HallowScream - The Munsters (2022)

          Hey guys, Chuck here, and we're back with more HallowScream , and this time, we're taking a look at the new movie, currently available on Blu-ray and streaming on Netflix, The Munsters starring Jeff Daniel Philips, Sheri Moon Zombie, Daniel Roebuck, Richard Brake, Jorge Garcia, and Sylvester McCoy, and written and directed by Rob Zombie. 

           Now this movie, based on the classic television sitcom from the 60's, actually serves as a prequel story, as it showcases Dr. Henry Augustus Wolfgang, along with his hunchbacked assistant Floop, robbing dead bodies from graves to conduct a Frankenstein-like experiment. However, when sent to acquire the brain of scientist Shelly Von Rathbone, Floop accidentally mixes Shelly's dead body with that of his heckler twin brother, Shecky Von Rathbone. Upon putting their creation together, Floop suggests the name Herman Munster. Yep, that's right, we literally see the experiment that brought Herman Munster to life in this movie, and it goes the way you'd expect it to. 

          We also meet Lily, along with her father The Count, and unfortunately, Lily is having the worst luck with her various suitors, with one of them, Orlock, seeming promising, but is another dud waiting to happen. However, after seeing Herman on television, it's love at first sight, and Lily goes to meet Herman in person, and the two start going out, much to the chagrin of The Count. Herman and Lily eventually get married, and spend their honeymoon in Paris, where they find a strange creature in the sewers, and decide to call it Spot. Unfortunately, Herman being dumb as a brick, made a deal with Lily's brother Lester the Werewolf, and ultimately Herman, Lily, and the Count are evicted from the Count's castle in Transylvania. Seeking a new home, the contact a realtor in Los Angeles, California, and acquire a run-down old house with the address 1313 Mockingbird Lane. That night, during a Halloween block party, Herman gets a job at the local mortuary, and is shocked the next day that everyone in the neighborhood is ordinary, and not freakish the way they were for Halloween. The movie ends with Lester giving them a check with Herman's share of the winnings Lester gained in Vegas, and a re-creation of the classic television intro to The Munsters. 

         Okay, so what do I think of Rob Zombie deciding to make the movie an origin story? It's fine. I mean, don't get me wrong, I've certainly seen better, but for what this movie is trying to be, it works pretty well. I think my favorite moment was when the Munsters finally purchase the house on Mockingbird Lane. Just seeing the house in a feature film is really cool, and I laughed my ass off when the Munsters told their realtor, played by Cassandra Peterson aka Elvira, that they wanted the 1313 Mockingbird Lane house over the one she had planned to sell them. 

        As for the Munsters themselves, they all do a decent job. Both Jeff Daniel Philips and Sheri Moon Zombie have grown on me as Herman and Lily, respectively, but the best, and I thought this when I watched it the first time, was Daniel Roebuck as The Count. Other performances, such as Richard Brake as Dr. Wolfgang, Jorge Garcia as Floop, and Sylvester McCoy as Igor, were all good as well. In fact, I like how it's explained that Igor was the Count's assistant before being transformed into a bat by a concoction made by the Count. 

           Honestly, this movie got trashed thoroughly by critics and guys like John Campea. However, I count myself along with guys like Doug Walker and Brad Jones, both of whom gave really good reviews of this movie, in that I think this movie works best as a streaming and home video exclusive film that's a fun little Halloween special you can enjoy with the family. Had this movie been designed for the cinema, I probably wouldn't be nearly as kind to it. However, since it was a Netflix/direct-to-video movie, I think it works better in that regard. As a cinematic take on The Munsters, it's barely passable, but as a fun Halloween special you can watch with the family on Netflix, it's a ton of fun. For his first family-friendly film, Rob Zombie didn't hit it out of the ballpark, but he did at least get a base hit. I'm giving Rob Zombie's The Munsters a rating of 4/5. 

          This is Chuck signing off, and HallowScream will continue this Thursday with the Francis Lawrence film Constantine with Keanu Reeves. 

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