New Dark Shadows Trailer: Five Things We Learned About Johnny Depp's Vampire Movie

What makes this latest Tim Burton-directed Depp vehicle different? Let us count the ways...

By Natalie Finn Mar 16, 2012 1:01 AMTags

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton are at it again—and you know what that means!

The first trailer for Dark Shadows, their eighth project together but the first in which Depp plays a vampire(!), hit the world today and we couldn't wait to get a taste of just how the goth-kitsch series of the same name that ran from 1966 to 1971 has been officially Burtonized.

Aside from this quick assessment—it's the director's usual supernatural-meets-a-bygone-era meets-Helena-Bonham-Carter—here are five things we learned:

1. Boy Meets Girl: Depp's character, Barnabas Collins, was "normal" once—just your regular nobleman in love with a fair maiden in the 1700s. What could possibly go wrong?! We sure hope Barnabas' playboy ways don't get him in trouble with a witch or anything...

2. This '70s Show: Sure enough, Barnabas is cursed by Eva Green's heartbroken witch Angelique, who turns him into a vampire and buries him alive. In his coffin he lies until the distant descendants who live in his beloved Collinwood Manor dig him up in...1972! Judging by the disco-era ephemera on display like this lava lamp, Burton's going to milk the notorious tackiness of the decade for all it's worth. Also helping to set the mood: The trailer includes both Curtis Mayfield's "Superfly" and Barry White's "You're the First, My Last and Everything."

3. Old Feelings Die Hard: Angelique may have tried to condemn Barnabas "to the shadows of all time," but that doesn't preclude her from wanting to rekindle the flame now that he's undead-and-kicking. "I must admit, they have not aged a day," quips the vampire who never met a bodice he didn't want to rip.

4. Creepy Little Girl? Check! Ever since The Ring, it's been de rigueur for every horror movie (even though this is really more of a comedy) to have a freakout courtesy of a youngster with hair hanging in her face. Australian newcomer Bella Heathcote is the pale girl with the menacing stare in this case, while an extra helping of teen angst is also on tap courtesy of Let Me In vampirette Chloë Grace Moretz.

5. Vampire vs. Predator: Sure, Barnabas succumbed to Angelique's wiles, but that was just for old times' sake! Once she threatens to destroy his whole family, even if they are the picture of dysfunction, Barnabas knows it's his job to destroy her, once and for all!

This delightfully campy-looking confection, also starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Jonny Lee Miller lands in theaters on May 11.

How does Dark Shadows look to you? Getting excited for the latest Burton-Depp collaboration? Sound off in the comments!

GALLERY: Flick Pics: Dark Shadows