@@davidleegoth There is a Halloween episode of Everyone Loves Raymond where Frank (Peter Boyle) has on a Frankenstein headpiece and his wife laughs and tells him nobody would believe him as Frankenstein...he glances at the camera and gives a little wink & slight smile
Whether they were plotting or fighting (in the original tv series) Fred and Al had such great chemistry. They were just hysterical. Being that they worked together previously (Car 54) probably helped.
That's just it; that's a huge element that anyone taking a shot at the Munsters hasn't been able to recapture. It would be so incredibly difficult to not only get two men who match the 60s Herman and Grandpa body types but have a history together doing comedy. This might be a stretch, but I've always picture Ryan and Colin from Whose Line in the Herman and Grandpa roles. I think it's possible they both could do those characters.
This movie had all of the charm of a 1976 Paul Lynde television Halloween special. I'm sure that they had a lot of fun making it. My favorite part of the film is the color pallet choices.
The Paul Lynde Halloween Special was idiotic but fun. There was no fun to be had in Zombie's film. I'd say skip it and find 1995's Here Come the Munsters instead. Much better homage.
The thing is that it worked for The Paul Lynde Special. It is a perfect representation on the mid-1970s. It had at least some production values and a terrific cast. The jokes didn't have to land in order for it to be entertaining.
@@vapoet I agree with you on that. I'm saying that this Zombified version is more like a television variety special than a feature length movie. I'm still scratching my head about the Herman and Lily Sonny and Cher bit. It dosen't fit in the time-line for an origin story and won't be unstood by younger viewers.
It took me 3 hours to watch cuz I kept needing to take breaks. At one point I said out loud "when is this over?" Keep in mind I was watching by myself.
I think the laugh track and the whimsical music in the background of the original series is what I was missing...I tried to watch this movie last night and stopped it about 20 minutes in...man it was tough. But it got me thinking, the jokes weren't landing and the writing was hotrrible but I bet a laugh track would have helped lol. I'd be curious to see if someone out there tooks some clips from this movie and added the original background music and laugh track and see if that changes the tone.
I think the most impressive part about this movie is how we didn't laugh a single time but I agree the costumes / lighting / set designs etc were all great.
Almost every line was written to be funny and that kind of comedy almost always comes off as try-hard. Also using the cringe voice inflections to make it funny doesn't work with most people either.
You nailed it Chris. When I watched trailers, I thought it was Grandpa that was going to ruin it, but "Herman" did. Also given it's a "Prequel" to the Original series, the Music (Lily's first date scene) that wasn't music for the Era it was set. Pat Priest aka Original series Marilyn was the Air Hostess in this movie and Butch Patrick aka Eddie Munster in the original, was Tin Can priest for the Wedding in the move.
Actually Pat Priest does the announcement voice on the plane and Butch Patrick does the voice of the robot. They aren't actually physically in costumes in the movie sadly. But since there's not Marilyn or Eddie that's cool they were part of it in some way. I also found the ERA confusing. From the cars and singing I Got You Babe it's set in the 60's I guess.
I love your take on this because it comes from a good place. People so easily have negative criticisms of films and forget the hundreds of people who work so hard on these for a quick 5 minute trash session. You can dislike a movie without tearing down creators and actors. I fee RZ has a love of this genre and while it might be done in a questionable way or even sloppy, his love of The Munsters really comes through. Very good job.
@@BabysitterSky Watch it for yourself dude, i thought it was a really charming throwback.... and i don't usually like Rob Zombie's stuff, 3 from hell was awful and i tore it a new one all over youtube.. This is really goofy and lighthearted, you could literally take your kids to watch this. Not your typical Rob Zombie fare. Some people will shit on anything he makes and that's unfortunate.
@@Pingaheimer Some people will shit on everything, that's fair. Or maybe it's just not good and people are saying that. All the reviews I've seen are saying the same thing. But I'll watch this when it comes out and form my own opinion. I hope I'm wrong but I don't think I will be
Superbeasto was also awful and along with The Munsters is the only two times i ever remember turning off a movie, i dont think he can do comedy. 3 From Hell and 31 were also trash. He needs a co writer and producers to steer him into the right direction.
For me House of 1000 is to Halloween what the Wizard of Oz used to be for the Holiday season. Before cable and streaming Wizard of Oz used to air right around Thanksgiving/Christmas on CBS here in the US. I watch 1000 around Halloween every year. The sequel, I own it but think I've watched it maybe 3 times since it came out. The threequel? Have yet to watch it. He totally dropped the ball with part 2. I mean part one had fishboy and Dr Satan. Part 2. No Dr Satan, and it was just a shoot up movie.
The Adams Family movies worked because they invested everything into giving the classic original it’s full respect and recreating it in then modern times while keeping it as true to the original as they could. This film wasn’t gonna work the moment it was announced Rob Zombie was behind it, because he doesn’t respect the business side of it, he’s always gotta satisfy his wife and friends who have acted in his previous films, which may work for some in his original films (I for one can’t stand any of his films besides his first film) but when coming to recreating a classic film/show, you gotta dig deep to make sure you bring the original to life as much as possible and treat it with the upmost respect. He failed miserably here. Sherri has absolutely zero in common with Yvonne Decarlo, and besides being unable to act to save her life, she was a total miscasting before even seeing her as Lilly, and after seeing it, OMG!!! 🤮 The actor playing Hermon was seen by RZ playing a caveman from the Geico commercials, and zombie found it funny, so he started casting him in his films. And for a 5 minute onscreen hillbilly who’s just there as another body to the kill count, sure, that works. But to try and make him a all time classic character that was brought to life from a talented beloved actor who 100% made that character, it’s movie $uicide! This is my first time watching a video on this page, and it’s clear this guy is super fair and will try and see the positives in all films he reviews, but it’s clear he’s fighting to say anything good about this film, and he liked RZ’s first Halloween film. So you know this is gonna be bad!
NOBODY was asking for a Munsters prequel. The Munsters was never about the love affair between Herman and Lily, the Addams Family was more about Morticia and Gomez's love. Also, they should have filmed this in black and white.
In the series Grandpa made Herman for Lily. Also the Munsters were never rich when they lived in California. One of the biggest differences in The Munsters and The Addams Family was that the Addams were rich and The Munsters had jobs. I did like the origin of Spot though.
Watched it and actually liked it. I think the problem here with some "horror" folks is a bad case of Good Ol' Days Syndrome. People are allowed the reinterpret material from their eras lens. I think Rob did a solid job with his budget and cast. It was silly and good-hearted just like the original source material, which itself was a satire on modern American life through those groovy cats on 1313 Mockingbird Ln.
Fred Gwynne was also the neighbour in the original Pet Semetary movie too. You're right, his deeper voice fit the character with the look and height. Even in the trailer I thought Jeff Daniel Phillips' sounding like he was constantly bouncing back and forth between puberty
The funny thing is, I read Pet Cemetary long before I saw the movie. And the whole time I pictured the neighbor as Fred Gwynne. When he was actually the neighbor in the movie, it blew my mind.
Would redubbing the voice work. There is a program called Lyrebird that could recreate the voice of Fred. It is so good that a user was able to fool his mom with it.
Have you watched it? If not be sure to come back here and update this with your thoughts. I actually went in with really low expectations after how terrible 3 from hell turned out, but i actually really enjoyed this. It was charming and lighthearted, not really meant to be taken too seriously. Nice throwback to simpler days.
I agree with you 100%. I couldn't manage any more than 15 minutes. I just couldn't do it. I was trying to trick myself into liking it as, like you stated, the production value was top notch & I loved the classic (slightly cartoony) look of everything. Bright primary colors, lighting heavy in contrast, the kids version (nostalgia) of all the monsters & was really appreciating. But oh man,...I could not get past the bad, bad dialog! Wow it was bad! Lol -- Spot on review.
It's a given nothing will ever top the original series. You don't replace Gwynne as Herman, Lewis as Grandpa, and DeCarlo as Lily. And I truly believe this was never the intent of any actor who appeared as one of the members of this famous family of fright on TV or on film. Since the original series ceased operations 56 years ago all incarnations of our beloved Munsters since have been nothing more then representations. Some better, some worse. Having said that, I'm thankful for each of those representations because each one is a salute to the original cast and crew. I think it's pretty darn cool were still paying homage to a show that lasted only two seasons and welcome Rob's version with open arms. I think Fred Gwynne, Al Lewis, and Yvonne DeCarlo would be tickled Munster green to see what the Munster phenomena has become in 2022.
This is why something’s are best left alone! The Munsters had a cast of some of the best actors on tv and Hollywood so ya it going to be tuff to re-create that spark that your talking about
great review loved both Addams Family and the Munsters (I’m a bit curious about this but, that run time is brutal (If anything maybe this will put a spotlight on The Munsters Today (A tv series that deserves a second look) for what it was it was a nice re-boot that got lost to time
Totally on point with you. I was excited when I heard about it; was a fan of the original series and remember the 80's Munster's Today. I just couldn't get into this. Sets/Costumes are amazing, I had to admit some of the nods to classic horror ( no spoilers) were fun. I enjoyed Sylvester McCoy's performance as well as Daniel Roebuck. Definitely seen worse, but it was a painful watch. Universal really needs to let the family RIP.
1. Definitely subscribing love your presentation! 2. This saddens me I was really hoping for a good movie from Rob and like you when I saw the trailer I was stumped and shocked at how stupid it looked but time will tell if the movie hits with fan's
I don't think I can bring myself to watch the movie. But, I got to meet Daniel Roebuck (Grandpa) at a horror con this last weekend. We chatted a bit and he said what people need to realize is that Grandpa has always been old so he's about the same age as the character would have been in the series, but Lily isn't as old yet here in this movie. She's like a teenager almost here so she hasn't aged into the Lily we all know from the series.
@@amykelly933 I like his take on the Halloween movies. Do I think they were better than the original not a chance and tbh they weren't even as good as the original but I liked them a lot. I watched his first Halloween movie and took it as instead of Michael Myers being from a working middle class family in another universe he was from a white trash stripper family. I felt like it could work and be another take that could of been built on just like the original was just in a different universe. I'd like to see another Halloween movie from Rob Zombie build off of what he started in the first Halloween movie he did. He could call that one Rob Zombie's Halloween 2. Could be a cool concept.
I liked the movie. It’s colorful, the attention to detail was great, the sets spot-on. The actor that played Grandpa was great. I liked Richard Brake with Jorge Garcia. Jeff Daniels Philips was the weak spot here, and Sherry Moon as Lily wasn’t great either. But let’s be honest it’s hard to play both of those parts. Overall I like the origins story, I like the origin of Spot and Igor. I like Rob’s use of older movies and Zombo in the background. It’s worth seeing.
The best remake of the Munsters is Mockingbird Lane. It was a two hour pilot they came out a few years ago and it was amazing. It had that Porsche girl that’s Ellans girlfriend And Jerry O’Connell
This is pretty much how I thought the movie was going to be. Like Chris said it's not Shakespeare, but there's a way to do silly camp that can appeal to all ages, or there's silly camp that's only going to appeal to younger audiences, if even that. This movie seems to fall into the latter category.
I also looked forward to this. Didn't last 5 minutes. Comedy is the hardest kind of writing, and it takes skill on the part of the Director and Actors to make it work. Fred Gwynn, Al Lewis and Yvonn DeCarlo were well respected and seasoned performers by the time they did The Munsters. They all had a lot of chemistry, especially evident if you watch the unaired pilot that had a different actress playing Lily. But - not just Rob Zombie - very few people seem to understand the very material they love. The original Musters was NOT quite the fish out of water story some people think it was. The Munsters family was very comfortable in their identity, and acted completely NORMAL. Take away the makeup and the sets and you have just another sit-com from the era. The situations and conflict in every episode was no different than any other show, merely dialed up for slapstick effect. The fish out of water aspect was created in the minds of the audience by way of our anticipation for how the "normal" people will receive the Munsters. What the Munsters did - and they did it well - was tell a human story that the audience could relate to. It told a STORY. Zombie's film doesn't tell a story, it merely gives us a plot. No one grows or changes in the film. No one solves a problem that satisfies a human need to overcome. We see: herman created, and he comes out fully formed and doesn't change throughout; Lily sees him once and immediately falls in love; Grandpa doesn't like Herman, but later seems to have no problem with him. They lose the castle, but the solution is simply to move. Audiences can accept a lot, but the one thing they won't tolerate is no story and a complete lack of relatable characters. I also like Zombie's music, and this Munsters movie is - fucking GORGEOUS - but he does not fundamentally understand what he's doing when it comes to making a film.
I think it would have been a lot better if they cast Fred Gwynn as Herman again. Before anyone says "But he's been dead for years...", I stand by my point.
Y'know it makes me think Zombie is great at aesthetics like he has a handle on the visceral element of film but repeatedly falls flat in all other aspects
The Addams family worked cause there was real actors in it and good writers with a director that understood the source material. Rob Zombie can’t break out of his bubble and expand to different actors. Like none of his friends don’t have kids to toss in there for Eddie or another woman to play Marilyn 🙄 a Munsters Remake has potential you just need the right actors ( all of them ) and a comedy writer/director
Although, House of 1000 Corpses and Devil's Rejects was awesome and 3 From Hell wasn't fully up to par, Rob Zombie did great! Looking forward to other upcoming films he produces!
I'm on the same page with ya. I agree with everything you said. The only difference is that, for me it wasn't all that painful. It was silly and cringe, for sure! But I guess the lights and colors, costumes and design outweighed the corny jokes. Great review, man
i remember hearing the announcement that rob zombie was making a munsters movie and thinking "i know he's a die hard fan of the original show. this movie might be faithful to the original to a fault and people arent going to like it."
I was also intrigued when I first heard the news but the trailer was just awful. I'm glad you gave a shout out to the channel Hats Off Entertainment which is an awesome RU-vid channel!
I agree visuals and set design was amazing. Storyline, writing and acting not so much. Always have been a Munsters fan. Was looking for Pat Priest and Butch Patrick. Had to wAit for the end credits to scroll to realize just their voices were used. A cameo would have been much more appropriate and a show of respect to the two remaining actors still alive from the original series.
His first Halloween remake was good but he seems to b better as one off movies but wen he tries to make sequels to some of his best work, it just doesn't seem to work that well
I think Universal were hoping for a james gun moment (Give an independent out there director a chance to kick start an existing property and hope he strikes gold with a sizable budget, but not to much and see how it goes) Apparently it cost around $6 million.
On top of that I even loved rob zombie's Halloween 2 it offered something different I thought the element that he made of Michael Myers being a Hobo primitive style killer I thought that was kind of a cool touch I enjoyed the movie I really didn't even mind the Gothic images that he added in that movie as well It was different I enjoyed it
yeah I'll admit Jeff Daniel Phillips he looked the part but his Voice made it kinda hard to take him seriously as Herman! I thought Sheri Did a good job as Lilly it was a bit over the top but I still pretty good. the guy who played Grandpa was Fantastic! and Jorge was great in this move and the guy who played Lester was Great!!!
I did a history and origins video on the munsters a while back and presented my own reasons of why any future incarnation of the Munsters wouldn't do well. But I also did a fan casting at the end where I came up with who I would cast in the roles for a present-day series or movie... I thought Robert Paraski (however you spell his name) did a fantastic imitation of Al Lewis in Gremlins 2. But the cast I chose was Nathan Fillion as Herman, Julie Bowan (Modern Family) as Lilly, Bill Murray as Grandpa, August Matura as Eddie, and Soni Nicole Bringas as Marylin. The Munsters differs from the Adams Family in that, it doesn't really come down to the story that would make it successful, it would depend on the cast. The Munsters has so been associated with that cast, for so long, and their portrayals that you really need the right people to play the roles.
I think that the reason The Munsters don't translate well in current society is that they consider themselves to either be normal or spent episodes striving to fit into society. They, unlike The Addams Family, never just said to the world, "This is us, just accept it." Gomez and Morticia were never Ward and June Cleaver as monsters.
If most of the issues are with the dialogue and plot, this might be a film better watched dubbed in a language I don’t know yet lol I think I’ll give it a shot, now that I know what to expect.
It was said budget was under 14 million. That’s why he filmed in Eastern Europe. Rob wouldn’t have to pay union wages or play by union rules. Not to mention he could use very cheap labor to make sets.
The Munsters was very much a family sitcom,satirising nuclear families and societal norms for it's time. They were a BLENDED family which made it refreshing for the 60's . Eddie and Marylin were a huge part of the Munsters.Not having the kids as part of the story takes away from the heart of what made the original great. We didn't need an origin story like this - if Zombie actually ever watched the show , there is lots of family history discussed which he's ignored .
I've always been more of a fan of The Munsters than the Addams Family, because, even though they are mainly monsters, they try to be a normal nuclear family. As yet, I've only heard of this movie from this reaction, I'll check it out. and hopefully they haven't ruined the original series for me.
