Tim Burton's "Dark Shadows"

Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows:” A Gothic Revival or A Contemporary Parody?

Tim Burton’s remake of the 1960’s television series, “Dark Shadows” starring Johnny Depp is, at least at first glance, authentically gothic. Shortly after arriving in America, the protagonist, Barnabas Collins (played by Johnny Depp), inherits both a town that bears his family name, Collinsport, and his family’s quintessentially gothic mansion, Collinwood Manor. Carrying on the family name after the suspicious death of his parents, Barnabas Collins is young, wealthy and powerful; Barnabas does as he pleases with whomever he pleases, whenever he pleases. His extravagant and wanton lifestyle however does not come without consequences. After playing with the heart of a girl who is later revealed to be a daemonic witch, Barnabas is forced to suffer the death of his truly beloved- a death he is essentially responsible for. Despite his sexual relationship with the witch, Angelique, Barnabas refuses to pronounce his love for her saying, “I would only be telling a lie.” Barnabas’ refusal incites Angelique to doom the young girl who is the sole object of Barnabas’ true affections to an untimely death. Through witchcraft, Angelique induces the girl to throw herself off of a high, overhanging cliff. In an attempt to save his beloved, Barnabas’ fate is also sealed as he dives off the cliff as well. Because of his ‘undying’ love for the young girl, Angelique condemns Barnabas to a fate far worse than death-she turns him into a vampire so that he can suffer for eternity and “live in the shadows for all time.” Angelique then buries Barnabas alive.

After two centuries, Barnabas emerges from his deathly resting place and returns to his cherished Manor-Collinwood. The year of Barnabas’ emergence is 1972 and much has changed since his burial; the grand manor of the Collins family is now in near shambles- the dilapidation of which reflecting the demise of the Collin’s Family itself in the greater social hierarchy. Whereas the Collins Family name was all powerful at the time of Barnabas’ damnation, it is now a social disgrace and, much to his surprise, the family name of Barnabas’ tormenter carries all the social authority.  Barnabas reconnects with his lineage and works to both restore both Collinwood Manor and, more importantly, the Collins Family name. To do so however, Barnabas must once again encounter (and this time defeat) the daemonic powers of Angelique; all while grappling with the unknown social reality of the contemporary world.

Along with archetypal images such as ghosts, the gothic castle, and a tyrannical figure, the Gothic genre is defined by themes of “imprisonment and escape, the power of the past to impinge on the present, class distinctions, and obsessive concern with the family line and inheritance” (Tannenbaum). Burton’s film undoubtedly provides its audience with all of these gothic motifs. Barnabas’ character story and the Collinwood Manor itself provide poignant examples of the Gothic- Barnabas is buried alive and escapes two centuries later, thereby (quite literally) embodying the impingement of the past on the present. His ensuing battle with the tyrannical Angelique is rooted in a concern for his Family name/inheritance, and Collinwood Manor, in addition to being the epitome of a Gothic castle, is inhabited by an array of supernatural figures. Both the underlying story-line and the imagery employed by Burton therefore seem to be undoubtedly Gothic. What about everything in between though? The setting (1972) and the character relationships are overwhelmingly contemporary with much of the comic relief coming from references to contemporary culture. For example, Barnabas simply does not know what to make of a television set and his relationships to his family members are especially comical in that much of what is said between them is “lost in translation.” With much of the film hinging on contemporary culture, what can be said, then, about the seemingly authentic gothic elements nevertheless seen throughout the work? It seems that the contemporaneity of the film does, to a certain extent, undercut the authenticity of the nods toward the gothic, thereby parodying the genre. In fact, as aforementioned, much of the content centers around the disconnect between the past and the present-portraying the past as comically outdated and unusual. Being that the past itself is mocked in Burton’s film, is the past literary genre of Gothicism likewise evoked solely for purposes of artistic mockery and parody?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpWvkFlyl4M