It’s a far better look for Depp as Barnabas than he has ever known. The only problem with “the look” is the fact that his Barnabas has incredibly long fingernails. That ruins it for me. Frid’s Barnabas had exceptionally well-manicured hands. The bangs, more straightly spiked than curving, are a stylized version of the late 18th century look favored by the original Barnabas. The silver-headed cane is now ivory…interesting. The look for Julia Hoffman is similar, down to the brown and navy icky dress much like one she wore on the series. The hair is straight out of “HODS”–perfect! Would Julia wear sandals?

I have been watching the 1970-71 segments of the original series. One thing the original characters weren’t lacking was color in their dress. Amazing color which transcends the low-budget and makes it appear as if the show had been a Technicolor release. Having been a teenager in this era, I don’t recall such drabness in clothing or colors–in fact, I still have some of my own early 1970′s clothes packed away in a cedar chest, things either I, or my mother had made me. Believe me, when we went to select fabric we chose the brightest, most current colors and patterns. And, another thing…no one in my age group then, would be caught undead with a pair of brown or black shoes! They had to be colorful enough to match what we wore, even if we had to “paint” them ourselves from little bottles of colored shoe dye or poster paints in day-glo colors. That was true of store-bought clothing, as well; say what you will about Orhbach’s, the store that supplied most of the “present-day” Collins with their remarkable attire, they at least had an eye for what was, then, very trend-setting. Depp’s Barnabas looks fine: somber, sinister, and Edward Gorey grim. That’s to be expected. It’s the others, here, who look like escapees from the Gulag…and they shouldn’t.

Hint to Burton: Tone down the white makeup on Depp; turn on the vibrant colors for the ladies fashions, in particular.