Family Business...

Rating: 8/10 (22 June 2020)

Director Tim Burton's DARK SHADOWS is a frightfully good, neo-Gothic horror / comedy film. It's also a nice tribute to / parody of the original TV series from Dan Curtis. Johnny Depp's take on Barnabas Collins is hilarious and perfectly grim. Eva Green is quite sinister in her role as Barnabas' spiteful nemesis, Angelique Bouchard. The inimitable Michelle Pfeiffer returns to Burton-land as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard. Chloe Grace Moretz continues her rise as a horror movie star as young, scene-stealing Carolyn Stoddard. Helena Bonham Carter is on hand as Dr. Julia Hoffman. Though humorous, this movie retains its creepiness, and has more of the red stuff than most PG-13 productions. The story line manages to be fun and satisfying for fans of the old series, while not alienating the uninitiated. Taking place in 1972, the clothes, cars, and music capture much of that decade's ambiance. Watch for Christopher Lee and Alice Cooper in cameos! Macabre and mirthful...