Tim Burtonis to gothic cinemawhat Antonio Gaudi was to gothic architecture. A man obsessed with mythical kingdoms, creatures, and comically brooding characters. With an ardent commitment to jet-black eyeshadow, crazy hair and makeup, and tattoo parlor meets Hell’s Angels meets vampire-chic, and we have this distinctive, quirky, unparalleled style.
With this mystically-empowered vintage, Burton, of course, needed actors that would be befitting of his gothic “gloomth,” and who better than the dark-haired, dark-eyed, slightly off-the-wall duo ofJohnny DeppandHelena Bonham Carter? As a trio, they have made five movies together, with Carter and Depp going on to make a further two without their directorial stalwart. Here is every movie they’ve starred in alongside each other, ranked.
7The Lone Ranger
The Lone Rangersignified an unprecedented anomaly for the frequent acting associates because it was the first time the pair have met on-screen without being under the directorship of Tim Burton. Unfortunately for the pair, the Disney-backed production, which had a reported budget of $250 million, took home a meager $260 million, rendering it one of thebiggest box office flops of all time.
Related:10 Major Roles Johnny Depp Turned Down or Didn’t Get
Gore Verbinski places Depp and Bonham Carter as protagonists Tonto and Red respectively, with the saga being a lesson in retribution. Following outlaw, Burch Cavendish’s (William Fichtner) attack, Tonto and the Lone Ranger (Armie Hammer) join forces to pursue him.
6Alice Through the Looking Glass
The A-list acting duo rekindled their on-screen synergy in 2016’sAlice Through the Looking Glass, the sequel to the 2010Alice in Wonderland. Reprising their roles as the Mad Hatter and Queen Red, Depp, and Bonham Carter are at theatrical loggerheads as Alice is tasked with freeing her old chum from the wrath of the despicable sadist, Queen Red. Carter puts in a particularly riveting performance as Queen Red, with her haunting cackle, and crazed stare.
5Alice in Wonderland
Grossing just over $1 billion at the international box office, 2010’s fantasy adventure,Alice in Wonderlandwas the second highest-grossing picture of the year behindToy Story 3. Depp and Carter reunite with long-term collaborator, Tim Burton for the predominantly live-actionscreen adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s seminal children’s novelof the same name.
Of course, this wouldn’t be a Burton picture without an original gothic spin on proceedings. The film concerns 19-year-old, Alice (Mia Wasikowska), who finds herself in the mythical Wonderland, where she befriends Johnny Depp’s The Mad Hatter, and must help the rightful Queen reclaim her throne from the devilish, tyrannical power of Queen Red (Helena Bonham Carter).
4Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
With thePaddingtondirector’s origin story of the Chocolate-making Roald Dahl creation, Willy Wonka set for theatrical release later this year, it marks 18 years since Tim Burton’s remake ofCharlie and the Chocolate Factory. Depp appears as the top-hat-wearing, purple-coated, and enigmatic Willy Wonka, and Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Bucket, young Charlie Bucket’s caring, selfless, and doting mother who is the epitome of a model parent, the family-adventure adaptation is a characterful, albeit slightly creepy presentation of the children’s classic.
3Dark Shadows
A film that neither wowed the critics nor impressed commercial audiences, yet both Depp and Bonham Carter turned in brilliantly redeeming displays in Tim Burton’s fantasy comedy,Dark Shadows. There’s an element of Taika Waititi’sWhat We Do in the Shadowsin Depp’s display, and with that comes some memorably uproarious lines and quick-witted quips. Depp plays vampire Barnabas Collins who is out to exact his revenge on the witch, Angelique (Eva Green) after two centuries of solitary confinement. Returning to find his family’s estate in disrepair and the dysfunctional ways of his ancestors, the Collins family decides to enlist the help of a live-in psychiatrist, Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter).
Related:Helena Bonham Carter’s Best Movies and TV Shows, Ranked
2Corpse Bride
The feel-good stop-motion animation fantasy,Corpse Bride, based on characters created by Tim Burton himself, is a simplistic, yet unique concept that utilizes the idea of a man reciting his wedding vows while in a graveyard, and inadvertently resurrects a deceased woman who consequently believes the two are married. Depp is the timid and reserved husband-to-be, while theHarry Potterstar voices Emily,the corpse bride. This isn’t a story of the macabre, but rather a visually vibrant and vividly visceral tale of love and loss.
1Sweeney Todd
The screen adaptation of the novel and musical of the same name was like the pandemic… enough to put barbers out of business.Sweeney Todd, the musical horror starring Depp in the titular role of the demon barber of Fleet Street, was widely in receipt of critical acclaim upon its release in 2007.
After being tried, and found guilty of a crime he did not commit, Benjamin (Depp), swears vengeance in the brutalist, most barbaric, and infamous fashion; by murdering his clients. Bonham Carter portrays Mrs. Lovett, a sadistic pie shop owner, and Todd’s meat-grinding accomplice.
