Flashback

Early on in my fourth novel, Every Time I Think of You, a few 1970s references give the book a sense of place. I didn't overdo it or get lost in campy nostalgia. But there were certain cultural signposts that helped shape the book. The following reference implies a parallel between the Collins family and the dysfunctional Forresters, whom the narrator, Reid, meets as his romance with Everett begins:

Chapter 2 (excerpt)

“You live here?” I asked as we approached the largest mansion on the block, an imposing red brick Tudor house with a huge porch, a three-car garage, and a coned tower at one corner of the roof. I remembered being daunted by it on my childhood Halloween visits.

“Usually,” he replied.

“What’s up top?” I asked.

“Just part of the attic,” he said. “Why?”

“I dunno. I think that pointy roof–”

“The turret?”

 “Yeah. It’s what made the older kids think…”

“What?”

I hesitated. In the few post-virginal minutes I’d spent with this handsome guy, he appeared to me a vision of lustful perfection, but might as quickly disappear from my life if I insulted his home.

But out it came. “They used to call your house Collinwood.”

“Oh, jeez,” he snorted. “From Dark Shadows?”

“Yeah.”

“You townies. You’re a hoot. Come on.”

--

And today, the trailer for Tim Burton's obviously campy film version of the TV show Dark Shadows, which stars Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeifer, Helena Bonham Carter and a host of other talented actors, was released. It show that it's going to be a comedy campfest.

I, and no doubt many other fans, had hoped for more. But it seems inevitable that Burton and crew would indulge in the retro wackiness of the premise. It'll surely be enjoyable, but just not the film it could have been.

Here's the trailer: