‘The Munsters’ Go From Black and White to Color in First Trailer

There are many fans of the original Munsters series who remember it in black and white, but given that we’re now in 2022, Rob Zombie is easing the transition to color with a new trailer for his upcoming film update.

The newly issued trailer features three of the Munster family’s central figures – Herman Munster played by Jeff Daniel Phillips, Lily Munster portrayed by Sheri Moon Zombie and Grandpa Munster, with Daniel Roebuck filling that role.

The trailer serves up a fresh take on the title sequence, with the jazzy music soundtracking their entrance, as Herman Munster crashes through the door. Lily Munster follows, finding her way through the silhouetted gap that Herman has left in the door, while Grandpa Munster then enters through the opening as well.

All three are shot in black and white, before a colorful title card comes up, then showing the trio impatiently sitting on a couch now in color before Grandpa exclaims, “Well, now what?”

The director told EW, “I knew that if I went in and demanded ‘This movie’s going to be in black and white or forget it!’ we would not be talking about the Munsters right now, because it would have never happened. I guaran-fucking-tee it. But what I did do is I made the colors sort of hyper-real. I noticed when the actors were in their makeup and they were just walking around, getting lunch or whatever, they looked like cartoon characters come to life. They were just so insanely colorful. I was like, I have to light the movie in the same fashion. It really seemed at all times like a live action cartoon, which was really exciting.”

Zombie has long shared his love for the original series, so the film serves as a passion project. While many of his movies have often leaned more violent and R-rated, it was reported earlier this year that this film would be PG.

Speaking about keeping the film more family-friendly, Zombie explained, “Yeah, it’s 100 percent in the spirit of the show. I didn’t want it to be different. I wanted to totally retain the vibe that it had in the ’60s.”

In addition to the aforementioned trio, the film will include Richard Brake, Jorge Garcia, Catherine Schell, Sylvester McCoby and Cassandra Peterson (better known as Elvria).

“We’ve been friends with Cassandra for I don’t even know how long,” says Zombie. “She was at our wedding, she was at Sheri’s shower. We’ve been friends with her for at least 25 years. So that was another good person that could come in and fit right in, totally familiar.”

An official release date has not been revealed for the film, though it is expected to arrive this fall.

The Munsters Trailer

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