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Parents' Guide to

The Munsters (2022)

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Silly remake of 1960s sitcom has drinking, mild violence.

Movie PG 2022 109 minutes
The Munsters Movie Poster

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 8+

Based on 5 parent reviews

thoma0833
thoma0833 Parent of 14 and 14-year-old
October 1, 2022
age 10+

ok for 10+ mature innuendos

I watch the black & white old shows. I LOVE the Addams Family. Charles Addams created the Addams Family characters in the 1930s while the Munsters were inspired by characters that were re-introduced during this time period. This movie is OK for kids 10+. I heard “moron” a few times. IN one scene, there is a sign “if the crypt is rocking don’t come knocking”. “kiss my rosy bleep” in another scene and the man is bent over pulling his pants down in a what appears to be an old black & white show on the tv. There’s also a scene you can hear a saw and it is assumed a character is stealing the brain of a corpse. Not a scary movie. Kids under 10 unlikely to understand the innuendos, but you get questions.
Patricia J.
Patricia J. Adult
December 31, 2022
age 10+

What a great surprise 💯😛

See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In THE MUNSTERS, Dr. Wolfgang (Richard Brake) is a mad scientist and grave robber who's determined to sew together a super genius out of the body parts he steals. But when his creation comes to life, he realizes it was a mistake to include the brain of a recently-deceased one-liner comic. The creation is given the name "Herman Munster" (Jeff Daniel Phillips) by Wolfgang's not-bright assistant Floop (Jorge Garcia). Soon, Herman becomes the hit of the comedy talk show circuit, and soon even fronts a popular rock band. Meanwhile, Lily (Sheri Moon Zombie) is a lonely single vampire going on bad dates set up by her father The Count (Daniel Roebuck), but the moment she lays eyes on Herman while he performs on TV on "Good Morning, Transylvania," she instantly falls in love with him. While Herman makes a bad impression on The Count, Herman and Lily date, fall in love, and get married. But when Herman is suckered into signing away ownership of the castle to an unscrupulous relative of Lily's, Herman decides that the best thing to do is to leave Transylvania with Lily and The Count and make a new start in Hollywood.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (1 ):

This is a kitschy and goofy reboot of a silly 1960s sitcom. The Munsters isn't going to dazzle the cinephiles of Cannes, obviously, but this Rob Zombie-written-and-directed origin story of Herman, Lily, and The Count stays in its lane and delivers puns and one-liners a plenty. It captures the campy humor of the original show without going overboard with post-modern irony, but also brings an original sensibility that doesn't just make this a straight copy of what came before.

There are cameos galore, which only adds to the fun. In terms of the main players, Jeff Daniel Phillips is hilarious as Herman, delivering the cadences and stylings of Herman's original actor Fred Gwynne, but also adding a certain hipster (in the '60s and not modern sense) flair to the role. Sheri Moon Zombie and Daniel Roebuck also bring a lot of their own style and humor to their roles (Lily and The Count, respectively) while also staying true to the source material. It's not a masterpiece, but it's an above-average reboot, which should count for something these days.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about reboots like The Munsters. Why do you think Hollywood likes to bring back old movies and TV shows? Are they ever as good as the original, and if so, what are some examples?

  • This movie is also an origin story of how Herman and Lily met, technically before the action of the old sitcom. Why do you think there is an interest in the origin stories of well-known characters? What are some other examples of movies or TV shows that are origin stories?

  • Some of the gags involve drinking too much. Do these scenes encourage drinking, or is it obvious that the characters act foolish after drinking too much?

Movie Details

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