After dominating American television with their charmingly ghoulish antics, The Munsters made their leap to the big screen in 1966 with Munsters Go Home! Directed by Earl Bellamy, this colourful feature-length outing was the show’s first foray into cinemas, and it captured all the elements that made the TV series so beloved—quirky humour, heartwarming family dynamics, and classic monster tropes.

Munsters Go Home! sees the Munster family leaving their spooky American abode and traveling to England to claim their ancestral home, Munster Hall, after Herman Munster (Fred Gwynne) inherits the family estate. What follows is a lighthearted clash between the monstrous Munsters and their more refined British relatives, complete with comic misunderstandings, a scheming rival family, and some trademark wacky hijinks.

The film retains the charm of the original series, particularly through Gwynne’s lovable performance as the clueless yet kind-hearted Herman and Yvonne De Carlo’s stoic portrayal of his vampire wife, Lily. But, unlike the black-and-white world of the TV show, Munsters Go Home! was shot in full colour, giving fans a new visual perspective on the creepy family. For some, this shift added a new layer to the Munsters’ classic look, but it also exposed the limitations of bringing a 30-minute TV format into a feature-length film.

While Munsters Go Home! doesn’t reach the heights of the original series’ wit, it successfully delivers the kind of family-friendly horror-comedy that The Munsters were known for. The film’s humour, much like its small-screen counterpart, stems from the contrast between the Munsters’ ghoulish appearances and their otherwise normal, suburban family life.

In the context of 1960s pop culture, Munsters Go Home! reflects the era’s love for playful takes on horror and monsters, cementing its place as a nostalgic favourite. Though not a game-changer for cinema, it offers an endearing glimpse into a family that’s always felt right at home with audiences.

• Saul Muerte