Manny The Movie Guy /

If you are to believe the marketing campaign behind "Dark Shadows," you would be led into thinking that the film is campy in the grand tradition of "The Addams Family." But that’s not the case. "Dark Shadows," while it has some semblance of camp, is not silly and treats its supernatural plotline with equal parts fun and thrills.

Based on the ABC television show from the 1960s created by Dan Curtis, the film version is an old-school gothic thriller with a twist. And no one can effectively mix gothic and camp together better than director Tim Burton and his muse, Johnny Depp.

Depp, who also produces the movie, stars as Barnabas Collins, a wealthy playboy in Collinsport, Maine and the master of Collinwood Manor. He breaks the heart of a witch, Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green), who turns him into a vampire and buries him alive. The year is 1760.

Locked in a box for two centuries, Barnabas is accidentally freed from his coffin in 1972. He soon returns to his magnificent manor only to find that it’s now inhabited by his dysfunctional descendants, and each one hides deep, dark secrets.

When Barnabas first emerges in 1972, he finds modern conveniences as foreign and product of the devil. The McDonalds golden arch makes for a funny product placement, and paved roads, cars, and lights are treated by Barnabas as the enemy.

Depp, who always steals scenes from any movie he’s in, is absent for the first act of the film. So Burton and company must rely on commendable actors to star as the dysfunctional Collins. The standout is Michelle Pfeiffer as the matriarch of the family, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard.

Burton and Pfeiffer made beautiful music together in the past in "Batman Begins," where the actress memorably played Catwoman. Now, Pfeiffer plays an older woman who serves as the rock that Barnabas can lean on.

Feminism is front and center in the movie. When Elizabeth is interviewing a potential nanny, Victoria Winters (Bella Heathcote), the matriarch asks, "Do you believe sexes should be equal?" It’s the sexual revolution of the 1970s after all.

Burton’s perennial lucky charm and partner, Helena Bonham Carter, also makes an appearance as Dr. Julia Hoffman, the psychiatrist of the youngest member of the clan, David (Gulliver McGrath).

Writer Seth Grahame-Smith, the author who wrote "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" and "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," understands the pathos of a misunderstood clan. The script is dark, fast, and furious and full of funny one-liners.

But Burton, a visual master, is famous for not tying up loose ends. So the last part, while vibrant and fun, suffers from head-scratching character arcs that are not allowed to develop. Chloe Grace Moretz ("Hugo," "Kick-Ass") plays the fifteen-year-old member of the Collins family whose character is given a twist near the end that is not given ample support.

The production design is very Burtonesque, full of pale people walking around in Maine like they belong in a "Twilight" reboot. Burton’s favorite composer, Danny Elfman, supplies us with a fun 1970s soundtrack. Yes, the group, The Carpenters, is even mentioned in the script. Wait until you see a reference to the iconic rocker Alice Cooper.

The Collins clan may have some campy ties with The Addams Family, but "Dark Shadows" is an entertaining yarn that proves blood is really thicker than water. Go ahead and take a delicious bite out of this film.