What is it about macabre movies like these that make you just grin every time you see them, even if you’re feeling like Jack the Ripper has taken up residence in your throat and thinks your tonsils look pretty good for knife practice? No matter how many times I see it, when Wednesday asks the girl scout if her cookies are “made from real girl scouts,” I just laugh and laugh. Oh, I love Wednesday. I love all the Adamses, really—as well as the Munsters and the folks in Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and most Tim Burton movies. I love grotesque characters, improbably ghastly circumstances that I’d normally abhor in “real life,” and basically anything gloomy and striped in black and white.
I’m not asking for more horror flicks; we get those a dime a dozen and the vast majority are not very good. While they might gross me out a bit, they certainly don’t offer the suspense or thrill that I seek when watching them—and they definitely don’t give me the macabre delight that I get from these tongue-in-cheek films. I’m asking for more surreal monster flicks, spooky family/funny movies, and many more creatures. I don’t necessarily want death (though it can fit in); I want humor coinciding with some light darkness (grayness?), characters that are memorable and hilarious while being mildly disturbing.
While more Addams stuff is probably not possible (the third film sucked pretty badly after the death of the actor who played Gomez), there are limitless other possibilities. Maybe a Munsters movie? Or something with classic monster villains and their families? That Monster High stuff had potential before it basically became Barbie with Halloween costumes; maybe that could even be revisited and revamped into something interesting. And how cool would it be to have a foreign film with enough quirk and creep—like Amelie meets Morticia?
If this year’s film lineup is any indicator, all we have to look forward to are piles of regurgitated sequels. Hey Hollywood, how about something new and original, with some ghastly ghouls, strong female leads (and supporting characters), and something akin to a walking hand roaming around the set?