The Munsters (2022)

"Rob Zombie's THE MUNSTER CLUB?"

So here it finally is. After the underwhelming critical response it received on its Netflix premiere in the US, Rob Zombie's THE MUNSTERS is getting a UK DVD and Blu-ray release from Mediumrare Entertainment. So, is it as bad as all those American reviewers have claimed?

The opening minute is rather charming, with the 1930s Universal logo giving way to a very classic Universal horror movies-type setting. Dr Wolfgang (Richard Brake in a rare comedy role. Well, I say comedy. More about that in a bit) is digging up graves and opening crypts looking for parts so he can assemble the perfect human being. He's aided by the hunchbacked Floop (Jorge Garcia). Twin brothers have died - one a genius, one an idiot. No prizes for guessing which brain Floop gets hold of.

Meanwhile, lovelorn Lily (Sheri Moon Zombie also in a rare comedy role and also more about that in a bit) is on the dating scene. A night out with Orlock (also Richard Brake) goes even more uncomfortably than the opening ten minutes of this film. However, any thoughts that writer-director Rob Zombie is merely trying to show the audience how excruciatingly embarrassed she must be feeling is dispelled as the film continues in exactly the same vein for its entire running time of 109 minutes. Herman Munster (Jeff Daniel Phillips in a rare comedy etc etc) gets created, dates Lily, they get married, and end up living at Mockingbird Lane.

THE MUNSTERS is based on a 1960s TV show that some may remember (ITV broadcasts continued into the 1980s at least) and which was always considered something of a low rent, more kiddie-orientated pretender to the throne of the superior The Addams Family. For a film made by the director of DEVIL'S REJECTS and LORDS OF SALEM it's difficult to work out who Zombie's target audience for this one actually is. I tried to be as forgiving as possible while watching it but THE MUNSTERS really is stultifyingly unfunny. Nobody has any comic timing, least of all the film's director. Scenes play at a snail's pace and are dragged out well past the point where any humour value might be had. Swannee whistle sound effects are added in case you don't get one of the many terrible laboured jokes, and this is one that really dares you to stay with it until its bitter, unfunny, cheaply animated end. All I can say is that if you are one of the few individuals who finds the linking sequences in Milton Subotsky's 1980 THE MONSTER CLUB funny you might want to check this out, but otherwise it's one for curious fans of terrible cinema only.

Medium Rare's disc comes with an hour long making of in which everyone seems to be having more fun making it than most will have watching it. Finally there's a Rob Zombie commentary track that is actually excellent. The man knows and loves his horror and his enthusiasm for the subject matter here almost made me want to be less harsh about the film. So if you do get THE MUNSTERS on disc, make sure to give it a listen. In the meantime, here's the trailer, which will give you a good taste of what you're in for:

Rob Zombie's THE MUNSTERS is out on Blu-ray and DVD from Mediumrare Entertainment on Monday 9th January 2023