Dark Shadows
We could talk about the attempt that Tim Burton made to turn this into a feature film, but you know and I know that no one wants to discuss that. Instead, let us consider the possibilities of a Dark Shadows reboot more along the lines of the original show that ran from 1966-1971, combining soap-opera plotlines with vampires, werewolves, and witches.
The original Dark Shadows began life as a mostly real world (if Gothic-tinged) soap opera about the desiccated Collins family. It did not really get going, however, until the producers decided to introduce Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid), a Collins ancestor who just happened to be a vampire. From there, the show became an amalgam of contemporary themes and Gothic decadence, tossing in vampires, werewolves, witches, and even a parallel universe. It spawned several films and a massive fan-base that still exists today
Dark Shadows has already received one reboot, when NBC did it again in 1991; then Tim Burton tried to Burtonize it with Johnny Depp as Barnabas with predictably poor results. I say that it’s time to give it another shot though. With the current popularity of Gothic-themed television shows – and the opportunity to make this bloodier, crazier, and even darker than the original – a new version of Dark Shadows is practically a gimme. We all love tortured romantic vampires, now don’t we?
