Susan Abel Sullivan, author
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Novel: WEREDOG WHISPERER
  • Novel: HAUNTED HOUSEWIVES
  • Collection: CURSED
  • eBook: FRIED ZOMBIE DEE-LIGHT!
  • Blog
  • Events and Appearances
  • Short Stories/poems
  • Follow Me
  • Mystery dog?
  • Odyssey Writing Workshops
  • Contact

Dark Shadows: Past and Present

7/18/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Dark Shadows: then (1966-1971) and now (2012)
I watched Tim Burton's Dark Shadows for the second time last night at home on DVD and I have to say I liked it much better than when I saw it in the theater two years ago.  The reason? I knew it was a spoof the second go-round. 

I grew up mesmerized by the original Dark Shadows gothic soap opera as a kid from 1966-1971.  The soap played the paranormal element as dead serious, to pardon a pun.  And since the time period was the late sixties/early seventies, there was no spoofing the culture because we were all living that culture.

Fast forward to 2012. 

As a fan of Tim Burton's work, I was looking forward to the premiere of his version of Dark Shadows starring Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer.  I'd enjoyed Dan Curtis's 1991 Dark Shadows mini-series and was hoping that Burton would revive the original gothic atmosphere and storyline. 

So I was a good bit disappointed to discover my beloved Dark Shadows was being spoofed, although there are several great comedic moments in the film.

AND the writers had taken liberties with the original story--some needed and some just plain baffling.  Overall, I felt the film was just okay, neither good nor bad.

However, when I found it on DVD in the bargain bin for five bucks, I decided to give it a whirl again. Sometimes I actually like movies better on the second viewing. Plus it would be a great addition to my Dark Shadows collection, including the original soap that I faithfully taped off the TV years ago, the feature film from 1970--House of Dark Shadows--several "The Best of Dark Shadows" videos, and the mini-series on DVD. 

And I was right. Now that I knew it was supposed to be a comedy, I could sit back and enjoy the clever spoofing. One of the things that irked me about the original story is that Barnabas Collins is released from his 200 year imprisonment by Willie Loomis, and yet despite the huge changes in culture during that time, he manages to find modern clothes, speak in a modern manner, although a bit stiffly, and doesn't seem amazed or befuddled by modern technology like cars, electricity, phones, or modern culture and fashion. As a writer, that really bothered me. However, being that D.S. was a soap that relied totally on indoor sets and each new set was expensive to create, the producers/writers decided to skip the transition between Barnabas being released and his reintroduction to modern society. 

However, Tim Burton's film has delightful fun with Barnabas' interaction with the new world he finds himself in. McDonald's golden arches are the sign of Mistopheles (Satan), being stoned is a means of execution rather than being high on drugs, and a teenager wearing a short dress in 1971 is mistaken for a prostitute. 

As for the story changes, since the original writers of DS the soap were literally making it up as they went along--in fact, the whole vampire storyline was contrived as a ratings booster and was only supposed to last for two weeks--in hindsight the characters of Maggie Evans and Victoria Winters should have been combined into one as they are in the 2012 movie. 

Some of the other story changes aren't satisfying to a die-hard DS fan, though.  Roger Collins then was an uptight, arrogant, prissy bore. Roger Collins now is a womanizing, thieving sleaze.  David Collins then was a spoiled rich-kid brat. David Collins now is a sympathetic boy who sees his mother's ghost.  Caroline Stoddard then was a responsible young woman with lots of friends in Collinsport. Caroline Stoddard now is an obnoxious fifteen-year old who was bitten by a werewolf in her crib (huh????)  Willie Loomis then was a lowlife petty thief who becomes a lovable, sympathetic human servant to Barnabas. Willie Loomis now is a rather disgusting looking alcoholic family servant. 

However, Michelle Pfeiffer's Elizabeth Collins Stoddard is quite interesting and fun to watch and Helena Bonham Carter does a wonderful job of impersonating the amazing Grayson Hall as Dr. Julia Hoffman.  Dr. Hoffman was one of my favorite characters in the original show. 

So, how do I rate Dark Shadows 2012 now? As a spoof and comedy, it's 4 out of 5 stars.  I do hope, though, that someone will one day attempt to film a version that's closer to the original story and atmosphere.  Either way, there's something about Dark Shadows that makes us want to keep revisiting it.
0 Comments

    Archives

    March 2019
    March 2018
    February 2018
    June 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012

    Author

    Speculative Fiction writer

    Categories

    All
    Airline Travel
    Alternate Universes
    Andrea Janes Interview
    Annnalee
    Bathroom Humor
    Blogging Vs Writing
    Brown Nosing
    Buy Books For Bo
    Casting Your Characters
    Cats
    Christmas
    Coffin Hop
    Crazy At Casa Sullivan
    Dark Shadows
    Dearth Of Older Characters
    Dinosaurs And Ships
    Doggy Style
    Dogs
    Dreams
    East Alabama Today Interview
    Fainting
    Family
    Favorite Books
    Favorite Movies
    Ferrets
    Fire Batons
    Freak Snow Storm
    Free Books
    Fruitcake Sanctuary
    Fun Wine
    Glamour By Andrea Janes
    Halloween
    Hawaii
    Hobbies
    Hula Hooping
    Interests
    Jonathon Frid; Dark Shadows; Barnabas Collins
    Lions
    Love At Second Sight
    Made-up Words
    Misadventures
    Monkeys
    Moxie
    New Year's Eve
    Off Color Topics
    Pet Skunks
    Procrastination
    Publication News
    Rats
    Rotting Corpses
    Secret Chickens
    Sick And Puny
    Snakes
    Stability Ball Chair
    Stalking Celebrities
    Steiff
    Stephen King
    Story Ideas
    Storytelling Through The Arts
    Super Heroes
    Thanksgiving
    The Best Dracula Movies
    The Business Of Writing
    The Hubs
    The Weredog Whisperer
    The Weredog Whisperer: Luna
    Thrift Store
    Turkey Hats
    TV Guest Appearance
    Vietnamese Pot-bellied Pig
    Were-sharks
    Writer Interviews
    Zombies

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.