A fabulous new Johnny Depp Dark Shadows movie trailer video has viewers in stitches at the totally hysterical preview for Tim Burton‘s latest cinematic offering.
The original Dark Shadows television show may not have meant to be campy and deliciously amusing to watch — but it just was. I am personally delighted at how Tim Burton has played homage to the cult classic camp status of the original Dark Shadows nighttime soap opera series.
In the new Johnny Depp Dark Shadows movie trailer, Tim Burton has taken the unintentionally funny nature of the original series and crafted it into an intentionally hilarious art form. If I’ve already laughed out loud from just watching the Dark Shadows movie trailer video, I have high hopes for the film.
Plus, Tim Burton favorite Johnny Depp could not be any more awesome as vampire Barnabas Collins. In the Dark Shadows trailer, Depp strikes just the right balance between the serious and the comical, breathing new life into the tale of Barnabas Collins with his own unique twist on the iconic character.
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The author obviously knows little to nothing about the original series, it was an afternoon soap opera and was not “campy” at all, it was twisted, ghoulish, macabre, claustrophobic and disquieting. There are elements now that, given the production limitations of the time and the ambitious over reach of the story lines’ special effects requirements, are amusing, but the overall tone was one of dread and fear. Tim Burton is too trite to translate that atmosphere into a modern retelling so he made a silly little candy colored goth lite trifle. Guillermo Del Torro should have directed the film!
Well, it was an evening soap opera where I lived. And whether it was meant to be campy or not (and there is some debate on whether the writers added in a bit of ridiculous flavor now and then on purpose), it WAS campy to viewers in reruns and even to some original viewers, including my Mom and grandfather — who always thought it was hysterical.