Johnny Depp’s Hidden Horror-Comedy Gem Hits Prime Video
Johnny Depp’s cult-favorite 2012 horror-comedy Dark Shadows sinks its fangs into Prime Video, serving up Tim Burton’s gothic camp, a star-packed ensemble, and the undead antics of Barnabas Collins for a fresh streaming bite.
If you missed Johnny Depp doing pale, deadpan vampirism for Tim Burton back in 2012, Prime Video is about to make it very easy to catch up. Yes, the one with the haunted mansion, the witchy grudge, and Depp as a 1700s gentleman who wakes up in the 1970s.
When and where to watch
Tim Burton's horror-comedy Dark Shadows starts streaming on Prime Video on December 30, 2025. The addition was first reported by ComicBook, so mark your calendar if you want Depp back in a coffin (and then out of one).
What this thing is
Dark Shadows adapts the classic TV series into a glossy, gothic comedy about doomed love, family chaos, and a very stubborn curse. It is, fittingly, a Tim Burton joint through and through.
- Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins
- Michelle Pfeiffer as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard
- Helena Bonham Carter as Dr. Julia Hoffman
- Eva Green as Angelique Bouchard
The setup (aka why Barnabas is having a bad century)
Barnabas falls for Angelique, breaks her heart, and learns the hard way she is a witch. She curses him, turns him into a vampire, and has him buried alive. He digs his way back to daylight hundreds of years later to find the Collins estate gutted by time and bad luck, and tries to rebuild a family that barely remembers how to be one.
How it played with critics and audiences
At release, Dark Shadows was pretty divisive. On Rotten Tomatoes, it sits at 35% on the Tomatometer from 260 reviews, with a 46% audience score on the Popcornmeter. Over time, though, the movie has picked up its own fanbase that vibes with the soap-opera gloom and deadpan humor.
"Beautifully constructed, generously written and well acted film."
"A good majority of Dark Shadows weaves together such ingredients as devotion to the original television series, an effective "fish out of water" storyline, a rather droll humor and a refreshing classic romanticism."
- Richard Propes, The Independent Critic
Box office check
Back in 2012, the film pulled in over $79 million domestically, about $165.8 million internationally, and $245.5 million worldwide, per Box Office Mojo.
So if you skipped it in theaters or want to revisit Burton and Depp doing gothic comedy with an all-star cast, Prime Video is giving you another shot as the year wraps in 2025.