Opening Titles and Song: Dark Shadows (2012)
After mentioning his under-appreciated work in another post earlier in the week, I’ll conclude with the film’s opening titles. Just for the Hell of it. Tim Burton’s horror-comedy Dark Shadows (2012) shared a similar journeyed commencement for its credits sequence as that of his less denigrated Sleepy Hollow some thirteen (my favorite) years earlier.
Traipsing another New Yorker headed north into a path fraught with mystery and death by way of the filmmaker’s mix of gothic and quirk.
The movie’s titles only show up following the brief backstory of the family Collins, as traced from Liverpool to the haunted shores of Maine Stephen King made famous. The troubled Maggie Evans (Bella Heathcote), who fetches a striking resemblance to the love interest of the accursed son Barnabas Collins (Burton’s preferred, Johnny Depp) two centuries prior, prepares herself on the train.
Adopting the name Victoria Winters as her prime deception while crossing the eerie New England expanse.
The initial interior shot of the ethereal-faced character flows into Bruno Delbonnel’s superb overhead aerial cinematography before easing back into Victoria‘s scheming for the governess position up in Collinsport. Always heading ever northward, the entirety of the clip establishing her deceit. Even if the carefree (and soon to be short-lived) hippies who’ve picked up our beguiling hitch-hiker along the way don’t exactly believe her.
The credits dropped in sedately throughout the evocatively wistful Richard Morrison and Dean Wares-designed sequence.
The jaunt from New York to the steps of the now decrepit Collingwood manor, overlooking the seaport township bearing its name, forlornly intoned by a certain contemporary hit single as its musical accompaniment. Likely, the most famous song by England’s The Moody Blues, Nights in White Satin complemented the movie distillation of the original 60’s TV program lyrically.
Band member Justin Hayward’s autobiographic verse offered the corresponding emotionality befitting a soap opera.
Beauty I'd always missed With these eyes before, Just what the truth is I can't say anymore.
Since the film’s soundtrack was laced with needle-dropped numbers of the ’60s and ’70s, the singer’s outpouring of consciousness — one of the more distinct of the period describing the end of one love affair and the start of another — was pitch-perfect. What better a ballad to ring in its 1972 setting. The yearning of it all came through like the hormone-soaked nineteen-year-old who wrote the tune.
Not only did it heightened the overall mood of the opening titles sequence, Dark Shadows‘ theatrical preamble as a whole set a passionate tenor for what Burton had waiting.
18 Responses to “Opening Titles and Song: Dark Shadows (2012)”
This opening sequence was maybe the best part of the movie for me, overall I found it a bit disappointing. But this makes a great 5-minute YT clip, as does the Alice Cooper section and the Carpenters montage.
LikeLiked by 1 person
As soon as you mentioned the Alice Cooper and Carpenters in your comment those sequences came instantly to mind, Rick. The contemporary songs dropped into this film a true highlight — although the closing ‘Go All the Way’ number remains a sore point for me. Unless it was a licensing issue, why insert ‘The Killers’ cover version instead of ‘The Raspberries’ original? Given its 1972 inheritage (which was time of the story), it’d have been perfect.
But I understand this work by Burton’s doesn’t gather more universal acclaim among film fans. And some really despise the film. It’s only grown on me as the years have passed since it’s release. Go figure…and well, and having both Michelle Pfeiffer and Eva Green in the cast doesn’t hurt. 😉
Thanks so much, Rick.
LikeLike
Saw the new Jungle Book movie yesterday. The closing credits were very clever indeed. But the reason for mentioning this is that there was a trailer for Alice Through the Looking Glass that I think made reference to Mr Burton.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, I need to see it then. Opens this week here. Yeah, Burton is only producing the Alice in Wonderland sequel (he directed the 2010 version). Thanks for the heads up, Bruce. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not a film I’ve watched (Burton has gone seriously downhill in my book), but those titles are good I must say!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good to hear, Mark. Even though I remain a fan of his work, Burton has seemingly suffered a decline. I was kinda flabbergasted to learn recently his ‘Alice in Wonderland’ (2010) made a billion dollars for the studio in worldwide box office. Something the latest ‘Batman vs. Superman’ is not going to achieve for the WB. Thanks, my friend. Always appreciate your comments. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
No worries! I watched 20 mins of Alice in Wonderland but switched it off; thought it was terrible.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I remember I tried to watch it on flight somewhere a couple of years ago. Never could get through it, sadly. Thanks, Mark.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I haven’t seen this movie yet. The reviews are mixed but I’m still curious as the trailer did make me laugh. Plus who doesn’t love Eva Green. This opening title is very cool too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think it’s worth seeing, but I’m definitely in the minority. Both Michelle Pfeiffer and Eva Green (heck, most of the female cast) are the true highlight of the film. Thanks so much for the retweet and comment, Ruth. Much appreciated. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds good Michael! I’ll give it a rent for sure, forgot Le Pfeiffer is there too, another incentive to see it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLike
Thanks for this. I enjoyed the movie, as many others do, but are not willing to say so because usually they get attacked for doing so.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good to hear from another fan of this, m13. Many thanks. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aw, sure. I’ve become an entertainer for about five years here, writing, acting, comedy, drama, and it’s sad to find people can’t express themselves about what they enjoy like they once did. So I try to keep that part of me going. Lara Parker even wrote a great blog post about the film encouraging people to just say what they enjoyed. I so appreciated her doing that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] mentioning his under-appreciated, and for some, decidedly more denigrated work, in another opening titles post earlier in this fast disappearing year, time to examine those of Tim Burton’s more successful […]
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] as Prince of Darkness, or impressionistic as Sleepy Hallow, nor even musically fanciful like the Dark Shadows remake, this one richly imbued the film with another […]
LikeLike