The Munsters Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

The Munsters Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 27, 2022

It's not a surprise to see that Rob Zombie is the writer and director behind a feature film remake of the hit TV show The Munsters, which ran for two seasons in the mid-1960s. What is a surprise is that it is rated PG. It's not that the original TV show was some gruesome affair, but Rob Zombie is certainly best known for his dark, depraved, and relentlessly violent and gory Horror films: the Halloween remake and its sequel, House of 1,000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects, and 3 From Hell. These are not films for the faint of heart, and Rob Zombie has certainly not made his name in the PG realm. So the question is, then: is this take on The Munsters true to the Rob Zombie style, and is Zombie capable of building a quality Monster movie without upsetting the ratings board?

The Count (Daniel Roebuck) wants desperately for his 150-year-old daughter Lily (Sheri Moon Zombie) to marry into money, but she'd rather marry for love. Her options appear slim until one day she sees Herman (Jeff Daniel Phillips), a Frankenstein-type monster, on TV. He's green and a towering presence, but he's got the heart Lily has always sought in a man. The film, which is a prequel to the television series, explores the ups and downs of monstrous romance en route to Mockingbird Lane.

The Munsters is going to divide fans. On one hand is the unmistakable hand of Rob Zombie, who uses neon colors, Dutch angles, psychedelic imagery, and overamplified makeup and set design to bring the film's world to life. On the other hand is the film's almost literal nonchalance towards its plot. Plot is present and accounted for, characters are built, and arcs are established, but little of it means much in the grand scheme of things. Zombie's picture is intently focused on style, on amplifying imagery, on spending all of the time on set design and camera setup and color splash rather than aim for the heart of a relatable story. Granted, it's not like The Munsters in its original TV from was any sort of high-end art. No, it was a show much like this, about the visual elements and the humor. It worked on TV in bite-sized chunks, but at feature length -- here a mind-numbing 110 minutes -- it's just too little reward for so much push through the style.

Now the film does look very good. Zombie has certainly crossed all of his makeup and prosthetic T's and dotted all of his production design I's. The film is teeming with atmosphere, though it does have a very staged look about it; there's not much of an organic structure, instead just the feel of moving from one set piece to the next, each of them somehow somewhat stale even as they're jam-packed full of visual odds and ends, slathered in various colors, and textured out the wazoo. The cast at least seems to have fun, and Zombie is clearly having a blast putting it all together, but it's just too much sensory overload and too little story to balance out the production and photographic extremes.

The Munsters Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Universal releases The Munsters to Blu-ray with a splendid 1080p transfer. The image is razor sharp and well capable of exploring all of the intricately designed and utilized production elements, whether sets and costumes or prosthetics and make-up. The Blu-ray leaves nothing to the imagination; the picture is organically sharp and perfectly clear, revealing both broad and fine elements with a commendable exactness and tactile efficiency. Colors are a big part of the picture; there's almost always a heavy tint of some sort at work, and the Blu-ray offers up a satisfying splash of color at every turn. They are bright, brilliant, and vivid, never wanting for greater and more aggressive push, though one can only wonder how a proper HDR or Dolby Vision UHD grading would have worked to bring even more electric punch to the presentation. As it is, they are quite intense. Black levels are very deep and accurate. The picture shows no serious source or encode flaws, either. Well done all around.

The Munsters Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Universal brings The Munsters to Blu-ray with an excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Universal's soundtrack proves its worth from the first blast of music and atmosphere. The musical stretch and clarity are in plain evidence, and the subwoofer bellows out some impressive depth. Ambience at this opening location is full and immersive, offering blowing winds, a howling wolf, and other assorted nighttime elements with creepy and immersive excellence. The track never falters, holding to a very large, open, and detailed atmosphere that presents the expressive audio elements and genre music with exceptional accuracy and envelopment. Low end and surround muscle hold for the duration, and the lively atmosphere, no matter how subtle or how pronounced, always delights. Dialogue is consistently clear and well prioritized for the duration.

The Munsters Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of The Munsters includes an hour-long making-of and an audio commentary. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. It does ship with an embossed slipcover.

• The Munsters: Return to Mockingbird Lane (1080p, 1:01:52): This self-indulgent supplement runs just over an hour. It explores makeup, production and set design, costumes, preproduction planning and strategy, on-set access, plenty of behind-the-scenes materials that cover making much of the movie, and more.
• Audio Commentary: Director/Writer/Producer Rob Zombie discusses his film.

The Munsters Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Munsters is a hard sell. Will Rob Zombie fans accept a film that is absent his trademark gore and depraved intensity? Will fans of the original series enjoy the story and the style? Will the film's heavy-handed production design and photography prove too much in the absence of a tighter, more engaging story? There's a good movie in here somewhere, but Zombie chooses extreme flair over grounded balance to questionable effect. Universal's Blu-ray includes delightful picture and sound in addition to a lengthy making-of and a commentary track. Fans will be pleased with this disc.