Ah, the Munsters. They’re your average, run-of-the-mill American family, enjoying the little things in life: gunshots, drinks mixed with blood and gravestone lawn ornaments.
The strange thing is that their weird American neighbors don’t think the Munsters are average at all! They think they’re, well, monsters. After all, there’s a whole 1960s show about them!
But let’s rewind the clock for a minute. Don’t the original stories about the Munsters take place across the ocean? So just how did the Munster family get to America in the first place? Also, how was the Frankenstein-esque Herman Munster created, and how did he end up married to the vampire Lily?
That’s a lot of questions to sink your fangs into, but this Munsters prequel has the answers for you.
Mwah ha ha ha!!!
Herman Munster accidentally signs away Count Dracula’s castle. After realizing his mistake, he hatches a plan to move the family to Hollywood, where he will find them all housing. Herman also affirms that he should get a job “as the head of the household.”
When the Munsters come to America, they are shocked at the horrifying people who are their neighbors (who, to the viewer, look like normal human beings). However, Lily implores the family to treat their neighbors as equals.
Gravestones are shaped into the form of crosses. We hear a reference to the Egyptian god Anubis. A woman uses a crystal ball to become clairvoyant. We hear references to the number 666. Herman wears a shirt which reads “Property of Devil’s Island Penal Colony” (a real-world location with a horrendous history) while visiting the “Devil’s Island Hotel.”
At one point, Dracula uses the phrase “bottoms up.” In the context of that scene’s dialogue, it seems to be a winking double entendre allusion to homosexuality. Dracula reads Playghoul magazine, and a woman is briefly seen in revealing attire. Another woman is also seen in a bralette. Herman kisses Lily on the cheek. Herman calls himself a “big boob.”
A creature has a neon sign which reads, “If the tomb is rocking, don’t come knocking.” Another sign advertises “Live Dead Girls.” We hear a reference to a woman’s “knickers.”
A man saws open a corpse’s head offscreen to obtain its brain, and we hear the grotesque sawing noises. A zombie confirms that he likes eating brains, and a man hits the zombie in the head with a pickaxe, killing him. A news report informs that a man was eaten alive by an irate heckler. Herman smashes a guitar and piano. We hear gunshots occurring offscreen in one scene.
The s-word and “a–” are both used once, each censored in a television interview within the movie. We hear four misuses of God’s name. We also hear four uses of “moron.” “Idiot,” “geez,” “bloody” and “crap” are all used once. Additionally, someone is called a “stinking, rotten bag of human garbage.”
Various types of alcohol are consumed or referenced throughout the film. A man drinks from a flask. Herman is intoxicated on a flight after drinking Shirley Temples. Lester, who is a wolfman, is seen drunk and holding a bottle of liquor. A cartoon ghost smokes a cigar. The Count asks if Herman got Lily drunk.
Various decayed corpses are seen, and many ghosts and ghouls walk the streets. Men rob a grave. Two men discuss whether naming someone Uranus is a bad idea. A woman sells blood to drink. The Count creates a potion. Various characters belch.
Forget what you know about the iconic monsters of your classic novels and black-and-white movies. The Frankenstein’s monsters, vampires and wolfmen aren’t very interested in terrorizing the masses—at least, not anymore. No, nowadays, a family of these formerly frightening creatures lives just down the street from little Sally and Bobby, just trying to be your average, run-of-the-mill American family—or so said the 1960s TV show The Munsters.
“But hold on,” I hear you cry. “How did such a strange assortment of creatures get to America to begin with?”
Good question. And in this PG prequel film written and directed by Rob Zombie, you’ll find all the answers you seek—along with a few others, like how Herman Munster was brought to life, how Lily ended up married to him and what became of Count Dracula’s beloved Transylvanian castle.
The Munsters is Rob Zombie’s first film that’s not rated R. That means viewers won’t have to worry about the director’s usual over-the-top bloodshed staining this rebooted origin story. In fact, The Munsters is much more focused on colorful backdrops, goofy acting and nonstop Munster one-liners.
Packaged with its PG rating, though, are a few jokes of the cruder variety and a few monstrous habits akin to those in The Addams Family. So you’ll still want to check out our content sections above for a full look at what you can expect before shambling to see this one.
Fans of the original series may be disappointed by some of the mildly suggestive gags and gross-outs in this 21st-century reboot. But for those who expected the usual blood-drenched fare from Zombie, they’ll be pleasantly surprised by this reanimated creation.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
