Although it can be rather messy at times, The Munsters (2022) is just campy and upbeat enough to make for a fun flick. I love everything about the look of thi film, it just screams late 50's/ early 60's matinee. From its gorgeous gothic imagery, incredible costume and set design, to cheeky camera angles and gorgeous cinematography- The Munsters best quality is definitely its incredible sense of style and atmosphere. Where the film lacks can be in a few different areas, but mostly editing. The film does feel sloppily put together, which is a shame because everything else seems so well put together. Sure the script is pretty basic and even quite corny, but it's done in a way that feels endearing- like catching an old sitcom on satellite television. The jokes are cheesy and there is just so much camp to be had with it, so I can understand some distaste for the film for that, but not nearly enough for it to be as hated upon as it seems to be right now. I for one have always despised Rob Zombie as a director, finding his remakes of the first two Halloween films to be disgraceful and his infamous films like House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects to be in incredibly poor taste as well. This film feels much more in the spirit of films Zombie has done like 31, which I actually had an okay time watching, and found it entertaining enough to be amused. It's hardly perfect entertainment, and in terms of content it's certainly different, but they both have an endearing slapstick nature to them that just works if you turn your brain off for a bit. Sure this films a mess, but it does have charm, something many horror films continue to forget about today in the wake of remakes, reboots, and rebootquels. The cast is fun for this one as well, with Sheri Moon Zombie actually providing a decent lead performance, along with Jeff Daniel Phillips as Herman Munster who does an excellent job and some fun casting in smaller parts as well. In the end, The Munsters doesn't nearly deserve the hate it has received. It's far from a good movie, but manages to be fun in all the right places, and with it being a film based upon a classic sitcom, I feel it hits all the notes it needs to.
My Rating: 6.7/10.
My Rating: 6.7/10.