Johnny Depp is not impressed with modern movie vampires.

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor believes the portrayal of vampires on screen in recent years, in films such as Blade and The Twilight Saga has changed dramatically from the golden era of the 1940s and 1950s, so he chose a classic look for his vampire character in Dark Shadows.

"Over the years all these vampire movies have come out and nobody looks like a vampire anymore. I adored Dracula, from Bela Lugosi to Christopher Lee, Max Shreck in Nosferatu - all these wonderful horror films. So this was an opportunity for me to sort of go into what doesn't really exist so much anymore - that classic monster make-up."

Dark Shadows follows Johnny's vampire character Barnabas Collins as he has run ins with various monsters, and is based on a US sitcom which ran from 1966 to 1971, which the actor was a fan of.

"I remember sprinting home from school to see it. I loved it, this soap opera with gothic vampires. Jonathan Frid, who originally played Barnabas, was such a striking presence - there's a sliver of him in there."

Dark Shadows is in theaters this spring.