Although little is known about Rob Zombie’s upcoming reboot of The Munsters, fans have already begun to speculate that the movie may be released in black-and-white. Originally airing on CBS from 1964 to 1966, other attempts have been made to remake Allan Burns and Chris Hayward's classic sitcom, but none have gained traction. House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects director Rob Zombie is the latest to make the attempt, with a projected release date in 2022 premiering both in theaters and streaming on Peacock.
Centered on a family of friendly monsters living in an average neighborhood, The Munsters satirized the typical American suburban lifestyle. The family centered around Frankenstein's monster Herman Munster (Fred Gwynne) at the head of the strange nuclear family and his vampiric wife Lily Munster (Yvonne De Carlo). Other family members included Lily's father "Grandpa" (Al Lewis), an aging Count Dracula, along with werewolf son Eddie (Butch Patrick) and conventionally attractive niece Marilyn (Beverley Owen), who was ironically branded as the ugly duckling of the family.
Although some shows from this era were beginning to air in color, The Munsters was still filmed primarily in black-and-white. To save money, CBS changed the show from color to black-and-white after airing the pilot episode. This actually added to The Munsters' gothic aesthetic, leading many fans to wonder if Zombie will emulate its classic style. Based on the director's social media posts and love of classic horror films, there's a chance the as-of-yet untitled The Munsters reboot may be shot in black-and-white as well.
While details about the story and production of The Munsters remake have been surrounded by secrecy, Zombie has released some information about the movie through his social media accounts. This includes images of the set, such as the Munsters’ iconic family home and their entire neighborhood in Mockingbird Heights. More recently, he posted a photograph of the main characters, confirming several members of the cast and giving fans their first look at the Munster's costumes. Notably, most of these images have been in black-and-white. This style has led many fans to wonder if the movie itself will maintain The Munsters’ vintage aesthetic.
In addition, some cite Zombie’s love of classic horror movies as a reason that he might make The Munsters in black-and-white, which offers certain stylistic advantages. According to Zombie, five of his six favorite horror films were made in black-and-white, including Dracula (1931), The Black Cat (1934), and White Zombie (1932). Due to this, Zombie may want to make The Munsters in black-and-white to not only capture the nostalgia of the original sitcom, but to honor the films that shaped his love of the horror genre.
While it is fun to think that The Munsters reboot could be filmed in black-and-white, it is somewhat unlikely given how rare those type of movies are today. To attract new, young viewers, the movie may have to conform to modern conventions and release in color. However, this would present the opportunity to show the colors that the original creators of The Munsters intended to include before the show was converted back to black-and-white following the original pilot. For example, the Munsters—with the exception of Marilyn, of course—originally had green skin, but this makeup was not visible on television. While black-and-white media may work well for promotional materials, The Munsters movie itself is more likely to be in color to appeal to more fans.