Director – Ian Emes (Deadly Summer)
Starring – Sam McMurray (C.H.U.D.), Ann Magnuson (Small Soldiers), and Bug Hall (Little Rascals)
Release Date – 1996
Rating – 2/5
Tagline – “If you think your family is weird…spend this Christmas with the Munsters”
As Christmas slowly approaches I am taking the time to review any Christmas themed flicks I can when I am not reviewing films that were sent to me. One of my favorite shows when I was little was The Munsters. I loved watching this show late at night with my father when he would come in from work. A few years ago when the entire show, along with all the tie in movies, was released on DVD, a friend of mine bought them all. Being the cheap fuck I am, I borrowed all those DVDs and watched the shit out of them. I loved them all except for one film. That film was The Munsters’ Scary Little Christmas. As time dragged on, I forgot more and more about it. As Christmas approaches, I had noticed I watched way too many horror films for this time of year and wanted to switch it up. I decided to give this flick another chance…just for the holidays.
**Spoiler Alert**Herman, Lily, and Grandpa have a problem. Ever sense they moved to California from Transylvania, Eddie has been home sick. As the holidays approach, Eddie is not in the holiday spirit so his family set to fix this…in their own way. Herman believes that in order to give Eddie a great Christmas he will need to buy him a torture play-set. However, he does not have the movie to buy the play-set. Herman tries to make some quick cash by taking on odd jobs and giving blood.
Lily, on the other hand, believes what Eddie needs is family involvement. Her and Eddie decorate the house as part of a contest. When the pair complete their decorating, Eddie still does not fill the Christmas spirit. Grandpa, Europe’s Greatest Alchemist, tries to make a potion to bring the glum out of Eddie, but fails. Instead, his potion brings Santa and two naughty elves away from the North Pole where they were frantically trying to prepare for Christmas. As Santa and Grandpa try to find a way to get Santa back to the North Pole before Christmas, the elves have other plans.
The elves trick Santa in to drinking a potion that turns him in to a giant fruitcake. They then crash Grandpa’s lab and head off to a biker bar. Grandpa, feeling like shit because he screwed up, runs to his coffin and cries like a baby. After Lily, Marilyn, Herman, and Eddie discover what had happened, the rush off to find the Elves and create the correct potion to restore Santa back to his jolly form. Santa then uses bikers to pull his slay and rushes back to the North Pole to prepare for Christmas. After all this unfolds, Eddie finally appreciates Christmas and having a wonderful family.**Spoiler Alert**
There was a trend in the late 90s and early 2000s involving television movies for shows long forgotten. Many of you may recall this happening to The Munters one other time. There was another made for television film, called Here Comes the Munsters‘, made a few years before this one. That film, too, used a different cast and from what I gather was a huge disappointment among fans. I really wanted to like this movie, but it did not give me the chance to do just that.
The acting is great and the actors were able to bring the personalities of the original characters to life. However, it is just not the same without the original cast. The original cast really did make the show so enjoyable and seeing someone else in the roles almost feels fraudulent. Unlike the two Addams Family films from the 90s, those films were outstanding films with a whole new cast. This movie was aimed for children and had that 50’s and 60’s sitcom feel but it just did not work with today’s audience.
The story worked well for a children’s story but does not play out that well on film. With the story, I personally think the film would have worked better if it was a half hour special or involved other characters. The special effects were also decent and the movie felt just like an episode of the show, minus the original cast. If your looking for a film to watch during your holidays, then I suggest grabbing something else because this film is just a result of Hollywood milking a dead cow.
