A reboot of “The Munsters” followed a family of monsters who moves from Transylvania to an American suburb.
For this year’s 31 Nights of Horror Challenge, the Day 1 prompt was First Time watch. We chose the new Rob Zombie film, The Munsters. While I loved The Munsters when I was a kid and watched it almost every afternoon after school, I did not know what to expect from this movie.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Rob Zombie and most of his movies. I think he is a genius in terms of production and is a genuine horror movie fan.
#31nightsofhorrorchallenge Day 1: The Munsters (2022) Click To TweetThis movie is supposed to be everything that Zombie wanted it to be, except for a few notable issues that he mentioned well after the film was finished: The studio did not allow him to film it in black and white so he compensated by filming it in what looks like technicolor treatment, the film is much shorter than intended, and it’s kinda goofy and campy.
Our Thoughts on the Munsters
Although it can be rather messy sometimes, The Munsters (2022) is just campy and upbeat enough to make for a fun flick. I like everything about the look of this film, it just screams the late 50’s/ early 60’s matinee. From its gothic imagery, incredible costume, and set design to cheeky camera angles and gorgeous cinematography- The Munster’s best quality is its incredible sense of style and atmosphere.
Where the film lacks can be in a few different areas, but mostly editing. The film does feel sloppily put together, which is a shame because everything else seems so well put together. Sure the script is pretty basic and even quite corny, but it’s done in a way that feels endearing- like catching an old sitcom on satellite television.
The jokes are cheesy, and there is just so much camp to be had with it, so I can understand some distaste for the film for that, but not nearly enough for it to be as hated upon as it seems to be right now.
As mentioned herein, I have always been a fan of Zombie as a director and find his movies to be on point for the style of horror that I like, especially House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects. This film feels much more like the spirit of Zombie’s 31, which I really liked.
It’s hardly perfect entertainment, and in terms of content, it’s certainly different, but they both have an endearing slapstick nature that just works if you turn your brain off for a bit. Sure this film is a mess, but it does have charm, something many horror films continue to forget about today in the wake of remakes, reboots, and rebootquels. The cast is fun for this one as well, with Sheri Moon Zombie providing a decent lead performance, along with Jeff Daniel Phillips as Herman Munster, who does an excellent job, and some fun casting in smaller parts as well. Ultimately, The Munsters don’t nearly deserve the hate it has received. It’s far from a good movie but manages to be fun in all the right places, and with it being a film based upon a classic sitcom, I feel it hits all the notes it needs to.
6 out of 10
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