The Munsters

Wuchak

Jun 14, 2023

8/10

**The Munsters are back with spooktacular sets and the expected silliness** After Lily (Sheri Moon Zombie) meets Herman (Jeff Daniel Phillips) in Transylvania, her father, a count (Daniel Roebuck), is forced out of his castle. They travel to the suburbs of Hollywood by way of Paris to start a new life. Written & directed by Rob Zombie, “The Munsters” (2022) is a prequel to the TV sitcom at movie length, just with far superior production values and minus a laugh track. The three stars capture their characters superbly with their unique takes. The colorful sets are the top highlight, but the corny humor is also enjoyable (if you like the show or similar productions), not to mention the revelations on how the family came to live in the suburbs of SoCal. I think the lack of a laugh track (which, let’s face it, wouldn’t work for a full-length movie) is what throws some critics off because there’s an emptiness in those spots where you’re expecting background laughs, but they’re not there. It’s basically a mixture of “Elvira: Mistress of the Dark” (1988) and “Elvira's Haunted Hills” (2001) with Roger Corman’s Poe-inspired flicks of the 60s, such as “The Pit and the Pendulum” (1961), “The Raven” (1963) and “The Terror” (1963). As much as I like the two “Addams Family” flicks from the early 90s, as well as “Casper” (1995), I prefer this. The movie runs 1 hour, 49 minutes, and was shot in Budapest, Hungary. GRADE: B+/A-