Johnny Depp was a huge fan of Dark Shadows (1966) when he was a child. When Warner Brothers acquired the rights to it from the estate of show creator Dan Curtis, they brought the property to Depp, who then persuaded Tim Burton that this would be an ideal project for them.
When Michelle Pfeiffer heard about an adaptation of Dark Shadows (1966), she called up Tim Burton to ask him for a part in the movie, something she rarely does.
When Barnabas Collins wanted to throw a "happening", Carolyn Stoddard suggested inviting Alice Cooper. Barnabas then replied, "I seem to recall of such a name in my youth." Alice Cooper took his stage name from a sixteenth century girl who had been accused of witchcraft. Alice Cooper was the original name of the band, not the person. It was only after people started calling him Alice that he changed his name. And the name chose had nothing to do with a girl accused of witchcraft.
Alice Cooper was transformed into a younger version of himself through careful use of make-up and lighting. No CGI was involved.
The producers scoured the U.K. and Maine to find an appropriate fishing village, in which to film Collinsport, but couldn't find one that fit. Thus they constructed the whole town from scratch in Pinewood Studios.
Tim Burton: [Jack Skellington] Jack's face appears on the scarecrow amongst the pumpkins at the manor when Willie first meets Barnabas.
Tim Burton: [Dracula] Barnabas rises out of the coffin like Orlok in Nosferatu - Il vampiro (1922). A movie theatre has a poster for 1972: Dracula colpisce ancora! (1972).