The Munsters

**_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-

Visually this film is amazing hats off to the lighting and production design, how ever the story is painful to watch. The two lead characters are out right stupid. Herman Munster played by Jeff Daniel Phillips loosing Lily Munster entire family fortune. Which is treated not as if it was a tragedy but more like like he left his phone at the Jim. This has less to do with Sheri Moon Zombie, and Jeff's acting chops and more to do with Rod Zombie's Direction. Top marks go to all supporting characters with special shout out to Daniel Roebuck, Richard Brake, and Cassandra Peterson. As they really where fun to watch. If You can over look the cringe worthy plot points and solely go after the visuals this film is worth checking out. Fred Leicht

I didn't grow up watching The Munsters even in syndication so maybe some of this went over my head, though seems like Rob Zombie was a fan and maybe duplicated the tone of the show, but unlike The Addams Family feature film, another show I never watched, the jokes here landed flat and this was a chore to sit through. On the plus side, the make-up wasn't bad and I could appreciate the production design a bit. However, the "plot" was all over the place and kind of abruptly ended. **1.75/5**

Love the "Munsters" & "Rob Zombie" Sadly i did not get stuck on this. Writing more would destroy my Love for both franchises. I will say some characters i did like. Lily and Floop. Check it out and decide for yourselves.