Ok, I want to start by saying I know I’ve ripped on Rob Zombie a lot. Our podcast episodes of Shitty Movie Night about his versions of Halloween are some of our best. But…I WANTED to like his upcoming The Munsters feature film very much. I loved the show as a kid and still love the nostalgic feel it brings as a horror fan adult now. The teaser trailer which was released last month was just that, a teaser only but it seemed promising. Well, the main trailer dropped today…

It was pretty bad. Check it out here and please let me know what you think: https://youtu.be/fnmBz3IGik4

Nothing seems right. The tone feels silly but but not quite the right level of campiness we are used to from the series. What’s the plot? I get that Grandpa made Herman for Lily and now regrets it but why? What did Herman do? We’re not told any of the plot aside from that tidbit and instead are shown a montage of the characters in wacky outfits and painfully unfunny jokes. It’s framing and set design looks cheap and more like a porn parody or McDonalds Halloween Pails commercial. But worst of all? It doesn’t FEEL like The Munsters at all. Where are Marylin and Eddie? It feels incomplete without them. But, even more importantly, the group dynamic of families like the Munsters or the Addams are what makes them so endearing. They are legitimately good people and neighbors despite being extremely odd and unusual in their personal tastes. I don’t feel that here. I thought the plot would be something more like the following…

The Munsters are moving to a new neighborhood. Most likely California as it’s a usual setting for fish out of water stories. It’s todays world…social media, pronouns, wokeness and modern parenting. The Munsters, while good intending, are not fitting in and scaring people. But one or two kind hearted neighbors, most likely one being a kid, can see how kind The Munsters are. A classic don’t judge a book by its cover tale and in the end the community has to band together and help The Munsters…

I don’t know, maybe I’m simple but that’s really all I want out there types of movies. I assume there is a second trailer coming later as it’s normal for there to be two main trailers so maybe we can see something better when that drops. But, for now, color me disappointed.