I thought it was great!

Rating: 8/10 (11 May 2012)

Yes....I was one of those 13 year old kids who could hardly wait to get home from school to see Dark Shadows each day.....I had the soundtrack album, I had a thing for Barnabas, and Angelique scared the hell out of me. Anyway, I had read some of the reviews of the movie here on IMDb and was so disappointed - so many people are down on this movie. I tried to go with an open mind and saw the movie tonight. It was great! (I never started squirming in my seat - a sure sign that I am ready for a movie to be over so I can escape it. Well, I never squirmed once during this movie.) It is not 2 hours of "hokey comedy" - nor is it intended to be. This is what you would call "black comedy" - drama with moments of comic relief. If a person goes expecting it to be a steady stream of laughs then that person would be disappointed. It has some very tender moments - especially how Barnabas relates to and communicates with the troubled young David. The movie is respectful of the TV program and the fact of the matter is, though the TV show was a "soap-drama" and we loved it - even as a 13 year old sometimes I laughed because it was so "hokey". Those of us who remember the show know exactly what I mean by that. As for the movie, the acting, the cinematography, the scenery, and the music was all extremely good. The cinematography alone was beyond all expectations. My only complaint would be that Angelique was no where near as terrifying in the movie as she was in the TV program. Geez - she was one evil chick. And also, I have to say this: unfortunately for Johnny Depp, movie-goers seem to be judging him now by some bizarre Captain Jack Sparrow standard. Forget the bad reviews and think for yourself - give this movie a chance. You won't be sorry.