‘Dark Shadows’ Character Posters Are Outlandishly Colorful [Updated]

[UPDATE: We've added a new Dark Shadows magazine cover to the gallery.]

One thing made perfectly clear by the trailer for Dark Shadows: this particular Tim Burton adaptation is going to be one of the filmmaker’s most ridiculous offerings of off-beat comedy, Gothic horror, and bizarre visuals in recent memory (possibly even to date).

A newly-released set of nine character posters for Burton’s adaptation of the cult 1960s soapy supernatural drama – which stars (who else) Johnny Depp – are equally vibrant in color and peculiar in style as the early footage from the actual film. In fact, if you’ve ever wondered what a bunch of kooky characters designed by Burton might look like – when featured in a series of Andy Warhol paintings – well, these banners are pretty much just that.

See what you think by scrolling through our Dark Shadows poster gallery below:

UPDATE: Additionally, there’s a new Dark Shadows magazine cover, featuring Depp looking vicious as Barnabas right after finishing a (bloody) snack:

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Here is an official description of the plot setup for Burton’s Dark Shadows adaptation:

The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas (Johnny Depp) is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy… until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive. Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972.

From thereon out, Dark Shadows becomes a (weird) fish-out-of-water tale as Barnabas must struggle to adjust to life in the 20th century, restore honor to the Collins’ family name – and all while avoiding Angelique, who’s determined to make Barnabas fall in love/lust with her (or destroy him in the process).

For those who have yet to watch it, here is the official Dark Shadows trailer:

Screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) has said he and Burton are aiming to deliver a Dark Shadows movie that appeals to newcomers, while also paying homage to the original TV show. So far that approach seems to be playing quite well with moviegoers who have no real investment in said cult TV series – devoted DS fans, on the other hand, have proven to be far less impressed (so far).