Rob Zombie, every ’90s parent’s worst nightmare in the heavy metal scene recently announced some unexpected news: the musician turned horror filmmaker will be directing a feature film based off of the beloved ’60s TV series The Munsters. And if it was the first of April, most of us would be waiting for the “gotcha” to follow the now viral social media announcement. But Zombie sent out the news on his verified social media accounts and it does not appear to be a joke. At least not an intentional one.
“Attention Boils and Ghouls!,” Zombie wrote on Instagram. “The rumors are true! My next film project will be the one I’ve been chasing for 20 years! THE MUNSTERS! Stay tuned for exciting details as things progress!”
Although only airing from September of ’64 until May of ’66, The Munsters became a sensation spawning two feature films: Munster, Go Home! (1966) and The Munster’s Revenge (1981). As iconic as The Addam’s Family, this friendly family of monsters once entertained the airwaves with their misadventures perplexed at the world’s reaction to their appearance while cruising in their dragula. And, given what is arguably his biggest hit single titled Dragula released in ’98, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that The Munsters would be on Rob’s radar, especially since the song refers to the drag racer showcased in the sitcom. However, what separates The Munsters from the shock rocker is comedic family friendly content – something from which Zombie is very far removed.
Ever since his transition into film with his 2003 debut feature film House of 1000 Corpses (Sid Haig, Bill Moseley), Rob Zombie has become one of the most divisive filmmakers in the horror genre. While receiving the most praise for his followup The Devil’s Rejects (Sid Haig, Bill Moseley), the rockstar saw largely split responses for his remakes of John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) and the 1981 followup Halloween II.
Of course, as every horror fan knows, Zombie’s other films include The Lords of Salem (2012), 31 (2016) and 3 From Hell – all of which were both loved and hated by many. However, what all these films have in common, other than his wife being cast in every single one, is an over abundance of blood and raunchy dialogue infused with more F bombs than a drunken sailor on steroids. This, in turn, poses a question: is the shock rocker about to desecrate the family friendly sitcom held dear to the hearts of many?
For me, Rob Zombie is very hit and miss. Some films are thrill rides that have their place in horror while others are more easily forgotten (especially 3 From Hell, that one was rough, to say the least). While I would hate to see the filmmaking musician create something that is more of a diuretic stain than a respectable tribute, the idea of Rob tackling a Munsters film sounds oddly intriguing. If nothing else, it will likely be a trainwreck from which we won’t be able to look away.
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