The perfect family doesn't exi-
The Universal monster films were extremely popular up on their release and even retained this love from fans into the 60s where horror films were starting to really push the boundaries of what was acceptable in movies. The Universal monsters were obvious metaphors for the misfits and the marginalized in society (with the exception of Dracula, who is best described as an allegory to predators of women), from having disabilities to different sexualities to different races. With, again, the exception of Dracula, the monsters were almost never evil but misunderstood and often mistaken for worse than they were or never given a fair chance by "normal" civilians. It is no small wonder the deeply iconic movies and their characters are still popular today, in our world where we're much more sensitive to the plights of the outcasts of society.
Back to the 1960s. The public began to take an interest in television with supernatural protagonists. CBS hurried to meet the public's demand, and came up with a brilliant parody of the beloved Universal horror films mixed with the popular, wholesome family sitcom, "Leave It to Beaver", with a progressive message of tolerance and themes of what it really means to be a monster (the villains on the show were always human). Thus, the Munsters were born. The social turbulence of the 60s' Civil Rights Era was perfect inspiration for the show, and the Munsters as a working class family of immigrants were the perfect metaphors for how minorities were treated by white Americans (especially the "normal" upper middle class).
Grandpa, played by the genius Jewish comedic actor Al Lewis (who barely hides his Yiddish), yearns for the Old Country. His daughter Lily (played by the criminally underrated biracial actress Yvonne de Carlo) is coded as a Jewish child of immigrants who balances pride in her heritage while attempting to assimilate into American culture. Her husband Herman (profiled by police) isn't impressed by nobility (perhaps an unintentional, or very intentional, shot at the rival spooky family?) and is proud that his hard work matters more in America than back in Europe. His iconic marriage to Lily- being creatures of two different species frequently memed about- is clearly symbolic of an interracial couple, with one of the parents disapproving. Niece Marilyn pokes fun at rigid Eurocentric beauty ideals and suggests that looking different from them isn't a bad thing. She also exists as a child of folks who tries to find harmony with her desire to embrace the New World she was raised in along with her family's traditions. Eddie, second generation, is the most able of all the Munsters to enmesh himself into American culture since he was born there, and his episodes frequently offered commentary on the honesty and open-mindedness of children that contrasted so strongly with the prejudice and snobbery of the adult neighbors who disliked the monster family, no matter how kind they were.
The Munsters managed to balance making fun of silly social standards that only benefitted those who met the status quo while offering wholesome role models in an era that needed to be reassured that being different didn't make you bad, and that good character was better than having money or looking conventionally attractive.
The show was delightfully fun and whimsical to boot, featuring a house so haunted it seemed to have its own personality, unusual pets (my favourite is the roaring cat Kitty, but Spot the dragon always deserves a mention), drag races with the coolest cars in history, and many pop culture references, showing that just because they came from the Old World didn't mean the Munsters didn't appreciate current trends.
The series has been difficult to successfully adapt, largely in part because the star power of the original series was so spot on, and very few actors today can fill the large shoes of Fred, Yvonne, and Al. I personally think the Rob Zombie reboot was extremely fun and spiritually faithful, but I understand why others may not have enjoyed it (I think Jeff and Sheri's Herman and Lily had loads of chemistry , however, and offered a take on the couple that has none of the problematic 1960s marriage tropes. Dan Roebuck is also a delight who steals the scenes!) But it's a lot truer to the series' message of having a good heart beneath a frightening appearance than the "Mockingbird Lane" pilot did, which was a well produced attempt to bring the show back with some witty dialogue and a good cast, but missed the mark by trying to make the Munsters... well, the Addams Family. Making them wealthy, ordinary looking people who enjoy murder and the macabre misses the entire point of what made the Munsters unique and likable. They didn't NEED a old money background to be appealing or human appearances to be relatable.
They don't need to be the Addams, and we shouldn't want them to be. That family isn't meant to be relatable like the Munsters, or wholesome and friendly. Their humour stems from the exact opposite, that they look normal but are dark on the inside. Contrast to the Munsters who were good people who just looked scary. (The commentary on the wealthy WASP elite vs the proletariat foreigners is delicious and deeply underappreciated in our culture that loves the AF but completely misunderstands them as kind goths who Aren't Like Other Girls.)
The Munsters have everything you could want from a Halloween franchise: camp, wit, relatable heroes, our favourite monster archetypes, and ahead-of-their-time themes on bigotry.
They are not the same! And they don't need to be!
