Who says soap operas aren't profitible? Starting April 10, Dark Shadows: The Complete DVD Collection will be available for purchase. Fans can relive all their favorite moments of the gothic soap just in time for the big screen adaptation starring Johnny Depp. The collection will feature bonus interviews with the stars of the sudser and creator Dan Curtis. To pre-order the DVD's click here!

How important are early pictures from an upcoming movie in creating buzz? Very! The photo above of Johnny Depp as Dark Shadows’ Barnabus, and the two after the jump should have fans of the original supernatural soap debating the upcoming big screen adaptation.

Meanwhile, the folks at Movie Bytes, on You Tube created, a hilarious cheat sheet for “Dark Shadow virgins.” Watch it after the jump and then compare it to a classic clip from the original soap.

Are you looking forward to the Dark Shadows movie? Is it a movie you want to sink your teeth into?

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Fans of the cult  ABC soap opera Dark Shadows will want to check this out. The Village of Orland Park Arts Commission is hosting a free Dark Shadows Film Festival on October 23. The series, which is being adapted for the big screen by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp as 175 year-old vampire Barnabas Collins, begins filming in February, according to ComicBookMovies.com. This seems like a perfect next franchise for the talented Mr. Depp. Watch the original Dark Shadows trailer after the jump! READ MORE

Soap fans waiting on word about the upcoming Dark Shadows revival don't have to wait any longer! While promoting his new film Alice in Wonderland star Johnny Depp had this to say about Dark Shadows:

Tim and I have tossed the idea for Dark Shadows over the years. It was a TV program in the States in the late 60s and early 70s that I remember watching as a kid. I was obsessed with this character, Barnabas Collins, who was a vampire. I came to find out many years later that when he was a kid, Tim ran home like I did to watch that Gothic soap opera. It was a very strange thing back then.We looked at ways to go, story-wise. We've started to come up with something interesting. If all goes well, I will jump into that toward the end of this year."

For more on this story head on over to The Inquirer by clicking the link here.

Photo by PR Photos

Johnny Depp has confirmed Tim Burton will direct him in a big screen update of the short-lived daytime soap opera Dark Shadows. Depp is slated to recreate the role of vampire Barnabas Collins (played by Jonathan Frid in the original). Dark Shadows aired from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971 on ABC. A primetime television remake of the soap was attempted by NBC in 1991 starring Ben Cross and soap opera alum Joanna Going (Another World), although this weekly version of DS debuted to strong ratings, multiple preemptions due to the Gulf War tanked the series. The feature adaptation will be Burton's follow-up to Alice in Wonderland. Does this mean we'll see a Passions movie in 40 years? Check out a clip from the original Dark Shadows after the jump. READ MORE

With classic, daytime vampire opera Dark Shadows, starring Johnny Depp, coming soon to a theater near you, I can't help but hope this development could start a trend toward seeing some of our more notable, favorite daytime sudsers being adapted for the big screen. I believe iconic, cult soaps like Ryan's Hope and Santa Barbara could definitely work as streamlined three-act, two-hour soapgasms. A good story is a good story, is a good story, whether it's on daytime, primetime, on the big screen, or being gleeped into your brain via digital signals in your earrings. Peyton Place proved that. That explosive novel by Grace Metalious was turned into a movie, a successful primetime sudser and ultimately led to novel and movie sequels and even a daytime soap opera. All it takes is executives who are willing to think outside of the box. READ MORE