Connect with us

Editorials

[TV Terrors] Bryan Fuller’s “Mockingbird Lane” Attempted a Visionary Reboot of “The Munsters”

Published

on

Horror and science fiction have always been a part of the television canvas, and constant attempts have been made over the years to produce classic entertainment. Some have fallen by the wayside, while others became mainstream phenomena. With “TV Terrors,” we take a look back at the many genre efforts from the 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s, exploring some shows that became cult classics, and others that sank in to obscurity.

  • Aired: October 26th, 2012
  • Aired on: NBC Network

In today’s reboot obsessed culture, I’m surprised Hollywood hasn’t tapped into a reboot of “The Munsters,” the friendly monster filled family from 1313 Mockingbird Lane. In 2012, NBC had their chance by taking a more sinister and adult approach to the classic sitcom about Herman and his brood. Titled “Mockingird Lane, the series never made it past the pilot stage.

I admit that I was avidly against “Mockingbird Lane” when it was being developed, but after sitting through it I very much enjoyed it. Developed by Bryan Fuller of “Hannibal” and “Dead Like Me” fame, “Mockingbird Lane” is a dark comedy horror tale about the Munsters clan. This time they’re not so much monsters that stand out like sore thumbs in rural America, but more monsters that can blend in just fine in suburban America.

The pilot (directed by Bryan Singer) starred a variety of television character actors including Jerry O’Connell as Herman, Portia de Rossi as Lily, Mason Cook as Eddie, Eddie Izzard as Grandpa, and Charity Wakefield as the anti-hero Marilyn. When we first open up on “Mockingbird Lane” we witness a werewolf pretty much destroy and terrorize a group of boy scouts camping out in the woods. Cook as Eddie is a young boy coming into puberty who is having a harder time controlling his monstrous habits. The prologue that borders on incredibly graphic is the catalyst for the Munsters having to move yet again.

When the Munsters move in to an old mansion known for heinous murders in a middle class neighborhood, they decide to give fitting in another shot. While settling in, the stitched up Herman realizes that he needs a new heart. With Grandpa also getting hungry, they begin looking for available victims. Eddie joins up with the local chapter of the boy scouts, and when Grandpa realizes the scoutmaster has affection for Lily, he plans to lure him to the house to prey on him and use him for Herman’s brand new heart. And you know, for some fresh blood, too.

A lot of the dynamic is changed up for this reboot. Marilyn is no longer the normal niece stuck with her monstrous family, but is more the Richard Straker (a la “Salem’s Lot”) of the family. She can blend in and go unnoticed, so she’s first seen looking for a house for the brood, anxiously trying to sneak them in under the cloak of darkness. Eddie Munster is mainly the focus now, as a young boy learning about his werewolf abilities. Lily Munster is very much a predatory vampire who isn’t shy about sticking true to her vampirism. In fact, a passive conversation with Herman involves her reminiscing about wanting to eat Eddie when he was born.

O’Connell is Herman, a stitched up and cobbled together man who requires a new heart and blood to refresh his body consistently. But the biggest change is Grandpa, who is played by Eddie Izzard. He’s no longer the doddery old man, but a near immortal vampire and mad scientist who delights in experiments and seems to pull the strings in the entire family. I assume one of the bigger gimmicks of the series would have been Herman and Grandpa looking for fresh human hearts and blood, putting them into some very unique scenarios. Izzard’s portrayal is easily the highlight of “Mockingbird Lane” and he probably would have taken the character to new shades of the sinister and morbid.

There’s a ton of back story and exposition in the pilot, which I assume was setting up what was to come from the series; there’s talk about how Marilyn was also almost eaten by her mother but was saved by Grandpa. There’s also talk about how Marilyn may or may not be an anomaly of the Munster clan. Maybe she’s just a human, or perhaps she has more monster in her than she knows or understands quite yet. In either case, “Mockingbird Lane” is pretty entertaining and garners some wonderful set direction and costume design. The pilot has a wry sense of humor, a dark atmosphere and never shies too much away from the grue and gore, reveling in moments involving Grandpa preying on a lion, and Herman’s heart exploding from the seams. 

Alas, when “Mockingbird Lane” premiered on NBC in 2012, it was greeted with almost no fanfare, and the network gave thumbs down to a potential series. They merely called it a day by branding the pilot a one-off “TV Special.” It’s sad as I think “Mockingbird Lane” had at least two good seasons to unfold a unique take on the classic sitcom.

In the years since, “Mockingbird Lane” has remained an artifact of a small sub-genre of reboots that never took off or were generally forgotten. All the while the franchise itself has been in limbo ever since, save for The Wayans Bros, who have been threatening a live action reboot for years. I would love to see a return in the vein of “Hotel Transylvania” someday soon.

Is It On DVD/Blu-Ray? Absolutely not. It’s not even on streaming services like Amazon or the NBC Network website anymore. Although, you can probably find it if you look hard enough.

Hopefully if a new reboot comes down the pipeline, this one will surface on home video.

Felix is a horror, pop culture, and comic book fanatic based in The Bronx. Along with being a self published author, he also operates his blog Cinema Crazed and loves 90's nostalgia. His number one bucket list item is to visit Ireland on Halloween. Or to marry Victoria Justice. Currently undecided.

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

Published

on

leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

LEPRECHAUN

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS sequel

Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

Continue Reading