Review: Rob Zombie's 'The Munsters' is definitely something to behold

Posted Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at 1:53 PM Central

by John Couture

I have an admission to share with you. As part of my job, I was able to screen The Munsters back in early June. Naturally, I didn't waste any time and went home and watched it later that night.

I was less than impressed. In fact, when the teaser trailer came out a few days later and then the full trailer a month or so after that, I continued to bite my tongue. Mostly because I really love my job and I don't want to do anything to jeopardize it, but also because I knew that The Munsters is a passion project for Rob Zombie while my interest in the 1960s TV series was mostly in syndication re-watch.

In other words, I wasn't an expert in The Munsters and it was quite possible that I simply didn't get all of the deep references that a more knowledgeable fan would be giddy over. As time passes and more people are discovering The Munsters, I'm convinced that my initial judgment is both right and wrong.

From writer/director Rob Zombie comes the strangest love story ever told. Lily is just your typical 150-year-old, lovelorn vampire looking for the man of her nightmares... that is until she lays eyes on Herman, a seven-foot-tall, green experiment with a heart of gold. It's love at first shock as these two ghouls fall fangs over feet in this crazy Transylvanian romance. Unfortunately, it's not all smooth sailing in the cemetery as Lily's father The Count has other plans for his beloved daughter's future, and they don't involve her bumbling beau Herman. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll howl at the moon as The Munsters make their way to Mockingbird Lane!

Upon my re-watch for this review, I shared The Munsters with my kids (ages 9 and 10) and they really loved it. Neither one of them was familiar with the original product, but they were absolutely smitten with the hijinks of Herman, Lily, and Grandpa.

It was then that my appreciation for Rob Zombie's film started to grow. I think I (along with most people reviewing the film) have a decent foundation in the original Munsters and perhaps it's those expectations that need to be adjusted.

The Munsters wasn't made to be a blockbuster theatrical release, which is definitely a different route for Zombie and it was geared more towards families with a PG rating that is more in line with the original TV series than what Rob Zombie usually puts out on celluloid.

However, as I was watching this film for the second time through the unfiltered eyes of my children, I was surprised just how much the film works with a certain audience. It is clear from the first scene just how much love Rob Zombie has for the subject matter and that love oozes through each frame no doubt, but the film just didn't work for me the first time.

And yet, my kids were laughing in all the right spots and it got me thinking that perhaps there was an additional edit after the trailers were released and their reception was abysmal. But no, I pulled up my screening copy and they are identical, so the only difference was going in with no expectations and child-like awe of wonder.

If my kids could thaw my heart of hatred towards this film, then miracles truly can happen. In the end, The Munsters will not compete for any Oscars, but that's not the point. No, the point is that a 60+-year-old TV series could find a new life with the passion of talented individuals and reach a whole new generation.

After the film was over, my kids had lots of questions and were excited to watch some of the original TV series. Of course, once they saw it was in black and white, their interest faded pretty quickly. As someone who also grew up in a technicolor world, I find this latest generation's repulsion of black and white entertainment to be puzzling.

Some of my favorite films ever made continue to be black and white masterpieces and yet my kids can't be bothered to sit down and appreciate Casablanca or Psycho. Neither one of them really had a legitimate reason for this, they simply prefer color.

Of course, if you're a traditionalist that prefers their Munsters in black and white, then you might want to skip this update. Otherwise, the film is a delightful origin story that is rather thin in terms of plot, but is that any different than the TV series?

The Munsters is now available on Blu-ray and DVD.