Yes, but the original film IS dark - it's incredibly creepy and intense (just because people think it's a dark romp doesn't mean that it is or that it was meant to be when it came out - kids, including me, were freaked out by a lot of it - which was part of the intention).
And while I like both Johnny Depp and Tim Burton (although I don't care for ALL of Tim Burton's movies), I just think that the original is too well known to not make the obvious comparison.
*shrug* But I guess nothing is sacred in Hollywood, and there really aren't any original thinkers there.