Why ‘The Munsters’ Show Was in Black and White, but Rob Zombie’s Movie Is ‘Insanely Colorful’
The Munsters is a classic TV series coming to the big screen. Horror director Rob Zombie takes a stab at comedy with his adaption of the beloved sitcom. Zombie’s film premieres on Netflix on Sept. 27, and fans may notice a few differences between the movie and the show.
‘The Munsters’ 1960s tv show was in black and white
On Sept. 24, 1964, The Munsters premiered on the CBS Network. The sitcom follows a family of monsters which includes patriarch Herman (Fred Gwynne), his wife Lily (Yvonne De Carlo), their son Eddie (Butch Patrick), their niece Marilyn (Pat Priest), and Grandpa (Al Lewis). Every week viewers tune in to watch the latest hijinks of the Munster clan and how they accidentally scare people.
Like many tv shows during that time, The Munsters was filmed in black and white. The format fits perfectly with its spooky vibe. According to MeTV, the series was initially supposed to be in color, but producers decided to switch to black and white because it was cheaper.
Rob Zombie explains why his film adaption is in color
Nearly six decades after its premiere, The Munsters remain as popular today. Now fans old and new will see their favorite ghoulish family adapted into a film. Zombie, best known for his horror films The Devil’s Rejects and Halloween, takes a turn at comedy with Herman and the gang.
The movie’s plot focuses on Herman (Jeff Daniel Philips) and Lily’s (Sheri Moon Zombie) courtship in Transylvania. While some aspects are different, Zombie captured the essence of the series in his film. “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,'” he explained to EW.com.
One big difference fans will notice is that the film is in color, not black and white. Zombie chose color because he knew studios would turn down a black and white version. “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.”
‘The Munsters’ fans have seen the characters in color before
During The Munsters initial run, the show made several references to the family being green. However, it wasn’t until the 1966 film Munster, Go Home! that fans saw the characters in color. For fans, it was a shock seeing the family in green color instead of black and white like in the show.
No matter if they’re in color or black and white, the Munster family remains famous characters. Many TV spinoffs and movies have been made about the spooky family. Fans will see Zombie’s version of Herman, Lily, and Grandpa (Daniel Roebuck) on Netflix.
