Tim Burton strikes again! This time he tells us the dark tale of a family cursed, of a lore lost in time, of a formidable creature that stalks on the flesh and blood of the living
Okay, moving on from the creepy theatrics, Dark Shadows is the tale of a rich (and somewhat frisky) man who breaks the heart of a witch. To get back at him, she kills the one woman he does love, turns him into a vampire and throws him into a coffin so he would suffer for all eternity. Only, two hundred years later some construction workers dig up his coffin by mistake and set him free. Mr. Collins now returns to what is left of his family in an era infested by the hippies.
The movie is typical Tim Burton. It's dark, a little bit sadistic and the best part; it takes you back to the good ol' melodrama of the classic vampire movies. For those of you who have watched and loved Dracula (and I mean the old one with Bela Lugosi not the new age crappy remakes) and the old Dark Shadows TV series, the references to the latter will be a thrill to perceive!
The drawback: Dark Shadows is going to appeal to a very selected audience, one that is well versed with the dark and sadistic humour of Tim Burton. This is a classic example of 'smooth waters run deep'. Not everyone will get the jokes or the sarcasm of the otherwise ridiculous seeming concepts of the movie. Dark Shadows is a tribute to the 1930s era of vampire stories with a twist of wit and colour, and only the die-hard classic movie buffs are truly going to appreciate the theme of Dark Shadows.
Also, Chloe Grace Moretz was quite pathetic. She tried to oversell her role in the movie and ended up seeming like she was on a perpetual acid trip wile taking occasional doses of crack.
Even then, I couldn't be happier to see a real vampire on the screen. The ones who kill compulsively and can't be seen in the mirrors! Watching the movie reminded me of my childhood, when I would spend weekend evenings huddled together with the girls in the hostel with a big tub of popcorn, watching classic horror movies.
To sum it up, I think a lot of people are going to end up disliking the movie and frankly speaking, if youre one of the people who think that classic style melodrama is a bore, then skip it. But for people, who are familiar with, and like Tim Burtons earlier work, or are tired of watching stupid vampires cry and whine about their conscience (in five movies goddamnit!), drop everything and go for this move!
Here's one to the end of the age of wussy and sparkling Vampires!
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