Depp/Burton DARK SHADOWS Is In Release!!

[Patti Feinberg]

The only time I've seen the '90 revival, was 1990/91 while channel surfing.

That took itself way too seriously.

As far as .99 bin, I feel like a schmuck, because I pre-ordered THREE of the Depp movie. (Two are still in the original shrink wrap.)

Hmm...what would be the 'likelyhood' of a combo Sam Evans and Sebastian Shaw?

I don't really care what others think of the '12 movie; I liked it, my kids didn't, but, now that ABC Family plays it 9 billion times (the 31 days/Halloween deal), they like it too. And they know they can just watch my DVD.

They also (sort of ) know that I have a VHS of HoDS and a DVD of NoDS, but have never shown an interest in either. Reality though, both those movies wouldn't mean anything , because all they know of DS is First and FOREMOST - - - QUENTIN , and Johnny Depp.

Again, I find the movie enjoyable.

Patti

[michael c]

most movies eventually get relegated to the discount bin. it's part of the natural cycle of a DVD release.


it doesn't necessarily speak to an individual film's quality or success. at the dollar store in my neighborhood nearly George Clooney's entire oeuvre languishes in the bin. and he's still a huge star. DVDs get pressed out by the millions and after the initial burst of activity of a new release are nearly worthless regardless of a film's success or lack thereof. really only "classics" get repackaged and rereleased at full price into perpetuity.

still haters of the Depp film look at this as "validation" that the movie "sucked".

[The Doctor and K9]

I am conflicted about the '12 series. What I mostly object to was the radical change in the character of Barnabas. As Frid himself stated, Barnabas played the lie. In '12 we get Depp coming out of the coffin proclaiming for all to hear that he is a vampire!  It makes him seem like an imbecile. Being a vampire got him entombed and now he's emerged and is showing off?  Elizabeth is ok with this blood sucker being loose in her home? I also HATE the "LOVE??" scene with Angelique.  She's ruined his life and he's in bed with her? Totally unnecessary and not even funny.  If you hooked me up a to a meter that showed how much I loved or loathed something you'd see it bounce back and forth like a pendulum. There's a lot to love. Depp's performance, regardless of how a scene was written is fantastic. I love the scenes that ran parallel to Cooper's performance. I for one, do not care for the tone. I would have preferred a more serious horror movie. I would not have excised all of the comedy. I thought the scenes about Barnabas adjusting to the 20th Century were spot on. I also loved most of the performances by the actors. The casting was terrific. I still watch it from time to time but I forward scan past certain scenes if no one else is watching with me.

[KMR]

Very true, michaelc. Like the 1991 series, the Burton movie is never a presence at Festival events.

Interestingly, at the only Festival that I have attended, the 1991 series was very much present and wasn't at all a subject of controversy.  In fact, it was celebrated, and some cast members were in attendance.  But that was in the summer of 1991, after the series had aired and been cancelled.  Maybe the lack of a continuation of the series eventually made some people sour on the whole thing?

[Patti Feinberg]

the 1991 series was very much present and wasn't at all a subject of controversy.  In fact, it was celebrated, and some cast members were in attendance.  But that was in the summer of 1991, after the series had aired and been cancelled.  Maybe the lack of a continuation of the series eventually made some people sour on the whole thing?

Was it the original series cast, or the '91 cast?

I can't really say anything about the continuation, since I never watched from start to finish.

How many episodes were there filmed for that series?

Patti

[Cousin_Barnabas]

There were 12 episodes, Patti.

In reality, those 12 episodes should have been more like 36 given the amount of story they covered.   

[KMR]

Was it the original series cast, or the '91 cast?

I can't really say anything about the continuation, since I never watched from start to finish.

How many episodes were there filmed for that series?

There were cast members from both the original and 1991 series.  I think the only from 1991 were Lysette Anthony and Adrian Paul.  Most of the usual suspects from the original series were there (the ones I remember were Jonathan Frid, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Lara Parker, Roger Davis, John Karlen, Christopher Pennock, Michael Stroka, Marie Wallace, and Terry Crawford).

[The Doctor and K9]

There were cast members from both the original and 1991 series.  I think the only from 1991 were Lysette Anthony and Adrian Paul.

If you are referring to the 91 Festival in LA, Veronica Lauren and Michael Cavanaugh were also there. I don't recall if there was a 91 Festival in NY. If so there was most likely a different group of 91 guests.

[Uncle Roger]

Julianna McCarthy and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were at that same California convention. Lysette Anthony came to several, including one where she was teamed onstage with Lara Parker. The last time any of the NBC cast attended an event was the 1994 Festival in NYC, which had Roy Thinnes, Jim Fyfe and Barbara Blackburn.

Fyfe and Joanne Dorian (who played a nurse in the 1790 setting) are scheduled to appear at the event in Norwalk, Connecticut later this month.

[The Doctor and K9]

Julianna McCarthy and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were at that same California convention.

They were not at the 91 Con in LA. I have all the panels on video tape. They may have gone there another year or perhaps NYC in 91.

[KMR]

If you are referring to the 91 Festival in LA, Veronica Lauren and Michael Cavanaugh were also there. I don't recall if there was a 91 Festival in NY. If so there was most likely a different group of 91 guests.

Oh, that's right!  This was LA, and while I don't remember Lauren, now I do specifically remember Cavanaugh, and him talking about his distinctive and entertaining Maine accent as Sheriff Patterson.  (And if the Fest had occurred after my subsequent viewings of the series, I would most definitely have kept Cavanaugh in my memory--initially I was sort of indifferent toward him, but over the years he's the one in the cast that I've found myself most attracted to!)

[Mysterious Benefactor]

It's very nice to see that the Depp/DS film makes a return for this year's ’13 Nights of Halloween’ on ABC Family:

Night 10 –- Wednesday, Oct. 28
“Dark Shadows” (8:15 – 11:00 p.m. ET/PT)

And it's great to see that once again it's being run in primetime.

[michael c]

what is the current "status" of the film??? it seems to exist in some sort of void...


largely reviled in the fandom. not a "bomb" at the time of it's release as some would have you believe but it's come and gone for the general public without much resonance. the dvd can regularly be spotted in the discount bins. 

does it have a small fanbase of it's own I'm unaware of? how is it regarded in the burton/depp lexicon? is it considered one of their better collaborations with that audience? you don't see it mentioned like 'sleepy hollow' or 'beetlejuice'.

it just seems to have fallen through the cracks.

[Uncle Roger]

You raise some interesting questions here. The Depp movie did have several Facebook groups devoted to it at one point. I am not sure if they are still active.

In fandom, it still seems to be as reviled as the NBC series and Betsy Durkin once were. Time has been rather kind to both of them. I wonder if that will also be the case with the Depp film.

[michael c]

I really liked it...

but other than on this page I don't even mention it unless I want to get attacked and bombarded with words like "insult", "travesty" and "abomination".

and you can't just dislike it. you have to HATE IT.