Dark Shadows

“Every family has its demons.”

Visually speaking, this was a stunning film to watch. Tim Burton’s productions are often a visual treat, and Dark Shadows is no exception. Between the movie’s captivating production design and some clever costuming, there was no shortage of aesthetic appeal at any point during the show. Another admirable trait would be Johnny Depp’s precision performance as the lead character, Barnabas Collins. It was clear that he took advantage of every possible opportunity for timing and wit the screenplay had to offer him.

Speaking of wit, there are moments in the film that were actually quite funny, due in no small part to the story’s basic premise. But unfortunately, this is all the screenplay really has to boast of. As far as the story’s structure and theme are concerned, it’s a mess. I’ll try to explain... but first, a word about tone.

Dark Shadows has been labeled and advertised as a comedy—which it was. But the first 15-20 minutes weren’t humorous at all... rather, everything leading up to the first real laugh worked to establish a dark, very creepy undertone. This is a dangerous game for a comedy to play. Generally speaking, if you can’t get your audience to laugh within the first 5 minutes, you run the risk of not getting them to laugh at all.

Now, about the movie’s theme: it clearly established from the beginning that family is most important. That’s just fine... it’s a good, solid theme to work with. The only problem is that most of the film ends up being about something entirely different—a doomed love triangle. Let it be said that a romantic subplot can be easily worked into a family-themed and oriented story, but only if it remains just that: a subplot.

What we’re left with instead is a main character with no relational growth towards the theme at all. If anything, he digresses—instead of bringing his family closer together, he breaks them further apart. His reasoning is that they dishonored the family name. Well, that’s close... but not quite there, is it? Not to mention that his romantic interest really has nothing to do with the family at all, other than the fact that she was guided there earlier by the ghost of Barnabas’ previous lover, who she just happens to look like.

Ok, so there’s a myriad of other problems to go along with that... but let’s just work with what we have. Let’s keep the original theme—that family is most important. Only, Barnabas doesn’t like his new family. They’re distanced by two centuries of culture. Enter the romantic interest. She loves the new family—especially since her own family disowned her as a child. Through this love interest, Barnabas begins to love his new family, too, just in time to come together and fight off the evil witch Angelique... together.

This may not solve all of the story’s problems, but it would at least be a decent start. It would have given the protagonist a much clearer character arc, the romantic relationship a whole lot more meaning, and the overall story a much more coherent theme—and still have plenty (if not more) room for the humor.

Overall, while it is a visually gorgeous film, it unfortunately failed on several levels of storytelling.