I’m No Rob Zombie Fan, But I Didn’t Hate ‘The Munsters’
Everyone seems to have strong opinions about Rob Zombie’s newest Netflix film, an adaptation of the classic TV sitcom The Munsters.
It’s a prequel to the original story but it’s also a reboot – it’s campy, it’s brightly colored, and it’s got the whole internet full of opinions. But as a horror fan, I’ve always filed Rob Zombie’s films under “Not for Me”. I can really appreciate his visual capabilities, and if there’s any place I can do that, it was his adaptation of The Munsters.
The Munster Family
Jeff Daniel Philips seems to be the most contested aspect of the film. Personally, I feel like mimicking Fred Gwynne would have been entirely too difficult, and a little uninteresting. I really enjoyed Philips’ interpretation of Herman – the comedic pacing left something to be desired, but I think Philips’ delivery, voicing, and facial expressions were funny and unique. Also, that song he plays with his rockabilly punk band is a real banger, thank you very much.
But one character who really balances the classic character with their own take, and that’s Daniel Robuck’s Grandpa-Count. He’s not a grandpa yet, but he is just as campy and scheming as the Grandpa you remember. Robuck and the rest of the cast are clearly having an incredible time playing their characters, and that does add an aspect of fun to the movie.
Sheri Moon Zombie plays the glamour ghoul Lily Munster, whose father wants to set her up with someone wealthy and stately – all the things Herman is not. And listen, where there’s a Rob Zombie movie, there’s his wife in the starring role. It’s a take-it-as-it-is situation. Her performance as Lily is one of her better performances. But as expected, she doesn’t adequately capture the gothic glamor of Yvonne De Carlo.
The insertion of Dr. Henry Augustus (Richard Brake) and Floop (Jorge Garcia) was really meandering, but the two played off of each other well.
The Munsters Looks Good
Zombie just came out and said that the studio wasn’t so hot on the idea of the film being all in black and white. While it wasn’t his ideal style, he has said that it forced him to get creative with coloring. And boy did he ever!
There were some great uses of costume, makeup, lighting, and projection in The Munsters. And honestly, I do think it’s worth watching once for those moments. Zombie really shines when it comes to his visuals, and the film has a lot of really beautiful sets and images to look at. Although it was executed with incredible detail, I’m surprised we didn’t see more of Mockingbird Lane.
Manage Your Expectations, People
Listen, this is a Rob Zombie movie in every way, and I can’t review The Munsters in a vacuum. The film succeeds and fails in the same way that all of his films do. The visuals are really enjoyable, and there’s great care given to sets, effects, and costumes. The imagery is both rich and kitsch at the same time, and it’s clear he has a lot of love for the source material.
It struggles with pacing, dialogue, and just general writing. We all know Rob Zombie will write his own projects, which I don’t think is his strong suit. There are a lot of moments that seem to go on too long, and the film itself could have been about 20 minutes shorter.
The film, like all of Zombie’s projects, has a very small, devoted target audience. And that’s okay. It’s a Rob Zombie movie you can watch with your kids, what a time to be alive! At least you can watch this one without a surprisingly brutal sexual assault scene. Small favors!
