The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas

Last updated
The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas
Written by Ed Ferrara
Kevin Murphy
Directed by Ian Emes
Starring Sam McMurray
Ann Magnuson
Sandy Baron
Elaine Hendrix
Bug Hall
Music byChristopher L. Stone
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers John Landis
Leslie Belzberg
ProducerTony Winley
CinematographyRoger Lanser
EditorM. Scott Smith
Running time91 minutes
Production company MCA Television Entertainment
Original release
Network Fox
ReleaseDecember 17, 1996 (1996-12-17)

The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas is a 1996 American made-for-television science fiction comedy film featuring characters from the 1960s sitcom The Munsters . It featured a different cast from the original series, the 1980s revival series The Munsters Today and the previous 1995 television film Here Come the Munsters . The movie is set around Christmas time and included character actor Sandy Baron as 'Grandpa'. Baron had played Grandpa's older brother Yorga a few years previously in The Munsters Today.

Contents

Plot

The movie begins with son Eddie feeling homesick for Transylvania. Herman decides a "good old Transylvanian Christmas" is what his troubled son needs to get in the mood for the holidays. Together with the family - including Lily, Grandpa and Marilyn, he sends out invitations to the entire Munster family, including Wolfman, Mummy, and the Gill-Man. Herman also asks for a raise from his boss and is fired, taking on other jobs such as modeling nude for an art class, donating blood, and wrapping presents. Meanwhile, on Christmas Eve's eve, one of Grandpa's experiments has gone awry, accidentally transporting Santa Claus and his elves to the Munster Mansion. Christmas faces ruin as there is no way to send Santa home, and the entire family must find a way to save Christmas. Meanwhile, Marilyn falls in love and Lily enters a home decorating contest, with nosy neighbour Edna Dimitty (from the previous Munster movie Here Come the Munsters ) causing trouble. Eddie also faces trouble at school from bullies.

Cast

Main cast

Guest cast

Production

Filming

The movie was shot at Heathcote Hall, a historic building built in 1887 at Heathcote, New South Wales. [1]

Broadcast

The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas was originally aired on Fox on December 17, 1996. It was acquired by ABC Family, and was added to their 25 Days of Christmas line-up on December 15, 2009. It had been previously shown on the cable network Fox Family Channel, which was later renamed ABC Family.

Home media

It was later released on DVD by Universal Studios on November 6, 2007. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Munsters</i> American television series (1964–1966)

The Munsters is an American sitcom depicting the home life of a family of benign monsters. The series stars Fred Gwynne as Frankenstein's monster Herman Munster, Yvonne De Carlo as his vampire wife Lily, Al Lewis as Grandpa the aged vampire Count Dracula, Beverley Owen as their niece Marilyn, and Butch Patrick as their werewolf-like son Eddie. The family pet, named "Spot", was a fire-breathing dragon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herman Munster</span> Fictional character in The Munsters

Herman Munster is a fictional character in the CBS sitcom The Munsters, originally played by Fred Gwynne. The patriarch of the Munster household, Herman is one of Frankenstein’s monsters, created in a lab in Germany in the nineteenth century.

<i>Santas Slay</i> 2005 film

Santa's Slay is a 2005 Christmas slasher black comedy film written and directed by David Steiman, a former assistant to Brett Ratner; Ratner served as a producer. After a millennium of spreading Christmas joy due to losing a bet with an angel, Santa Claus reverts to his demonic self and gives the gift of evil and fear. The film stars Bill Goldberg, Douglas Smith, Emilie de Ravin, Robert Culp, Saul Rubinek, Dave Thomas, Rebecca Gayheart, Chris Kattan, and Fran Drescher.

<i>One Magic Christmas</i> 1985 film by Phillip Borsos

One Magic Christmas is a 1985 Christmas fantasy film directed by Phillip Borsos. It was released by Walt Disney Pictures and stars Mary Steenburgen and Harry Dean Stanton. It was shot in Meaford, Ontario with some scenes in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada.

<i>The Munsters Today</i> American television sitcom, 1988 to 1991

The Munsters Today is an American sitcom and a revival of the original 1964–66 sitcom The Munsters that aired in syndication from October 8, 1988, to May 25, 1991.

<i>The Year Without a Santa Claus</i> 1974 stop-motion television special

The Year Without a Santa Claus is a 1974 Japanese-American stop motion animated Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. The story is based on Phyllis McGinley's 1956 book of the same name. It is narrated by Shirley Booth and starring the voices of Mickey Rooney, Dick Shawn, and George S. Irving. It was originally broadcast on December 10, 1974, on ABC.

<i>Mrs. Santa Claus</i> American TV series or program

Mrs. Santa Claus is a 1996 American made-for-television musical fantasy comedy film directed by Terry Hughes, with a score by Jerry Herman, starring Angela Lansbury in the title role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lily Munster</span> Fictional character

Lily Munster is a fictional character in the CBS sitcom, The Munsters, originally played by Yvonne De Carlo. The matriarch of the Munster household, Lily is a vampire. The role was later played by Lee Meriwether in The Munsters Today and by Portia de Rossi in the unsold 2012 pilot Mockingbird Lane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marilyn Munster</span> Fictional character in The Munsters

Marilyn Munster is a fictional character in the CBS sitcom The Munsters, originally played by Beverley Owen and later by Pat Priest. In the original series, she is the daughter of Lily Munster's sister, and is therefore the granddaughter of Grandpa Munster and the cousin of Eddie Munster. She was played by Hilary Van Dyke in the 1988 series The Munsters Today.

<i>I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus</i> (film) 2001 television film

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus is a 2001 made-for-TV family film, based on the classic holiday song of the same name. The movie's tagline was "Christmas is coming, and Santa's a dirty rat."

<i>Yogis First Christmas</i> 1980 animated television film

Yogi's First Christmas is a 1980 American animated musical television film starring Yogi Bear and produced by Hanna-Barbera. It first aired in syndication through Operation Prime Time on November 22, 1980. Throughout the 1980s, it was offered to U.S. television stations split up one episode per day for four days as a one-week strip syndicated program, generally during the week of Christmas. The film was written by Willie Gilbert and directed by Ray Patterson.

<i>Munster, Go Home!</i> 1966 American comedy film directed by Earl Bellamy

Munster, Go Home! is a 1966 American comedy film based on the 1960s family sitcom The Munsters. It was directed by Earl Bellamy, who also directed a number of episodes in the series. The film was produced immediately after the television series completed filming its original run; it included the original cast with the exception of Marilyn. Marilyn was played by Debbie Watson, replacing Pat Priest from the series.

<i>Here Come the Munsters</i> 1995 television film by Robert Ginty

Here Come the Munsters is a science fiction comedy television film based on the 1960s CBS television series, The Munsters and was directed by Robert Ginty and written by Bill Prady, Jim Fisher, and Jim Staahl. The film stars Edward Herrmann, Christine Taylor, Veronica Hamel and Mathew Botuchis as the Munster family and tells the story of their arrival in the US from Transylvania. It aired on Fox on October 31, 1995.

The Munsters' Revenge is a 1981 American made-for-television science fiction comedy film based on the 1964–1966 sitcom The Munsters which reunited original cast members Fred Gwynne, Yvonne De Carlo and Al Lewis. It was the last film made with most of the original actors from the 1960s TV series. Marilyn Munster was portrayed by Jo McDonnell and Eddie Munster by Canadian child actor K. C. Martel. The film was directed by Don Weis and originally aired on NBC on February 27, 1981.

<i>The Mini-Munsters</i> American TV series or program

The Mini-Munsters is an animated 32 minutes telefilm that was aired as part of The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie in 1973, and was based on the characters from The Munsters. Of the original series' cast, only Al Lewis (Grandpa) lent his voice to the special.

Grandpa (<i>The Munsters</i>) Fictional character

Count Sam Dracula, commonly known as Grandpa, is a fictional character from the American sitcom The Munsters, originally played by Al Lewis. He is an undead vampire and the doting, irritable, and sarcastic father of Lily Munster. The role was later played by Howard Morton in the 1980s television series The Munsters Today.

Several movies based on The Munsters have been released, three featuring original cast members.

<i>Mockingbird Lane</i> 2012 television series directed by Bryan Singer

Mockingbird Lane is a 2012 American horror comedy television special that served as a re-imagining of the 1964–66 television series The Munsters. It was developed for NBC by Bryan Fuller. The pilot episode aired on October 26, 2012, as a Halloween special, and lead into a Halloween-themed episode of the television series Grimm, with the option for a series order. The special was viewed by 5.47 million American viewers and gained a 1.5/5 ratings share for adults aged 18–49, and the concept was not picked up by NBC as a series.

<i>The Munsters</i> (2022 film) 2022 comedy film by Rob Zombie

The Munsters is a 2022 American horror comedy film produced, written, and directed by Rob Zombie and starring Sheri Moon Zombie, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Daniel Roebuck, Richard Brake, Jorge Garcia, Sylvester McCoy, Catherine Schell, and Cassandra Peterson. Based on the 1960s family sitcom of the same title, the story takes place prior to the events of the series, serving as an origin story for the characters.

References

  1. Trembath, Murray (6 September 2014). "Historic Heathcote Hall, once a setting for a Munsters film shoot, may become retirement village". The St George and Sutherland ShireLeader. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  2. "Munster's Scary Little Christmas". DVD Talk . Retrieved 2010-12-07.