next week's opening of The Hunger Games.

The atmosphere looks great, will have to wait for the actual film to see what the vibe & tone are. I've read/heard mixed reviews from different viewers who attended the private screening held Tuesday night in Burbank. Some say full blown comedy, some say semi-serious gothic with scattered humorous moments, some weren't exactly sure what they had just seen.

The crux of the original DS vampire storyline was the love triangle between Barnabas, Josette & Angelique which resulted in a brutal Shakespearian-styled melodramatic tragedy of virtual familial annihilation (those "campy" originals!). Some have reported that this focal point gets lost in the "fish-out-of-water" gags, 70's kitsch & period social commentary.

I hope those reviewers were just being overly sensitive and that the trailer is "just a trailer"...cuz I really wanna like this movie and everything up to this point has seemed very promising.

Waiting patiently for May 11, 2012.

[rche]

ok, I'll bite. ;)

do we get to have some more Spectre toys?

[samurainoir]

http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/5071/horrorhound3401.jpg

[Den82]

Barry White? Far cry from that creepy theme that used to give me the chills as a kid (my mother it religiously and I took all her small novels she used to collect).

I think if people think this looks good, they're kidding themselves.

[spacecaps]

What did I just watch? Here's a fish out of water vampire story....oh and he's in the 70's. Jokes. I think the Burton/Depp pairing is equivalent to a rock band that should have stopped making albums 10 years ago but for some reason keeps releasing new material. It's a formula that doesn't work anymore. Willy Wonka, Sleppy Hollow, Alice In Wonderland, Sweeny Todd...all bad movies. This one looks just as forgettable.

[Earth 2 Chris]

^I was hoping for a Sleepy Hollow type flick here. It looks like they took off with the low-budget campiness, rather than the gothic drama angle. As I've said elsewhere, Dark Shadows had a similar vibe to Hammer movies, which I really like. I was hoping some of that Hammer feeling from Sleepy Hollow would carry over.

I was thinking maybe the comedy was amped up by the studio for this trailer. But I doubt WB would do that to Burton. He is a proven director for them, and usually does his biggest projects under the WB banner. So I'm now thinking what we see is what we will get. Not sure how I feel about it, honestly.

The fact that we are just now seeing a trailer and the movie opens in less than two months may not be a good sign either.

Chris

[Den82]

What did I just watch? Here's a fish out of water vampire story....oh and he's in the 70's. Jokes. I think the Burton/Depp pairing is equivalent to a rock band that should have stopped making albums 10 years ago but for some reason keeps releasing new material. It's a formula that doesn't work anymore. Willy Wonka, Sleppy Hollow, Alice In Wonderland, Sweeny Todd...all bad movies. This one looks just as forgettable.

Yes and just like those kind of rock bands, people will continue to make excuses for them, convince themselves they actually like it, etc.

The bad thing when anyone reaches that "legendary" or god-like status, is that nobody wants to speak the truth about them or bad mouth them.

It's like everything good about the series was removed and replaced with stupid, dumbed down humor. They made Barnabas look like a buffoon.

[Wee67]

I was able to see some bits of this a while back and, not being that familiar with the original, I was most curious just to see how fans would react. I'm actually a bit surprised there hasn't been more vitriol here. Some liked it, some hated it, some dismissed while the video downloaded...

As a non-fan, I think this looks pretty funny. Definitely some done-before humor, but I think the execution will work. I'm also not sure where I sit on the Depp-Burton spectrum. I haven't liked some things (so apparently I do speak bad about these "legends) and I've really liked others (or just perhaps convinced my self ;) ).

[GaryPlaysWithDolls]

i think it looks hysterical. I love Tim Burton's stuff. Of course, I don't have any nostalgia for the original. :silly:

[Dark Shadow]

I was hoping for the Sleepy Hollow vibe as well, and at this point it seems as though that hope was misguided, this trailer sure makes the film appear to be an outright parody.

Barnabas was a self-composed, reserved and intellectual character who steadfastly practiced Old World manners & charm. I don't see those qualities reflected in the performances portrayed in this trailer.

Perhaps Depp/Burton loved the sets & costumes of the original series, not necessarily the characters or the content?

We'll no for certain in slightly less than two month's time.

[Nostalgiabuff]

looks good to me. looks like a lot of fun. i never watched the original show so can't compare but frmo what i have read the original show was rather cheesy anyway

[madmarva]

I'm familiar with Dark Shadows. I barely remember it from childhood and I watched a number episodes of it in syndication when I was in high school. I know the concept and like it but wouldn't really consider myself a fan. When I first saw Depp's look for the movie, I was a little concerned about the tone because I expected/wanted a serious take.

However, I found the trailer very funny and am looking more forward to seeing the movie now than before I saw the trailer.

But then again, if I were a big fan of Dark Shadows, I don't think I would have the same attitude; I'd probably be upset and pretty skeptical.

My point is that the more one appreciates or likes a concept, the more difficult it is to accept or like deviations from it.

I can understand why a big fan of Dark Shadows would not like the liberties taken with the tone of the show. After watching that trailer, I can't imagine going to the movie and it being serious at all.

Certainly trailers can be produced to accentuate different aspects of a movie, but that trailer represents a broad comedy not just the humor of an otherwise dramatic movie.

I can certainly understand why a Dark Shadows fan would not care for the tone the trailer presents.

If the trailer for the upcoming Superman movie comes out and it's played for laughs I'd probably be irate.

[Afaninfull]

I have to say I am intrigued to see this and I don't know why.

Tim Burton's films always look great yet always disappoint. I think it all comes down to very weak stories that can't support the dazzling visuals and quirky characters. I hope this one can break the mold because the combination of vampires, Eva Green and 1972 seems like a winner.

[kennermike]

I thought it was good I never got into Dark Shadows late 1960's soap opera .and remember the original following are all baby boomers not the target audiance that goes to films anymore and if their dissapointed with this version it wont really effect ticket sales. that's why Tim Burton and the studio went this route to sell to a younger demographic Generation Xrs and Netgeners

[Dark Shadow]

While the original show certainly lacked the budget and technological advances necessary in order to wrap the complexity of characters & depth of storylines into a sophisticated presentation that would satisfy today's audience, that does not mean that the only option left for the new version is an outright parody...does it? I'm still hopeful that the comedic moments are just that...moments...and not the sum of the movie.

[emeraldknight47]

I watched the trailer at MIB41's (who is a HUGE Depp fan) urging, not knowing what to expect and what I saw made me laugh my freakin' arse off, but also think "Wow, this looks very cool!" It's the first movie that MIB and I have made definite plans to see (aside from THE AVENGERS) for this year. I get a sort of BEETLEJUICE meets FRIGHT NIGHT vibe off of the trailer and I don't mind that at all. Depp's deadpan delivery of lines is classic and the sets and production look more "real world" than Burton's stuff usually does. All said, I'm pretty stoked now...

Now, since THIS is a period piece, let's hope that Depp sticks with that trend for "KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER."

[Dark Shadow]

I'm concerned that the expectations this trailer is generating might just explode in WB Studios "face". On one hand, the masses are favoring the trailer and expecting a comedy or light-hearted adventure; on the other, the fans are/were expecting a gothic thriller and have become disheartened by the comedic flavor of the trailer.

Burton, Depp, Graham-Smith, stars of the film, as well as stars of the original series (who have cameos in the film) have all been on the record stating that the movie has an overall serious tone along with a few laughs thrown in for good measure.

This would not be the first time that WB misled the general public with the tone of a Burton/Depp trailer. Sweeny Todd was marketed as a horror film (sans the musical aspects) and there was a subsequential backlash.

I, for one, would be AOK with a light-hearted or comedy version of DS...as long as that is what I was expecting. Young Frankenstein is one of my all time favorite movies even though I was a huge fan of the Universal classics prior to seeing it. (Even though, to this day, it's difficult for me to watch the original Frankenstein films and not think of the now classic gags portrayed in YF. Every time the Monster growls, I can't help thinking "yummy sound". :silly:)

.........

As for pigeon holing the "fans" of Dark Shadows as boomers...big mistake! The original viewers of the original series did include boomers (kids & college students at the time) as well as a significant adult demographic of non-boomers (housewives & other "at home" adults). However, most of the original viewers have long forgotten Dark Shadows, or have very vague recollections of what it is that they had seen so many years ago.

The "fans" are made up of a fraction of the original viewers as well as viewers who came aboard: in the mid 70's when the show first went into broadcast syndication; in the mid 80's when the show went into it's 2nd and much more successful syndication venture; in the early 90's when the remake series hit network TV; throughout the 90's and early 00's when SciFi ran the entire series (for the first time reaching audiences overseas); the mid 00's after discovering the MPI DVD releases at video stores & rental outlets; up through the late 00's & early 10's after discovering them on Netflix & other streaming sources. The "fans" range in age from 20ish through 60-something.

[danadoll]

I'm a minor fan of the series and I really liked the 90s revival...Unfortunately, this version looks terrible (Dark Shadows is supposed to be about romance, family secrets and horror)...I'll pass.

Dana

[MIB41]

I think the trailer offers a nice balance of action and humor that made sense to me. A two hour movie needs to speaks in a manner that is entirely different from a television show which spends years flushing characters out. Two entirely different translations. We have seen the formula of Vampires interacting with humanity through the ages and have mostly recently been subjected to some of the dumbest treatments ever with Twilight. I think it is definitely time to inject a fresh perspective that offers both horror and irony. If everyone is just walking around with a sullen expression speaking poetically about the meaning of eternal life as the undead, I'm bored. That concept has been beaten to death. If Burton has shown anything through the years as a director, it's that he is a great idea man. His characters are always misfits that contain a pathos to them which allows people to connect. He injects humor, which often serves as insight into the awkwardness from which these characters have to move through life. I think this film has loads of potential to be entertaining while still offering a respectful nod to the series.

[Brazoo]

I think John Carter proves that - for the most part - movies need to be marketed for what they are. Obviously if the movie is crappy you need to make it look good - but otherwise I think trying to fool the audience doesn't work.

It's strange, because I remember reading articles about movie marketing years ago where they were addressing complaints from movie fans that trailers were revealing too much about the plot. Off-hand I remember movies like "The Sum of All Fears", "Cast Away" and "The Forgotten" were being criticized for revealing major plot points in the ads. The marketing people seemed convinced that all the data showed that audiences paid to see movies they knew more about.

There was also a recent study that claimed that people actually enjoyed stories more if they knew the ending before they started:

Spoiling the Ending Makes for a Better Story: Scientific American Podcast (http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=spoiling-the-ending-makes-for-a-bet-11-08-14)

I understand that secrecy and deceit is part of viral marketing - an attempt at building buzz - but I think at the end of the day the ads should match the tone of the movie.

[ctc]

>There was also a recent study that claimed that people actually enjoyed stories more if they knew the ending before they started:

I've had friends tell me that for years. It's why so many ads ARE the movie, in 45 second form. I kinda get the impression that despite all the bluster folks don't REALLY like surprises. Hence the remakes, redos and re-edits: people complain, and they still get made. (And often make a lot of money.)

....maybe there's a global dopamine shortage? (See #7):

7 Scientific Reasons You'll Turn Out Just Like Your Parents | Cracked.com (http://www.cracked.com/article_19722_7-scientific-reasons-youll-turn-out-just-like-your-parents.html)

Don C.

[johnmiic]

While the original show certainly lacked the budget and technological advances necessary in order to wrap the complexity of characters & depth of storylines into a sophisticated presentation that would satisfy today's audience, that does not mean that the only option left for the new version is an outright parody...does it?

That is certainly a mouthful.

[HumanWolfman]

Saddly, this is one I wont be seeing. Looks like a parody to me. What a waste.

[Dark Shadow]

Injecting humor is one thing, saturating the palette is another. As a fan, I am all for a new take, and a fresh perspective. Twilight, Moonlight, Vampire Diaries, Being Human, Bill Compton, Forever Knight, and countless other copycats aside...Dan Curtis did enough on his own to beat his very own original concept to death (House Of Dark Shadows, Bram Stoker's Dracula & the primetime version of Dark Shadows).

That said, is turning Barnabas (and/or vampires in general) into nothing more than a punchline (or as suggested earlier, a buffoon) the best remedy for the problem?

The first half of the trailer does look promising...and then the words 1972 are uttered and we have what appears to be an outright parody.

The panties on the face scene is crass, and brings Madonna to mind (which is an entirely different type of horror altogether).

The over the top foreplay scene is (hopefully) a nightmare or a daydream of Carolyn's and not a genuine scene from the story itself (the long forked tongue...really? When I think of Angelique, I prefer the image of someone who is beautiful yet horrifyingly dangerous over, say, having the unfortunate image of Fred's pet "Dino" pop into my mind).

The toothbrush scene...hopefully part of David's vivid imagination, too ridiculous to be otherwise (Dracula: Dead & Loving It anyone?)

The Grandpa Munster sleeping tribute, once again...hopefully David's vivid imagination.

Alice Cooper...big fan, yet I scratched my head when I heard he was originally cast...now I think I understand. Nothing more than a punchline, and not a very funny one either (ugliest woman ever...yeah...my Dad used to say that all throughout the 70's...and he didn't get a dime for it or even a laugh for that matter).

Ripping off the back of a TV set to see the little people inside...how about a flapping dickie just to accentuate the rip roaring fresh humor in that one.

I'm willing to bet that blouse ripping bust shtick was a deleted scene from one of the Pirate sequels...call it a hunch.

Dark Shadows (Strange Is Relative); Addams Family (Weird Is Relative). Fresh yet coincidental?

Don't misunderstand, I don't hate Burton or Depp. I have seen every Burton film released, and most of Depp's work. I like most of Burton's films, and many of Depp's roles...but I don't believe they always hit the mark...not for me anyway...sometimes they fall way too short. I hope this isn't one of those times.

[danadoll]

I don't know, DS...This movie just looks bad (IMHO).

Dana

[MIB41]

I hear what your saying DS. But I think where you and I may differ is on that original treatment. I often felt the original carried a tremendous degree of camp to it. Jonathan Frid himself used to have a hard time keeping a straight face when he and the cast laughed at the cheese laced, sardonic undertones. So to make a straight drama out of that, I think, would have carried it's own camp which would not translate well to modern audiences. Kind of in the same vein that Flash Gordon did in 1980. In my mind, a modern interpretation has to wink at the audience in the same manner in which a new crowd would view the old treatment. But I understand what your saying here. You can appreciate the winks, as long as they respect the intent of the original material. I bet Burton & Depp will do that. They're both big fans of that original series. So I have to believe they will give it the respect it deserves in all the right places. I have never seen them take a license and do it injustice just to make a buck (Seth Rogen style). Neither of those two, especially Depp, are hurting in the finance department. I think Burton and Depp compliment one another extremely well. They've made seven films together that have grossed nearly two billion dollars worldwide. I get excited every time they team up, because there is no one like them. Have faith my friend. I bet they will serve the classic well. :yes:

[The Toyroom]

^ I agree Tom :wink:

[spacecaps]

I hope the trailer is misleading and this is a dark movie with only bits of humor mixed in. It wouldn't be the first time I was fooled by a Burton/Depp movies either. I went into Sweeny Todd having no idea it was a musical. The second they started singing I was ready to leave.

[MIB41]

I hope the trailer is misleading and this is a dark movie with only bits of humor mixed in. It wouldn't be the first time I was fooled by a Burton/Depp movies either. I went into Sweeny Todd having no idea it was a musical. The second they started singing I was ready to leave.

But it was based on one of the longest running musicals on Broadway. That was the premise from which they worked. :wink:

[Brazoo]

But it was based on one of the longest running musicals on Broadway. That was the premise from which they worked. :wink:

Well, Sweeney Todd was also a story before the Sondheim Broadway musical too... I knew what it was, so it's hard for me to know what I would have thought if I didn't know, but the ads didn't overtly sell it as a musical. I can see how people were confused to some degree, and I really don't get why the marketing did that.

Here's the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_hgrfZVlJA

There's some singing - but that could also come across as Depp's character's madness in that one scene - it's not really advertised as a musical.

I think people might have accepted it more going in knowing what it was - instead of feeling tricked. Some people (for reasons I don't understand) really dislike musicals.

In any case - A LOT of people responded negatively to being 'fooled' into paying to see a musical. There was a fair amount of press on that negative reaction. In the U.K. consumers made official complaints to the advertising Standards Authority and the Trading Standards Agency. Here's one quick article, for an example:

Steve Rose: What the Sweeney Todd trailer failed to tell us about the film | Film | The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/feb/05/features.steverose)

[kingdom warrior]

Burton and Depp never disappointed me....as a Huge fan of DS I'm so there......

[Dark Shadow]

I see the scenes (listed previously) as more Seth Rogen than I do classic Burton. "She looked scared to me" is classic Burton in my book. Panties on the face, boobie jokes and a long forked tongue ring much closer to Airplane, Naked Gun, Scary Movie & Pirate sequels from my perspective.

That is where we differ on this particular topic.

Can't help but wonder if Barnabas will fart at the dinner table and if the rest of the family will giggle with him or at him?

[The Toyroom]

Burton and Depp never disappointed me....as a Huge fan of DS I'm so there......

^ What he said :yeah:

[artskull]

Interested to see it but not getting my hopes up. Was expecting something more in the "Sleepy Hollow" / classic Hammer films vein, but the trailer doesn't seem to point in that direction.

[palitoy]

I hear the second trailer (For Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) is far less comedic.

[vulcan2074]

I'll watch it for sure. :beaming1:
Sammy

[Figuremod73]

Finally saw a commercial for DS on tv. (I hadnt read this thread or knew about the comedic content).

VERY disappointed. This could have been a great film series.

[spacecaps]

I am digging the POP Art style billboards they put up for this film though. Very retro and cool. I still say the movie looks like garbage though but my 6 year old wants to see it big time so I guess we'll go.
http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l570/spacecaps/dark_shadows-2.jpg

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

I gotta say, I’m pretty torn on this one. The bits on the ad are kinda funny, even if they are different from the spirit of the original. But I can see why they’d go the comedy route: the original was a vampire soap opera, and these days there are SO MANY vampire soap operas a straight-up Dark Shadows movie would feel really, REALLY repetitive.

Don C.

[spacecaps]

The flip side to that is so many Soap Opera/Drama TV shows made into movies get turned into comedies.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I'm going to hold my final judgement until I see it, but I was hoping this movie might turn the tide of vampire fiction back to the gothic side of things. A straight, gothic vampire movie would actually be an anomaly in today's market, with Twilight offering teen romance versions, and Underworld mixing vampires with Matrix style action.

To say I was disappointed upon seeing the trailer is an understatement. It still may be a good, enjoyable movie, but it isn't the one I was looking forward to.



Chris

[ShadowAvenger]

I hear the second trailer (For Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) is far less comedic.

I'm about halfway through the book and I'm liking it better than I thought I would.

[Dark Shadow]

E2C - Definitely not the movie I was anticipating either...however...WB has released some official clips that have me feeling a little more hopeful about the over all tone of the finished product.

Follow the link for The Dark Shadows News Page and check out the entry for Saturday, April 28, 2012...it has direct links for each of the (in context) movie clips.

http://darkshadowsnews.blogspot.com/

Great site for keeping up with all things DS (Thanks to Stuart Manning!)

[Dark Shadow]

Also - Don't care for the Pop Art style posters...at all...most especially Depp's. Love the gothic ones though, they're classic.

And, again, the "Strange Is Relative" slogan is a blatant & lazy ripoff from the Addams Family slogan "Weird Is Relative"...I expect better from Burton & Depp.

[Brazoo]

Cloe something-or-other (that little kid from "Kick*ss") was on Letterman tonight.

She gave an almost painfully vapid interview - which I'm not blaming her for, she's just a kid after all - but it was funny seeing Letterman struggle through it. At on point he looked like he was trying to choke the life out his pencil listening to her talk. He really wasn't hiding his pain - it reminded me of the old Letterman in a lot of ways.

Anyway - they showed a clip of the film and it was more fish-out-of-water and 70s related gags. Ah well.