TIM BURTON AND JOHNNY DEPP team up once again for an offbeat spoof of the old 60's cult soap opera, Dark Shadows. 

The daytime soap about an accursed vampire haunting his beloved mansion featured the late actress Joan Bennett and Falcon Crest's David Selby.

I viewed watched the wacky trailer and could not put my finger on whom Depp reminded me, but then it dawned on me that Captain Jack Sparrow reminded me of "Bat Boy" from the defunct American supermarket tabloid Weekly World News. 

Bat Boy was created by the editor of the WWN and appeared on a 1992 cover story and then evolved into a pop-culture icon.

Fans of the beloved old drama queen Barnabas Collins will find the character turned into a campy figure, much like an offshoot of the Addams Family film. As a teen I used to rush home from school to watch Dark Shadows and even then I recognized its campy humor as crewmembers were sometimes visible in the mirrors and sound mikes were continually dropped. 

Barnabas, played by actor Jonathan Frid, used to have a hard time keeping a straight face some days when he and the cast laughed at the cheese laced with sardonic undertones. 

The remake also stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Chloe Mortez, and Casino Royale's Eva Green, who could be this movie's secret weapon. In a sarcastic "I did not see this coming" moment, Burton's wife, Helena Bonham Carter brings the eccentric to this old school Tim Burton creation.

While the original was campy, there were some interesting plot twists. The biggest mistake Burton could have made was to do a true dramatic pull from the cult show. Tim Burton is a flat out great movie maker, he takes chances and when he hits he is brilliant, but when he misses it's a horror show. 

I swear I can hear Depp being interviewed about the film by James Lipton on Inside the Actors Studio: "Yes, the character was a combination of William F. Buckley and Bat Boy from the Weekly World News."

Dark Shadows arrives in theaters on May 11.

Linda Seccaspina

http://crabbygolightly.com/mt/2012/03/tim_burtons_dark_shadows_is_th.html

PLEASE NOTE: I had no idea about the 'seeding' link rule and apologize and have not done it since Newsvine alerted me to the fact. I apologize to my complete ignorance but was told it was okay in my blog.