The Munsters is a 2022 American horror comedy film produced, written, and directed by Rob Zombie and starring Sheri Moon Zombie, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Daniel Roebuck, Richard Brake, Jorge Garcia, Sylvester McCoy, Catherine Schell, and Cassandra Peterson. Based on the 1960s family sitcom of the same title, the story takes place prior to the events of the series, serving as an origin story for the characters.
Rob Zombie had pursued developing a Munsters film with Universal Pictures before the release of his debut feature in 2003, and was attached to several related projects before confirming a film adaptation of the television series in 2021. Zombie wanted the film to be in black and white, but the studio refused, and the director opted for a highly saturated look instead. Principal photography began on November 2021 in Budapest.
The Munsters is a co-production of Universal 1440 Entertainment and Spookshow International Films. It was released on Digital, Blu-ray, and DVD, and also available to stream on Netflix on September 27, 2022. It received mixed reviews from critics.
Plot[]
Mad scientist Dr. Henry Augustus Wolfgang and his hunchbacked assistant Floop rob graves for body parts to build an experimental creation. Floop accidentally steals the head of hacky comedian Shecky Von Rathbone instead of Shecky's astrophysicist brother Shelly, whom Wolfgang wanted because he was considered the smartest man in the world. Wolfgang uses electricity to give life to his Frankenstein creation which Floop names "Herman Munster".
Seeking revenge on her ex-husband The Count, Romani Zoya Krupp entrances The Count's werewolf son Lester, who deeply owes money to Zoya, to come to her tent. Under threat of losing his head, Lester agrees to Zoya's plan to have The Count sell her his Transylvanian castle so she can turn it into a casino and theme park.
Lester calls his father with the proposal, but The Count immediately dismisses his deadbeat son's latest scheme. Over breakfast served by his faithful servant Igor, The Count talks with his 150-year-old vampire daughter Lily Gruesella about her unsatisfying love life and disappointing recent date with Count Orlock.
Lily and The Count then watch the TV show Good Morning Transylvania with host Ezra Mosher. Ezra's guest Dr. Wolfgang unveils Herman Munster live on the air. Wolfgang is disgusted to discover Herman is a bumbling brute with a goofy sense of humor when he begins performing a stand-up comedy routine. However, Lily falls in love with Herman's unusual personality.
As Herman becomes a celebrity with Floop acting as his manager, Lily goes to see him perform with his band "The Punk Rods" at Zoya's nightclub Zombie-a-Go-Go. As Lily is directed to him by Lester after he received another warning from Zoya, Herman immediately falls for Lily when they meet backstage. The two of them agree to a dinner date the following night at The Count's castle. The Count takes an instant disliking to Herman due to his dimwittedness and begins scheming with Igor to use a magic spell to get rid of him.
The Count later tries to conjure a new mate for Lily, but his potion inadvertently summons a semi-sentient chimpanzee instead. A week of dating culminates in Herman and Lily vacationing at Devil's Island Penal Colony. Herman proposes marriage and Lily accepts, which greatly frustrates her disapproving father.
Herman meets Lester for the first time at his wedding. With Herman as the new head of the household, Lester manipulates him into signing over the castle's deed to Zoya by promising a lucrative business venture. Herman and Lily are married as Wolfgang states to the Count that Herman is his problem now.
Following their marriage ceremony and a brief encounter with Lester, Herman and Lily honeymoon in Paris. On the trip, Herman captures a creature that had been haunting the city's sewers. Herman and Lily adopt the monster as a pet who they name Spot. After Zoya serves him with an eviction notice, The Count angrily confronts Herman in Paris. Lily learns that Herman fell for one of Lester's schemes, leaving all of them without a home.
After Lily has a call with the incarcerated lawyer Shady MaGoon who claims that they don't have a case against Zoya, Herman gets the idea that they can get a fresh start by moving to Hollywood where Herman can become a famous star after watching a TV personality named Zombo. The Count transforms Igor into a bat so he can join them on the trip to California. Realtor Barbara Carr takes Herman, Lily, and The Count on a brief tour of Hollywood before taking them to Mockingbird Heights. Barbara shows The Munsters a model home, but the trio insists on buying a dilapidated old house at the 1313 address.
Herman, Lily, and The Count join their neighbors for a Halloween block party. Unaware of the holiday's customs, The Munsters assume they are partying with other freaks and weirdos. The residents assume The Munsters are wearing costumes, and award them a $1,500 contest prize. Herman leaves the house for his first day of work carrying corpses at the Gateman, Goodbury, and Graves funeral parlor. Getting his first look at Mockingbird Heights outside of Halloween, Herman retreats in shock when he sees that they live among normal people in an idyllic suburb. Lily and The Count are equally horrified.
Lester arrives at the house unexpectedly. Although The Munsters are initially unhappy to see him after what Zoya made him do, Lester presents Herman with a check for his portion of gambling money that Lester won in Las Vegas using Zoya's payment for The Count's castle. Herman and The Munsters excitedly realize they are now rich.