Dark Shadows

Tim Burton's Dark Shadows is making its way onto DVD and Blu-ray tomorrow (Tuesday, October 2nd) and Shock Till You Drop was offered the chance to speak to the original screenwriter of that film, John August.

August is out promoting another Burton effort, Frankenweenie, opening in theaters this Friday (October 5th), however, this writer wanted to know a bit more about his original vision of Dark Shadows before Seth Grahame-Smith came in and did a rewrite on the film.

Asked how much of his work is represented in the final cut, August told me, "Not a lot.  Dark Shadows, when it came to me, it was before Twilight had come out and before True Blood.  They said, 'Let's make a big gothic, vampire drama.'  I pitched that and I wrote a Godfather-like saga of the Collins family and Barnabas was at the center of it all."

Warner Home Entertainment has sent out an alert informing press that Tim Burton's Dark Shadows is debuting on DVD and Blu-ray on October 2nd.  The presentation?  Rather weak sauce in the special features department.

Opening in theaters today: Dark Shadows, directed by Tim Burton.  On writing duties is Seth Grahame-Smith, not necessarily a newcomer to the genre, but a writer making his feature debut with this adaptation of the supernatural soap opera.

Shock first met Grahame-Smith when his book, How to Survive a Horror Movie, hit shelves.  We later crossed paths during the interview sessions for His Name Was Jason, the Friday the 13th documentary (which Grahame-Smith is all over talking about his love for the franchise).  His real success took off with the Jane Austen mash-up Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which launched not just a novel but a movie deal.

This summer, audiences get a one-two punch from him with Dark Shadows and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, an adaptation of his novel, produced by Tim Burton opening June 22nd.  So, yes, we'll be hearing much more about the writer in the coming months.  For now, we spoke to him about all things Burton/Johnny Depp.  Head inside for our chat about bringing Dark Shadows to the screen.

It's Tim Burton week here at Shock, apparently.  Today, earlier today we offered a preview of Frankenweenie and the coverage keeps on rolling for Dark Shadows, opening in theaters this Friday.

After the jump, you can listen to the audio from a recent press press conference with Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green, Jonny Lee Miller, Chloë Grace Moretz, Jackie Earle Haley, Bella Heathcote, director Tim Burton, writer Seth Grahame-Smith and producer Richard D. Zanuck.  It is quite amusing, to say the least.  For our review of the film, follow this link.

In the late 18th Century, Barnabas Collins  (Johnny Depp) spurned the love of the witch Angelique (Eva Green) who cursed him, turning him into a vampire and having him buried alive. In 1972, his coffin is found and opened and he returns to his beloved mansion Collinswood where his descendants still live and he discovers the world has changed a lot in the 200 years he was gone, although Angelique is still alive and trying to ruin the Collins’ business and name.

By now, the history of director Tim Burton and his best bud and frequent collaborator Johnny Depp is fairly well known with watershed high points Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood, followed by lots of “Ed”-less movies that have received mixed reactions. In fact, it almost seems like the weaker the results of their collaboration, the more money a movie will make at the box office, and if that rule holds, Warner Bros should be very happy with the box office performance of  Dark Shadows.

You may already know that this is based on the cult supernatural soap opera of the ‘60s, but rather than maintaining the shoddy charm of the television show’s notoriously poor production values, the film is on the opposite side of the spectrum as Tim Burton and his team do an amazing job introducing the lush environment of Collinsport, Maine, where the story mainly takes place. 

No stranger to the world of genre, Chloë Grace Moretz's early credits include films like 2005's The Amityville Horror, 2008's The Eye and 2010's Let Me In.

This Friday, the young talent joins forces with director Tim Burton in Dark Shadows, playing Carolyn Stoddard alongside a cast that includes Johnny Depp, Eva Green, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote and Gulliver McGrath.

What's more, she's gearing up to play the leading role in Carrie, Kimberly Peirce's upcoming re-adaptation of Stephen King's very first novel.

In the following exclusive interview with ShockTillYouDrop.com, Moretz talks about returning to a darker side of cinema, working alongside Burton and what fans can expect from her Carrie White next year.

Writer Seth Grahame-Smith provided Shock Till You Drop with an update on his upcoming projects while promoting Dark Shadows this afternoon.  He broke it down real easy, filling us in on the priority projects that await his attention.

Surprisingly, Beetlejuice 2 is not something he's jumping on right away.  The other day, Tim Burton told us he's waiting on the writer's take on the sequel.  But it appears Grahame-Smith has some other things he needs to tackle first.

"Everyone is waiting for me to get my ass in gear," Grahame-Smith said.  "I just finished a script called Night of the Living, and I'm giving it to Tim this weekend.  And I'm moving now into adapting Unholy Night, which I have to deliver to Warner Bros.  I've got to do this, then I'm going around the world for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, so I'll be writing Unholy Night on the plane and in hotel rooms."

When we last reported on Night of the Living, I speculated that the plot could be a unique twist on Night of the Living Dead, except that the humans were a threat to the zombies and not vice versa.

Making the press rounds for Tim Burton's Dark Shadows, Jonny Lee Miller (Dexter) talked with The Hollywood Reporter about another vampire film he's going to appear in (let's not forget he also co-starred in Dracula 2000): Byzantium.

Directed by Neil Jordan the film stars Saoirse Ronan and Gemma Arterton Eleanor and Clara, two mysterious and penniless young women, flee the scene of a violent crime and arrive in a run-down coastal resort. They try to find money and refuge along the tawdry seafront and in the dilapidated hotels.  Clara, ever-practical, sells her body. She soon meets shy and lonely Noel, who provides a roof over their heads in his seedy guesthouse, Byzantium. Clara, always looking towards the future, turns it into a ‘pop-up’ brothel.

After the jump, watch Miller talk about working with Burton and Jordan and Byzantium.

Tim Burton's Dark Shadows has given birth to a new web featurette, this one entitled "Strange Family." Head inside for this latest preview of the May 11th release which is based on the popular supernatural television soap opera.  Johnny Depp leads the cast as the vampire Barnabas Collins.  I'm curious, how many of you are excited for the film?  It's hard to judge the advance vibe...

Nine clips from Tim Burton's Dark Shadows have been exhumed, giving you a better look at this adaptation arriving on May 11th.

Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Chloe Moretz and Gulliver McGrath star.  We'll cut this intro short so you can jump right to the clips.  

Head inside for a look!

Warner Bros. has passed along 20 new pics - in addition to the batch we already have - from Tim Burton's Dark Shadows, opening May 11th.  Inside, you'll get a preview pic that grants you access to our full gallery which includes a few behind-the-scenes photos.

A Chinese spot for director Tim Burton's Dark Shadows has been released.

Opening in theaters and IMAX on May 11, the big screen adaptation stars Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Eva Green, Chloë Grace Moretz, Bella Heathcote and Gully McGrath. You can watch the spot below the film's official synopsis:

In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. 

The full track listing and 90 second samples of Danny Elfman's score to Tim Burton's Dark Shadows are now online at WaterTower music and accessible by clicking the image after the break.

Warner Bros. Pictures has already released a fifth TV spot for director Tim Burton's Dark Shadows, hitting theaters on May 11th.

Based on the ABC series that aired from 1966 to 1971, the film stars Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Chloe Moretz and Gulliver McGrath.

Warner Bros. Pictures has already released a fourth TV spot for director Tim Burton's Dark Shadows even though the movie doesn't hit theaters until May 11.

Warner Bros. Pictures has revealed, through iTunes Movie Trailers, another nine new character posters for Tim Burton's Dark Shadows. Unlike the ones that debuted last week, these posters feature full-body shots of the entire Collins family.

Opening in theaters on May 11, the film stars Eva Green as Angelique Bouchard, Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins, Gully McGrath as David Collins, Helena Bonham Carter as Dr. Julia Hoffman, Jonny Lee Miller as Roger Collins, Bella Heathcote as Victoria Winters, Jackie Earle Haley as Willie Loomis, Chloe Grace Moretz as Caroline Stoddard and Michelle Pfieffer as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard. Check them all out after the break!

We've already seen two TV spots for director Tim Burton's Dark Shadows and now Warner Bros. Pictures has released a third, 60-second TV spot as well. You can check it out in after the break!

Based on the ABC series that aired from 1966 to 1971, the May 11 release stars Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Chloe Moretz and Gulliver McGrath. The script was written by Seth Grahame-Smith.

We have the first TV spot for Tim Burton's Dark Shadows and now there's a second TV spot - with even more footage - as well that you can watch after the jump.  I know that the reaction to these previews have been divisive, but I still fall into the "eager to see it" camp.  

Based on the ABC series that aired from 1966 to 1971, the May 11 release stars Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Chloe Moretz and Gulliver McGrath. The script was written by Seth Grahame-Smith.

A theater lobby promotion for Dark Shadows is inviting you to be part of the Collins family.  Head inside for a look at a nifty standee that might be coming to a theater near you.   Updated with television spot!

A Michelle Pfeiffer fan blog scanned two new pics from the set of Tim Burton's Dark Shadows that were featured in W Magazine.  The pics find Burton with his stars Johnny Depp and, of course, Michelle Pfeiffer.

Warner Bros. Pictures has revealed, through Empire, nine new character posters for Tim Burton's Dark Shadows, opening in theaters on May 11. The new designs feature Eva Green as Angelique Bouchard, Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins, Gully McGrath as David Collins, Helena Bonham Carter as Dr. Julia Hoffman, Jonny Lee Miller as Roger Collins, Bella Heathcote as Victoria Winters, Jackie Earle Haley as Willie Loomis, Chloe Grace Moretz as Caroline Stoddard and Michelle Pfieffer as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard.

Check out all nine after the break!

The trailer for Dark Shadows received a divisive reaction from viewers last week.  Fans of the television series cringed at the amount of humor that was on display in Tim Burton's adaptation.  Others thought it looked like a slice of Burton-esque gold.

At WonderCon 2012, we turned to writer Seth Grahame-Smith for a statement on this reaction.  He told us: "I've seen the movie a bunch of times with an audience and, to me, it's a return to form of more like Sleepy Hollow, Beetlejuice tone.  It's that weird, subversive tone.  It's not overtly for kids like Alice in Wonderland, I think people will be fine once they see it.  There's are some bloody sequences in it and dark witchcraft sequences.  We had a test screening last week and it went over great."

An alternate version of last week's Dark Shadows trailer yields some new footage, namely Alice Cooper's cameo in the film.  The rocker plays himself in this adaptation of the television show.

Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Chloe Moretz and Gulliver McGrath star.  The film opens in theaters May 11th.

Warner Bros. Pictures has revealed the trailer and poster for Tim Burton's Dark Shadows, opening in theaters on May 11. The big screen adaptation stars Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Chloe Moretz and Gulliver McGrath.

You can watch the trailer and see the poster after the break and view the new photo gallery here!

With the trailer officially coming online later today, Kino Gallery has posted a lot of new photos from Tim Burton's Dark Shadows which you can check out by clicking here or on the image inside!

Opening in theaters on May 11, the big screen adaptation stars Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Chloe Moretz and Gulliver McGrath

Although we are still hours away from the official online release of the Dark Shadows trailer, an Ellen Degeneres Show viewer taped the preview's television premiere this afternoon.  

Yes, it's a bootlegged version and raw, but you get the idea of what's coming, and it is...bizarre.  Definitely favoring humor over horror and not at all what the die-hard Dark Shadows television show fans are accustomed to.

It's wholeheartedly embracing the "fish out of water" tale which finds Johnny Depp's Barnabas Collins being freed from his imprisonment in the 1970s.  ("What sorcery is this?!" he sneers as he watches a television for the first time.) Still not certain if this is a "summer movie," but I kind of like what I'm seeing.  I'll say this: I'd much rather see director Tim Burton tackle bizarre, risky projects like this than do an Alice in Wonderland-like project again.

We will update this spot as soon as the hi-res version comes in.

It's another big week for those anticipating Dark Shadows.  Yesterday, we broke the news the trailer was hitting on Thursday and even gave you a look at some footage.  This morning, we can tell you an official site has launched with a countdown clock building to the trailer debut.  After the jump, check out another promo featuring even more footage, a new cast shot and a snippet of an early review from this week's test screening here in Los Angeles.

As we told you earlier today, The Ellen Degeneres Show is going to exclusively premiere the trailer for Dark Shadows on Thursday, March 15th.  A promo for this episode has been posted via the series' site and you can watch it after the jump - it includes the first footage we have ever seen from this Tim Burton flick.

The film opens in theaters May 11th.  Of course, we'll post the trailer as soon as it's available.

Many of you have been wondering: Where the heck is the trailer for Tim Burton's upcoming Dark Shadows, starring Johnny Depp?  After all, the movie opens in theaters May 11th.  

Well, we've been saying here at Shock: Be patient.  Something will arrive this month.  And, sure enough, a trailer is coming!

Where and when?  Well, you'll have to tune in to a show I...can't imagine many of you horror fans out there watch.  Who knows?  Maybe you do and I'm just being presumptuous.

We're slipping into a nice groove here.  Another day, another update on Dark Shadows - Tim Burton's feature adaptation of the supernatural soap opera which has amassed a legion of fans.  The film's "Singapore" Facebook page has been running some pics and, this morning, a new image was posted featuring co-star Helena Bonham Carter.

The actress plays Dr. Julia Hoffman and the photo you'll find after the jump was accompanied with this quote from the film, "Quentin, this house is a house of lies. The only way to bring these people back to the truth is to smile and lie as much as they do."

Head inside for the pic; look for Dark Shadows on May 11th.

Three more photos from Tim Burton's Dark Shadows - of the official publicity still variety - have surfaced by way of this blog.  You get a little bit of atmosphere, a little bit more of Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins, a taste of the production design and a shot of Michelle Pfeiffer...who still looks smokin' hot.

Opening May 11th from Warner Bros., the film also stars Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Chloe Moretz, Gulliver McGrath.

I'll reiterate what I said over the weekend...hoping to see a heavy push for this film at the end of the month.  Trailer, poster...y'know, stuff to let folks know it's actually coming out rather soon.

More promotional photos have surfaced for Tim Burton's Dark Shadows.  They're less "film" pics and more "on the set" cast and crew shots.  This time, however, we're getting a look at Alice Cooper's time on the production (the rocker makes a cameo in the film).

Eva Green and Johnny Depp come face to face in a new image from Dark Shadows, opening in theaters May 11.  In the film, Green plays Angelique Bouchard, a witch driven by her love/hate relationship with Barnabas Collins (Depp).  Perhaps you can see a bit of that in the gaze she's giving Depp.

Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Chloe Moretz and Gulliver McGrath star in the film, directed by Tim Burton and written by Seth Grahame-Smith.

When we caught up to the film's writer over the weekend, he told us the film is going to be incredibly weird and quite the unusual summer movie.  Hit the jump for a larger version of the pic.

The Tim Burton Exhibit is going overseas after a successful U.S. tour.  Next stop: France where La Cinematheque Francaise has cooked up a promo poster using Johnny Depp's likeness as Barnabas Collins from Dark Shadows.

Opening May 11 in the U.S., the film stars Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Chloe Moretz and Gulliver McGrathas and is based on the genre television series of the same name.

You'll find a full synopsis right here.

One Dark Shadows cast member is speaking out about her role in the upcoming Tim Burton film.  Eva Green stars as Angeqlique Bouchard in the big screen adaptation of the television soap opera.  Bouchard is a witch, driven by her love/hate relationship with Barnabas Collins, a vampire.

She's joined in the film by Johnny Depp (as Barnabas), Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Chloe Moretz and Gulliver McGrath.  After the jump, see what she had to say about the film and her turn as Bouchard.

Does anyone else think that a trailer for Tim Burton's Dark Shadows is just around the corner?  The release date - May 11 - is looming on the moonlit horizon.  While we await the first footage, how about another photo?

Yes, a new pic of Johnny Depp as the vampire Barnabas Collins has been exhumed featuring those sullen features of his and that greasy, matted down hair and elongated fingers.  This is the second official photo of Depp to come out of the film, the other is featured right here.

Head inside for a larger look at the image on the right...if you dare.

Second update of the day about Dark Shadows, folks.  This time, it's a pic of Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins himself.  And he's joined by MIchelle Pfeiffer.  This pic certainly does not look quite as silly as previous paparazzi pics from the set made him appear to be.  In fact, I sort of like this look.

Out of this summer's crop of films, Dark Shadows is undeniably the odd bird.  The material the feature film is based on - in this case a murky, gothic television soap opera - doesn't exactly scream summer fare, however, with Johnny Depp front a center, surrounded by an excellent cast, perhaps audiences will gravitate to the latest film from Tim Burton.

The director spoke to MTV about a slew of projects, including Dark Shadows.  He told the outlet that he's currently editing and overseeing the effects, all in preparation for a May 12 release date from Warner.  In the interview, he said most of the film is set in 1972, with flashbacks to the 1700s.  So, it's a period film on top of being a gothic soap opera.  Inside, he describes the film he's creating.