Munster, Go Home

There aren't many funny, pre-Pufnstuf era monster movies suitable for the family, until one remembers the Munsters, who beyond their two-season television stint, made two feature films, albeit fifteen years apart. Both filmed in Technicolor, the vibrance of the Munsters' spooky lifestyle is most apparent in Munsters, Go Home (1966), far superior to the cornier Munsters' Revenge. A true '60s relic, Munsters, Go Home begins when Herman's deceased relative bestows him with Lord status, necessitating the Munsters' trip to England to claim his title. There, he meets other Munsters, Lady Effigy and Freddie Munster, whose jealousy results in frightening antics that only thrill Herman, Grandpa, Lily, Eddie, and Marilyn (with Pat Priest replaced by Debbie Watson). As the plot thickens, Herman faces other threats to the family honor with his classic innocent bravado. In Munsters' Revenge, a wax museum criminal circuit sends Munsters' imposters out to commit crimes, so it's up to the real family to solve the mystery. Different Eddies and Marilyns slightly spoil the family reunion's ambience, though ample physical comedy--for example when Herman's bee sting causes him to destroy the police precinct where he's being held as a criminal suspect--makes the film authentic to its original characters. Moreover, watching this double feature is an inspiring reminder of what props used to look like, like George Barris's Munster Koach, not to mention those that grace the entire Munster Mansion. --Trinie Dalton