I watched 2 movies today, neither of which fully classify as 'horror' but I'll discuss them here regardless:
Dark Shadows might possibly be the most underrated Depp/Burton collaboration. I was put off watching it years ago due to the overly photoshopped promo posters but it's actually a great black comedy tale of a vampire who awakens after 200 years in the 1970's, determined to get revenge on his witch ex-girlfriend who betrayed him and killed his lost love.
Eva Green is superb as the femme fatale character and there are some great horror moments filmed a lot like the Batman attack scenes, some quick shots of Johnny Depp's character Barnabas as he sorrowfully commits mass murder on humans by way of survival due to his vampire curse. The look of the film is very Tim Burton-ish and he always manages to choose projects which suit his eye for tone and genre.
I only have 2 problems with the movie: 1) Jonny Lee Miller's character choosing the money over his son (I wish he had at least come back near the end to help save his family) and 2) the ending is so abrupt and we only get a tease of Helena Bonham Carter's re-awakening. Was it setting up a sequel?
I do wonder.
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Vanishing on 7th Street: I wanted to like this more than I did.
The sci-fi concept was interesting, the dark shadows consuming the town / abducting people (or killing them?) was interesting but the way it played out was ultimately quite boring and the script really needed work. The characters who were in it were confined mostly to the bar and were barely given anything to do.
I'm torn on the non-ending,
the 2 kids on the horse... Yeah it's perfect for the post-apocalyptic scenario but it really doesn't tie up anything and just feels tagged on. Were the voices/shadows at the end the characters of John Leguizamo / Thandie Newton / Hayden Christensen?
It bugs me that we're left to speculate.
It was like a darker episode of the 90's show ROSWELL, or a weaker version of John Carpenter's THE FOG.