Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- campy
- witty
- gothic
- halloween movie night
- gothic movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly agreed that the film’s visuals and performances were appealing, especially Johnny Depp’s culture-shocked Barnabas, but found the script tonally inconsistent and the blend of gothic comedy and drama uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Barnabas is released after nearly two centuries and reacts humorously to the transformed world of 1972.
Barnabas returns to Collinwood Manor and finds the once-powerful Collins household and estate in ruin.
The film combines witchcraft, vampirism, lost love, eccentric family behavior, and 1970s cultural jokes.
Barnabas’s 18th-century identity and values clash with the social habits and pop culture of 1972 Maine.
Films like Dark Shadows, and why
Beetlejuice
shares gothic fantasy, eccentric characters, macabre humor, and a stylized Tim Burton visual sensibility
Sleepy Hollow
combines gothic romance, supernatural curses, dark comedy, and heightened production design
Edward Scissorhands
features a displaced supernatural protagonist, campy humor, romantic obsession, and visually elaborate fantasy filmmaking
What We Do in the Shadows
mixes vampire mythology, comedy, dysfunctional family dynamics, and flamboyant gothic character work
Movie Details
- Director
- Tim Burton
- Release Date
- 2012-05-09
- Runtime
- 113 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (7747)
Cast
- Johnny Depp
- Michelle Pfeiffer
- Eva Green
- Helena Bonham Carter
- Chloë Grace Moretz
- Bella Heathcote
- Gulliver McGrath
- Jackie Earle Haley
- Jonny Lee Miller
- Ray Shirley
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Dark Shadows about?
- A flamboyant vampire awakens in 1972 and battles a witch, modernity, and his family’s spectacular decline.
- What is Dark Shadows like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Dark Shadows as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Dark Shadows violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Dark Shadows as mild.
- What did critics think of Dark Shadows?
- Critics broadly agreed that the film’s visuals and performances were appealing, especially Johnny Depp’s culture-shocked Barnabas, but found the script tonally inconsistent and the blend of gothic comedy and drama uneven.
- Which films are like Dark Shadows?
- Films with a similar feel include Beetlejuice, Sleepy Hollow, Edward Scissorhands, and What We Do in the Shadows.
- How long is Dark Shadows?
- Dark Shadows runs 113 minutes.
- Where can I watch Dark Shadows?
- In United States, Dark Shadows is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
