Reboots and sequels and continuations and legacy-quels are all inherent to the horror genre, from the most recent Halloween trilogy to the in-development Exorcist flick to Dan Trachtenberg's upcoming Prey. (Oh yeah, prequels, too.) But even so, there's something still bafflingly intriguing by hard-rocking filmmaker Rob Zombie taking on a feature-length reboot of the classic '60s series The Munsters. And in true reiterated fashion, the first full teaser that Universal Pictures has released for The Munsters is a delightful recreation of the TV show's memorable opening credits.
As seen above, Rob Zombie crafted a loving version of The Munsters' opening, in which each family member exits their iconic residence at 1313 Mockingbird Lane accompanied by their cast credit. No reason for credits here, since this obviously isn't a TV show, but let's note that the trio of frequent Zombie collaborators shown are Jeff Daniel Phillips as Herman Munster, Sheri Moon Zombie as Lily Munster, and Daniel Roebuck as Grandpa. And while there are obvious differences from the original, they do look pretty awesome.
I love how awesome even just the front of the house looks in the teaser, especially with everything so crisp in black and white, making it appear as if the 1960s series enjoyed a monumental remastering. The visuals also play into the "reveal" that the movie is definitely going to be a full-color affair, and we get a great shot of the three characters in all their saturated magnificence.
Of course, this Munsters video doesn't present the most extensive recreation of the TV intro, since it only features the oldest three human(ish) family members, without bringing out the totally abnormal (to them) Marilyn and the young blood enthusiast Eddie with his oversized baseball bat. That said, it was previously reported that O.G. stars Pat Priest and Butch Patrick will appear in the new movie, though it's not clear if their current roles will connect to those they played in the series, so that remains a big question.
Also no sign of the family pet Spot, an oversized dino-dragon beast that lives under the stairs. But I can't imagine Rob Zombie not factoring fantastical beasts into this flick, so I'm hoping that reveal will come later.
The Munsters cast will also feature other horror vets and icons such as Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson, Dee Wallace (Cujo, The Howling), and Richard Break (Mandy), while other co-stars include Lost's Jorge Garcia, Space: 1999 vet Catherine Schell, and Doctor Who legend Sylvester McCoy. One has to imagine there will be more than a few fun cameos and other surprises as well that will be kept under lock and key until release. How amazing would it be if they run into the Addams Family at some point? (Probably not gonna happen, given Netflix's upcoming Addams-flavored series Wednesday, but still.)
At the moment, it's unclear exactly when Rob Zombie's The Munsters will crash into our living rooms, but it will be released this fall by Universal 1440 Entertainment, which develops and produces films for global releases across all non-theatrical platforms. Stay tuned for more info, and check out our 2022 movie premiere schedule to see what other big projects are coming soon.
