Spoilers Rob Zombie's Munsters Remake
- Thread starter Ar-Pharazon
- Start date
It definitely has the look of digital camera. Perhaps a little more could have been done to make it look less video-like and more "filmic."
Kor
I get what he's going for, to make it look as much like his memory of an episode of the Munsters as he can, down to the Cinematography making it look like a TV episode shot on video instead of film or digital, over the top performances, etc. The problem for me is that isn't what I'm interested in as an adaptation. As mentioned up thread, Mockingbird Lane was much closer to what I would want in a Munsters adaptation. This just seems like a Rob Zombie vanity project.
The original was shot on film, though. And in black and white, not this technicolor-wannabe spew. And while the show was silly, it was more in the line of a sitcom of the day than a deliberately campy funhouse.
It seems like a vanity project in that he very much wants to put his own spin on it.
Better this than the straight horror he's known for.
I do not think the Munsters ever worked outside being black and white of the original series. That includes the theatrical film in the 60s with the original cast. Plus a reunion TV movie in 80s. Both were in color.
Black and White allowed it exist in the world of the old Universal Monster movies it was both inspired by and parodying. Even more so black and white hides those hideously loud colors. Those bright green and blue makeups for Herman and Grandpa were designed for black and white filming. For effective contrast under that lighting. This also goes back to the original movies too. The Monster was supposed to look pale white. It’s crazy to assume they could walk out in normal society with bright color faces in the 60s without being arrested immediately. Sure Herman is grotesque but it would not be noticed until closeup.
Also I think the black and white helped ground a very over the top premise in a very bland every day world. Which was needed with the very broad humor the original show had.
Every revival in color, with the original cast or new actors comes off was too garish and obnoxious and loud.
Try imagining Young Frankenstein from Mel Brooks working if it was in color. That had a completely more subdued sense of humor and it still would have hurt that movie.
Black and White allowed it exist in the world of the old Universal Monster movies it was both inspired by and parodying. Even more so black and white hides those hideously loud colors. Those bright green and blue makeups for Herman and Grandpa were designed for black and white filming. For effective contrast under that lighting. This also goes back to the original movies too. The Monster was supposed to look pale white. It’s crazy to assume they could walk out in normal society with bright color faces in the 60s without being arrested immediately. Sure Herman is grotesque but it would not be noticed until closeup.
Also I think the black and white helped ground a very over the top premise in a very bland every day world. Which was needed with the very broad humor the original show had.
Every revival in color, with the original cast or new actors comes off was too garish and obnoxious and loud.
Try imagining Young Frankenstein from Mel Brooks working if it was in color. That had a completely more subdued sense of humor and it still would have hurt that movie.
IDK, Young Frankenstein might not have been as over-colored as the other examples. I do agree that B&W invokes the old classic monster movies as far as the Munsters or Addams Family went (even if they were made in a time before any serious color TV programs were being made).
The Munsters made its debut just as color television programming was becoming more prevalent. Series like GIlligan's Island and My Three Sons started out as BW but switched to color during the Munsters' run, while shows that debuted during the run like Gidget and Batman were always in color.
That's a great point. The heightened colors were chosen based on how they looked in black and white. It would be like making a Superman movie where he wears gray and brown just because George Reeves sported this while filming the early BW episodes.
That's a great point. The heightened colors were chosen based on how they looked in black and white. It would be like making a Superman movie where he wears gray and brown just because George Reeves sported this while filming the early BW episodes.
From some sources I've read, producers Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher never intended The Munsters to be in color (despite the 1st of its two the unaired presentation films being shot in color), so sticking to its Universal horror influence (B&W) helped the aura of the series, but its been suggested it ultimately hurt it as competition during the 1965-66 season had a number of color programs among their number, including ABC's mid-season replacement Batman.
The 1966 spin-off movie (Munster, Go Home!) was shot in color, but it was clear the effect of their Jack Pierce-inspired make-up simply did not play well in color. That said, almost all merchandising based on the series depicted the Munsters in color, most notably, the View-Master reel packet, shot during the production of one of the episodes, though one would see the relatively toned-down look of the TV make up, rather than the movie's incredibly garish make-up "improvements" made for the sake of Technicolor.
Rob sets the record straight but I think he's a bit to blame himself for not making it clearer in his hype. I guess to be fair maybe he thought it had already been laid out but he's been the only source of info I've seen on this thing until very recently.
https://twitter.com/RobZombieFilms/status/1549810397267492864
https://twitter.com/RobZombieFilms/status/1549810397267492864
So... he's complaining that people weren't aware of something that was only announced a couple days ago?
Not sure I believe him when he says the film was always going to be on Netflix, especially since the DVD/Bluray comes out before it hits Netflix. So this isn't "made for Netflix", it's a direct-to-video film that will be available for streaming "later in the year".
https://variety.com/2022/film/news/rob-zombie-the-munsters-streaming-bluray-netflix-1235318839/
Not sure I believe him when he says the film was always going to be on Netflix, especially since the DVD/Bluray comes out before it hits Netflix. So this isn't "made for Netflix", it's a direct-to-video film that will be available for streaming "later in the year".
https://variety.com/2022/film/news/rob-zombie-the-munsters-streaming-bluray-netflix-1235318839/
Hoo-boy, this released today and it is ... something.
If you're lucky, never.
Maybe Netflix will delete it for tax credits.
