First, disclosure. I'm not a Dark shadows fan—only because I've never watched the original series. Or the remake. But I have seen the first movie spin-off: House of dark shadows (1970). Kinda liked it.
I've known Tim Burton was slated to direct an adaptation for a while. Before I saw the publicity stills, I thought it might even be a good flick. He's an interesting director; Sleepy Hollow (1999) was an entertaining, Hammeresque flick. But when the stills were released and I saw Johnny Depp in what looked like pancake make-up—or one hell of an airbrush job—and my apprehensions rose.
Today, I saw the upcoming movie's trailer shipped around on Facebook. And, well, let's say it hasn't allayed my concerns. You'll see what I mean:
Sorry Burton fans; this thing looks utterly and completely stupid. Not in a good, fun way, either. I'm savvy enough to know the original series was kinda campy, but what the hell is this supposed to be? I'm sure this adaptation wasn't intentionally meant to piss all over the series fanbase, as I also know Burton and Depp are included in their ranks. Still, it's hard to reach any other conclusion. At least, going on the trailer.
