Depp/Burton DARK SHADOWS Is In Release!!

[michael c]

I just glanced at a couple of the 2012 FB pages and they haven't had any activity in years.

[MagnusTrask]

They should have known what it would be like, the moment they heard that Tim Burton was making it.  Anyway, DS fandom survived it, we're still here, and the Depp movie can be watched in a more relaxed way now, knowing the fate of the free world doesn't hang on it.

Good question, michael c.

[michael c]

I wish attitudes around it were more relaxed...

I constantly have to extricate myself from conversations because of the dramatic flareups that occur with it's mere mention.


in most corners of the fanbase the venom is as potent as it was the day the first stills were released.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Who knows what the feelings about the film are outside of that very vocal group in fandom that still hates it? Some things we do know, though: the film was much more successful in the rest of the world than it was in the US - on Youtube there are many tribute videos for the film, with several seemingly fighting it out as to who's better for Barnabas: Angelique or Vicki (so that alone shows there is some sort of fanbase for the film beyond the members here who like it) - there is actually at least one movie critic who, when compiling a list of Burton's 5 best films, included DS on that list (at #4, I believe - and there's a link to the list around here somewhere) - and the film shows up quite often on ABC Family as part of their special presentations (it even had a May Sweeps showing there this year - sort of an acknowledgement of the third anniversary of its release), so I doubt the film doesn't do well on ABC Family or else they wouldn't keep showing it, particularly during primetime, particularly as high profile showings, and especially scheduling it during a ratings sweeps period.

Of course one thing to keep in mind is that quite often fandoms are a film's harshest critics and their opinions don't necessarily jibe with those of the general public. Case in point, Star Trek: Into Darkness was voted the worst ST film in a fan poll, despite the fact that the film received mostly good reviews and made a bucketload of money at the boxoffice. Go figure... (And BTW, Star Trek: Into Darkness also frequently shows up in the discount bins.)

And so far as the persistent belief in some corners that the DS film was a bomb, the Huffington Post once addressed that directly in an article they did on films that not only weren't bombs, they were much more successful than some would have us believe. In part they encapsulated the phenomenon with the old saying "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." And that's exactly what the case is with DS. Many wish to ignore the real facts in favor of the inaccurate "legend." And no matter how many times the facts are actually addressed on places like the Huffington Post, the "legend" is what continues to be spread...

[Uncle Roger]

Certainly everyone is entitled to their own opinion but, when all is said and done, it is just a movie. And, if a Dark Shadows movie is the only thing that you have to complain about, that you're pretty damn lucky.

[michael c]

does burton's trippy oeuvre have it's own fanbase similar to DS???


I wonder how it's regarded there on it's own terms and not in comparison to the OS???

[Gothick]

The Depp/Burton Shadows film was mentioned in a paragraph in a surprising context in a very short book I read sections of last week.  The book is a monograph on the Mario Bava classic BLACK SUNDAY from 1960 with Barbara Steele.  I think the author's name is Martyn Conterio but I don't really feel like looking it up on Amazon.  The book is in a series called Devil's Advocates, published in London by Auteur press; the series is supposed to be dedicated to re-examinations of classic horror films. 

In a penultimate chapter, the author discusses what he calls the "legacy" of the Bava film.  He mentions a couple of scenes in the Burton/Depp film as instances of Tim Burton's adulation of this movie and use of imagery from it in various films of his oeuvre.  SLEEPY HOLLOW (the Burton film) is also cited.  I remember he mentions the secret passage through the fireplace as one instance of influence or homage, and something about the scene where Elizabeth and Barnabas are together down in the catacombs as another. 

His discussion of the film and the sequences was done in a very flat, objective tone.  Nothing about how awful or scandalously bad it all was or any of the other rhetoric we've seen in various fannish discussion threads.  I'm not sure that the author is familiar with other avatars of Shadows.

Best,  G.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I'm quite surprised that Depp's Black Mass didn't open bigger than it did. It seemed like a sure fire big opening to me. But then, maybe that's because I live in MA and Whitey Bulger is still a huge story here (in fact: ‘Black Mass’ Does Big Box Office in Boston). But I suppose in the rest of the country that's not quite the case. But there's definitely one good thing when it comes to Black Mass: while writing about it the entertainment columnist for KUTV.com acknowledges that DS made money. Shocking, right?! What is wrong with him?! Doesn't he know he's supposed to be in lock step with all the columnists who insist the film was a bomb?! If he doesn't watch out, he might actually write other truths about other films - and that certainly won't do - and he'll be likely to find himself shunned and without a job. 

Though there is one thing that he got wrong because he makes it seem as if the $23.4M opening for Black Mass is more than DS brought in for its opening. But DS actually opened with $29.7M, and under much stiffer competition than Black Mass had.

[Uncle Roger]

The title Black Mass is somewhat misleading. That would be more appropriate for a horror movie.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

That's true, Uncle Roger.

And I see that now that the actuals have come in, Black Mass has been adjusted to $22.6M - so that makes DS' opening even better in comparison...

[Josette]

CNN had a lot of coverage of the recent trial (I just looked it up and I can't believe it was 2 years ago), so I'm fairly familiar with him.  I don't know how much other national reporting there was, though, so maybe most people don't know about it.  I agree with Uncle Roger about the title.

[Midnite]

Bulger's arrest in 2011 while living under the radar near the beach in Santa Monica made big headlines on the West Coast.  Otherwise not so much.

[dom]

Yes, a three day story (at most) on the national news as I remember it.

[madscntst]

I think that Black Mass is doing pretty well for the type of film it is.  It had a relatively small budget, and like many films this time of year it is more of an "awards consideration" film than a "big box office" film.  Plus, it's rated R, which also cuts down on the box office.  It actually did better yesterday (Monday) than that Maze Runner film that beat it over the weekend, because it was a school day and more of the kids that see Maze Runner will go on the weekend than a weekday, whereas adults will still be going on school days.

I agree about the title being a little misleading, but it is part of the title of the book.  And in a way, after seeing it, I'd argue that in a way, it's a bit of a horror film, anyway 

[michael c]

I went to school in Boston and thus have a slight connection to story...

I read the book many years ago and found it fascinating. there's a good documentary on Netflix about Bulger as well. when this hits Netflix i'll give it a look.