I loved the daytime supernatural soap opera “Dark Shadows” when I was a kid. It aired every weekday afternoon right about the time I got home from elementary school and it was a must-watch for me while I worked on my homework. In fact, thrilling to the adventures of Barnabas Collins — the original vampire teen idol — Quentin, Willie Loomis and the rest of the Collins clan probably contributed to my schoolwork deficiency.

Despite my love for the show, which ran from 1966 to 1971 and aired periodically in syndication for years after, I wasn’t excited about the news that Tim Burton was making a big-screen version starring Johnny Depp.

Burton’s last several movies have been overblown messes and I assumed “Dark Shadows” would be when it comes out next year.

Then I saw the cast photo. And loved it.

The characters, makeup, 1960s period clothes and even the attitudes all look just right.

The movie still might be a mess. But I’m looking forward to at least checking it out.

Above you’ll find the photo of the new cast as published this week by Entertainment Weekly. Below you’ll find an original cast photo.