The reaction to the first DARK SHADOWS trailer ranged from “bleeping abysmal” to “wow, that actually looks like a lot of fun!”. Us, we’re (mostly) in the latter camp, but it’s surely going to be a hard sell for the Brothers Warner. They’re rightly centring the whole campaign around Depp’s Barnabas Collins and the ‘fish-out-of-water’ element, but will this be enough to convince audiences unfamiliar with the source to check it out? Which, let’s face it, is just about everybody. In an age where brand awareness keeps the industry alive, let’s wish Burton the best of luck. In the meantime, here’s a new TV teaser for us to enjoy…

And here’s another…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6NoVmNxKJg

It sure is a fare cry from the original DARK SHADOWS. Check this out if you have the time – episode 1 of the show from all the way back in 1966 (but don’t expect Barnabus, the vampire didn’t show up until ratings began to flag in its second year)…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q39yY6S68xo

Official Synopsis:

“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 Brouchard (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 Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), to help with her family troubles.

Also residing in the manor is Elizabeth’s ne’er-do-well brother, Roger Collins (Jonny Lee Miller); her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Moretz); and Roger’s precocious 10-year-old son, David Collins (Gulliver McGrath). The mystery extends beyond the family, to caretaker Willie Loomis, played by Jackie Earle Haley, and David’s new nanny, Victoria Winters, played by Bella Heathcote.”

Warner Bros. will bring us DARK SHADOWS on May 11th. You can watch the theatrical trailer HERE.

Thoughts? Share ’em with your fellow readers in the comments below or on Twitter  -->

Recommended Posts

No comment yet, add your voice below!


Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *