13 supernatural vintage board games that made childhood twisted

BY AARON SAGERS

Don’t let anyone tell you that playing with supernatural forces is not a game, because that’s precisely what it can be. In fact, children of the 1960s and '70s were frequently playing with monsters, ghosts and other forces unknown in the form of board games.

In addition to that famous slumber-party favorite, the Ouija board – which is 125 years old but only became part of the Parker Brothers (later Hasbro) family in 1966 – kids could stalk around a cardboard haunted house, “run” from Dracula, transform into a creature or hang out with The Munsters or The Addams Family.

But what are the best vintage supernatural and horror-themed board games? To learn more, take a roll of the dice, and move your game piece ahead to my list of favorites (suggested for ages 6-12).

Edgar Wright to helm 'Night Stalker' reboot with Johnny Depp

BY KARL PFEIFFER

Disney just hired Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright to helm a new Night Stalker movie? With Johnny Depp set to star and produce? Consider my day made.

The Night Stalker was originally a 1972 movie that spawned a sequel and a short television run called Kolchak: The Night Stalker. It was quite popular at the time and starred Darren McGavin in the lead role of Carl Kolchak. (If you don't know your older TV stars, well, shame on you. He's the dad on A Christmas Story. If you don't know A Christmas Story, well, get off my lawn. Or I'll shoot your eye out, kid.)

The original formula was quirky, using comedy and lighthearted wit to present a reporter looking into some darker supernatural topics...

Official 'Dark Shadows' cast photo released

Now that's better.

After a weird photo of star Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins surfaced last week, Entertainment Weekly got a first look at the cast from the movie adaptation for the '60s vampire soap Dark Shadows. No word on whether this photo's release has been planned for weeks or it's surfacing to counter the bad reaction to the Depp shot. Either way, this still looks weird but perhaps a little more appropriately weird for the source material.

For a breakdown of the characters shown in the photo, visit EW.

'Dark Shadows': First look of Johnny Depp as Barnabus

This is weird. As much as Johnny Depp and Tim Burton's collaborations have yielded some great results (and sometimes not so much), it's really starting to feel like the duo is trying really hard to pull off a "Johnny Depp and Tim Burton collaboration."

Both reportedly have a love of the original Dark Shadows, so maybe they'll pull off the 2012 film adaptation/update, but what's going on with this image? To quote Badass Digest's David Faraci, this looks like "Michael Jackson cosplaying as the Joker."

(via ScreenRant)

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton this week began filming their long-awaited adaptation of late '60s vampire soap opera Dark Shadows.

Based on a screenplay by Seth Grahame-Smith (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies), the film also stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley and Chloe Moretz. Filming is taking place in England.  The official Warner Bros. synopsis for the film follows:

'Dark Shadows' release date announced ... sorta

Even though the world is going to end in 2012, IMAX is planning on sticking around until at least 2013 based on a press release that inadvertently leaks the release dates for several Warner Bros. movies over the next three years.

SCI FI Wire broke the story where IMAX, the film format company, touted a 20 picture deal with Warner, which included tidbits on when the next Batman, Superman, Harry Potter and Hobbit movies would hit.  Also leaked was news the Johnny Depp-produced, Tim Burton-directed film version of vampire soap Dark Shadows would hit in 2011, 2012 or 2013.

Granted, up to three years away seems like a long time, especially considering the Mayan calendar imposing end date, but Shadows is rumored to begin filming in fall 2010, so some hot Barnabas action may be closer than we think.

In case you hadn't heard...

Yes, Johnny Depp will be playing patriarch vampire Barnabas Collins in the film adaptation of Dark Shadows, directed by Tim Burton.

There has been so much back and forth chit-chat about this project it has moved beyond speculation into news before becoming a rumor. Look, it's happening and if it doesn't, that's the news.

Variety reported Depp acquired the film rights to the soap opera which aired on ABC from 1967-71 back in 2007, and Burton's potential involvement has been talked about nearly as long.

So it's not "news," but no news is big news in the entertainment biz. At least it gives us an excuse to run a shot from Ed Wood, directed by Burton and starring Depp (and Martin Landau as proto-vampire Bela Lugosi).

However, this paranormal pop culture scoop by Bloody-Disgusting is definitely newsworthy. Personally, I have no desire to see Lestat back in the movies, although I admit Robert Downey Jr. could nail it.

-aaron sagers