Johnny Depp Isn’t a Fan of Our Beloved Modern Day Vampire Movies
The gorgeous and talented Johnny Depp shared that he feels the portrayal of vampires on screen in recent years has changed drastically from the golden era of the 1940s and 1950s, which was one of the reasons he was thrilled to go for a classic look for his vampire character in ‘Dark Shadows.’
Depp recently told Total Film magazine, "Over the years all these vampire movies have come out and nobody looks like a vampire anymore. I adored 'Dracula', from Bela Lugosi to Christopher Lee, Max Shreck in 'Nosferatu' - all these wonderful horror films. So this was an opportunity for me to sort of go into what doesn't really exist so much anymore - that classic monster make-up."
'Dark Shadows' follows Johnny's vampire character Barnabas Collins as he has run ins with various monsters, and is based on the cult soap opera which ran from 1966 to 1971, which the actor was a huge fan of.
"I remember sprinting home from school to see it. I loved it, this soap opera with gothic vampires. Jonathan Frid, who originally played Barnabas, was such a striking presence - there's a sliver of him in there." said Depp.
Ok, I understand loving classic movies, I am a huge fan of them myself. But that doesn’t mean I don’t adore modern vampires as well. It would be incredibly boring if we stuck with the same old vampires in every film. And as for the comment on vampires not looking like vampires anymore, well, that classic look we all have seen countless times was created by the entertainment industry. So really, vampires never officially looked like that. But I’m being nit-picky.
What are your thoughts of Depp’s comments? Do you prefer modern vampires or classic vampires?
And for those of you who missed it, here is the Dark Shadows trailer (the trailer that already has original DS fans screaming foul):
Dark Shadows will hit theaters May 11.
- Moonlight
I didn’t know it would be a comedic remake. I’m relieved they took that direction with the film and looking forward to seeing it. It’ll be a fun homage to the classic.
I do think that (“supernatural”…?) Vampires would have to be able to pass for normal humans to hide themselves in the real world. Even the Twilight-style sparkling would probably be “too much” (not to mention Nosferatu, et al.).
And I’m of the opinion that the more plausible the Vampires’ existence in the real world is (and with folklore explained in sound, science-based, logical terms), the scarier the tale will be.
That said, Johnny Depp looks badass in that Barnabas Collins make-up, and I love the classic film (and TV) Vampires as much as anyone. I sure can’t fault him for wanting to play Barnabas Collins in full gothic, pale glory.
Ironically, Depp’s Barnabas Collins is classic in appearance, but the movie he’s in is up-to-the-minute modern.
The trailer makes the movie look like a mash-up of Pirates Of The Caribbean and Austin Powers.
(never judge a movie by its trailer, ha ha)
Hopefully, the movie, when watched as a whole, will seem more “Tim Burton quirky”, a la Beetlejuice,The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride.
The problem is, this boring monotony is here. Vampires in movies these days are usually incredibly well-adjusted to modern times, and aside from MAYBE pale skin, nothing really sets them apart from the average person. I know that’s appealing to some people, but if you want a monster that hides under the guise of a normal person most of the time only to reveal their inner beast later on, then what’s wrong with werewolves?
I understand people who want variety, and so do I, but it seems the only time anyone ever tries to make the case for variety is when it’s an argument against the position that today’s vampires aren’t as cool or interesting as they used to be, often times in reference to the severe lack of classical vampires like the Lugosi Dracula or Christopher Lee. People say it would be incredibly boring with only those vampires around, except, no one says that when it’s vice versa and the only vampires you can find look like pop stars and pretty boys and sexy divas who have hearts of gold, or just the ever popular vampires-pretending-to-be-zombies fad.
I mean, when was the last time a vampire like this was ever featured at all? I certainly can’t remember. These days no one can make reference to such a vampire without writing them off as boring, moldy, looking like Halloween costumes, or Count Chocula, or like they came from Sesame Street. No one ever rises up to the occasion to defend those vampires, but if you dare scoff at today’s supermodel vampires, a hundred people come to your door ready to tear you a new one, and that word “variety” is almost always used in conjunction with it.
It’s just disheartening. It almost seems like any love for the classics is done out of obligation more than any real appreciation of them. “Yes, they’re classics, we love them, blah blah blah, let’s watch Vampire Diaries.” I understand that some people don’t like that kind of vampire, but there’s no short supply of the kind of vampire they do like. Meanwhile, on my end of the spectrum, us monster kids are lucky if such a vampire film or novel ever shows up anywhere, and our complaints about this are routinely silenced for the sake of a majority that’s never had the opportunity to even try such vampire fiction thanks to the enormous drought of it.
I don’t know if this new Dark Shadows film will revive the classical vampire or not, but considering the fact that such vampires are NO WHERE to be found these days, I’m thankful for it whether it’s a dark comedy or not.