HallowScream - The Addams Family (1991)

      Hey guys, Chuck here, and we're looking at an all-time '90s classic: The Addams Family, starring Angelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, Judith Malina, Christina Ricci, Jimmy Workman, Dan Hedaya, Elizabeth Wilson, Dana Ivey, Carel Struycken, Christopher Hart, and Paul Benedict, and directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. 

      The movie opens, oddly, with some Christmas carolers outside of the Addams house, where we pan up to see the family getting ready to dump some unknown liquid into the carolers. After the opening credits, we see Gomez and Thing contemplating a planned seance to reach out to Gomez's brother, Fester, who disappeared years ago. The Addams children, Wednesday and Pugsley, head out for another day of school, while Gomez and his wife Morticia meet with Tully and Margaret Alford. Tully meets with Gomez about a potential monetary fund, as well as collecting the monthly payments, while Margaret and Morticia locate a relic to be donated for an upcoming charity auction. 

      Back at his office, Tully is greeted by loan shark Abigail Craven, along with her son Gordon. It turns out that Tully owes a ton of money to Craven, and she's come to collect. And, Tully notes that Gordon bears a shocking resemblance to the long-lost Fester Addams. So, Tully discusses a plan to get the gold in the Addams vault: shave Gordon bald, dress him like Fester, and send him to the Addams house and convince the family that Gordon is Fester. 

      So, the Addams family hold their seance and attempt to summon the spirit of Fester, and they hear a knock at the door, and Thing rushes to answer it, revealing Gordon, who they believe to be Fester. Also there is Craven, under the guide of Dr. Greta Pinder-Schloss, who spins a yarn about finding Fester tangled in a tuna net in Miami. And, with that, Craven departs with plans to check in soon. 

      Over the next handful of days, Gordon learns that the catalyst that drove Gomez and Fester apart was Gomez's jealousy of Fester, and his prideful attempt to woo the conjoined twins Flora and Fauna Amor away from Fester. Gordon also seems to grow close to Wednesday and Pugsley, and even attends their school play. But, as he's to depart soon, the Addams family holds a massive party with the ENTIRE Addams clan in attendance, including Cousin Itt, who hits it off with Margaret. Meanwhile, Tully meets with the Addams' neighbor, Judge George Womack, to get a restraining order against the Addams family. Also, Wednesday learns that Fester is a fake, and runs off. 

     After the party, the Addams family go in search of Wednesday, only to find her asleep, and their gate locked up. Tully approaches with the restraining order, which demands that the family keep away from the house, and from Fester. In court, Judge Womack cedes control of the Addams estate to Fester, with Gomez being given a bucket of golf balls. The family packs up and moves into a motel, while Gordon, Tully, and Craven hunt for the vault and the gold within. 

       With the family struggling to adjust, Morticia returns to the house to speak with Fester, only to be captured and tortured. Having followed her, Thing rushes to the motel and wakes Gomez up, warning what happened. Gomez returns home and saves Morticia, fighting Tully in a swordfight. In this moment, Gordon attempts to reason with Craven as she demands Gomez head to the vault, only for Craven to berate Gordon and exclaim "I should have left you where I found you!". Realizing what this means, Gordon stops Gomez, and picks a book titled Hurricane Irene off the shelf, and approaches Craven and Tully with it, telling Tully the gold isn't his, and finally telling Craven off by remarking she was a "terrible mother." Opening the book, a massive breeze emerges, sending Tully and Craven out of the house and into newly dug graves, while Gordon is zapped by lightning. 

      Some months later on Halloween night, it's revealed that Gordon WAS the real Fester, he simply had amnesia from his time in the Bermuda Triangle, and was found in that state by Craven years ago while tangled in a tuna net. Also, Margaret and Itt have begun dating, and the two join the family in a fun game, where Morticia implies to Gomez that they're going to have another baby. 

        The Addams Family is a fun adaptation of Charles Addams' beloved characters. The lead cast of Angelica Huston as Morticia, Raul Julia as Gomez, and  Christopher Lloyd as Fester were fantastic, the duo of Elizabeth Wilson as Craven and Dan Hedaya as Tully were decent villains, and the duo of Christina Ricci and Jimmy Workman as Wednesday and Pugsley were excellent. 

        The set design, makeup effects, and costumes were very on point, and the movie, on the whole, was a ton of fun. One thing that changed was the end. Apparently, the plan was that Gordon was to remain an imposter, but we made an honorary member of the Addams family. But, the cast HATED that ending, and suggested making Gordon an amnesiac Fester, which is what they ultimately did. And, that, to me, is what made the work director Barry Sonnenfeld did on this movie so brilliant. 

      Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and join me next for my next HallowScream review: Casper meets Wendy.