Deconstructing Tim Burton's 'Dark Shadows'

I've always held a soft spot for Tim Burton's work. It's eerily magical, and magically eerie but there's nothing to be scared of so long as you allow yourself to embrace it. Like opening a story book when you were a child before bed to escaping the real world to experience this larger than life world. You're left with a notion of sadness, longing to go back to the magical realm of your bed time story, when you close that book shut for the night.

 Tim Burton brings together a group of a people who really complement one another in style, producing these story book like films. Danny Elfman brings the atmosphere alive with his enchanting scores, and the likes of Colleen Atwood places each character in their own special spotlight with her charming costumes. Dark Shadows (2012) is no exception.

 An adaptation of a soap opera that started in the '60s, Dark Shadows focuses on the character of Barnabas Collins, an aristocrat of the 18th Century who was cursed by a former lover to walk the earth as a vampire to ensure his eternal suffering.

 Each major character stands out with their own set of colours; certain features help to illuminate them. Eva Green who plays Angelique Bouchard is the femme fatale of the story;

It's the quirky colours that attracted me to this apparent box office failure. Tim Burton's story book style resonating in this like in every other one of his films, emphasising the faslsehood of the world that the story takes place in. It's fake and you know it, but something just draws you in. Maybe it's that want of escapism of the real world that does it.

 It's Tim Burton's quirky story book look and feeling that is, again, elevated by Danny Elfman's musical score, bringing it all to life, that I really admire. It's certainly something that I would want to try to carry over in my projects.