An imprisoned vampire, Barnabas Collins, is set free and returns to his ancestral home, where his dysfunctional descendants are in need of his protection.
The costumes and production design are first class but Dark Shadows is only a must-see for Burton devotees.
A word of warning: this is not the knockabout comedy the trailer suggests. Instead, it cleaves closer to what you expect from Burton: darkness, quirk and Johnny Depp on great form. A step up, then, from Alice In Wonderland and Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, but not tip-top Tim.
Depp keeps it watchable, as does Green, but this eighth cinematic outing between star and director looks destined to exist in the shadows of their best work.
While Dark Shadows is fun for a while, there’s only so much that can be excused by Burton’s love of kitschy pop culture.
Dark Shadows looks as beguiling as a deserted mansion on a lonely hill, but it’s every bit as empty, and permeated by an unmistakably musty niff.
Business as usual in the increasingly depleted world of pastiche horror.
There are shadows, but they conceal nothing.
In truth, it’s fun but forgettable – and it may just suck the life out of the vampire movie for a while.
Allow yourself to get hung up on the fact that there is no story or characters and you're missing the good stuff.
Hair and make-up have worked overtime, as they usually do on a Burton movie, but they're inadequate cover for this slender and ill-conceived project.
Burton has made his name dipping his toes into the dark water lying between horror and comedy (Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice), but this is a step into a black, wet cowpat.
One of the strangest mainstream releases of recent times, Dark Shadows’ demented gothic melodrama/fish-out-of-water comedy/creature feature feels like you’ve slipped into a Burton fever-dream.
Good idea goes for a Burton.
Despite the electric 1970s colour scheme, Dark Shadows isn't a live wire, just routinely undead.
Ultimately the film is rather ordinary, a bit like a modest Roger Corman horror flick embarrassed by the size of its budget.
It boasts buckets of set design but the same inattentive storytelling that has dogged many of his films recently.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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