Remember “Dark Shadows?” Just to give this a bit of perspective, my mom used to watch it while babysitting. (Cue everyone from my generation going “wow, that’s old!” while the over-30s scream “I’M SO OLD!”) It’s known as a “vampire soap opera,” though the series’ first vampire wasn’t introduced until the show had been airing for a year. Not unlike Buffy, while a vampire was central to the plot, many other monsters and supernatural elements came into play. Werewolves, ghosts, zombies, witches, time travel, a parallel universe, and even some Lovecraftian mythology were all included.

The more I read about Dark Shadows, in fact, the more I become convinced that Joss Whedon must have nabbed a few elements. Apparently, sometime in the late ’60s, a plotline of the show involved attempting to lift Barnabas’ vampire curse by bringing life to “an artificial being called Adam.” Season Four of Buffy, anyone? Anyone? I’d pick out more similarities, but Wikipedia’s “brief synopsis” fills up my entire 17.5″ screen, so I’ll leave that to the professionals.

So, why “Dark Shadows?” Why now? As it happens, the Gothic dream team of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton are banding together to make a film adaptation of the series they both grew up watching. Apparently, Depp was a big fan of vampire heartthrob Barnabas, so he’s finally getting his chance to be his idol.

The show’s mythology is long, complex, and twisted. How can they possibly fit it all into one feature film? They can’t, of course - and that’s where the vision of Tim Burton, as well as writer John August (Big Fish, Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), will come into play. If they can capture the spirit of the original show, doing credit to the almost magical effect it had on many of the fans, it won’t matter that there’s no room for most of the stories.

I can only wish best of luck to Burton, Depp, and August in their venture. And I, personally, cannot wait to see Johnny Depp as a vampire.

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