No one would have believed, when rumors began to spread suggesting Rob Zombie had a feature-length remake of The Munsters in the works, that this would be anything more than your typical internet gossip. However, much to our surprise (and, to some, our intrigued delight), it is true that the musician-turned-filmmaker does have a movie based on the creepy, classic 1960s sitcom now out on Blu-ray and streaming exclusively on Netflix.
Of course, no one could ever replace the actors who played the original family of horror-centric characters — including Fred Gwynne as Herman (who is actually Frankenstein’s Monster) and Yvonne De Carlo as his wife, Lily (whose father is the real Count Dracula). However, it looks like The Munsters cast has employed some worthy successors to the iconic roles. Let’s take a look at who plays whom in the unlikeliest of movies written and directed by Rob Zombie — starting with one of TV’s most (re)animated fathers.
Jeff Daniel Phillips (Herman Munster)
Assuming the role of Herman, a family man struggling to keep himself together, is Jeff Daniel Phillips, who has worked with Rob Zombie on four other films — namely 2009’s Halloween II, The Lords of Salem from 2012, 31 in 2016, and 2019’s 3 from Hell most recently. Yet, he is also something of a horror icon outside his Munsters director’s career, having starred in thrillers like the 2019 Shudder Exclusive Satanic Panic, a 2022 holiday horror movie called Christmas Bloody Christmas, and 2016’s Happy Birthday (in which he plays Frank Zappa), to name a few.
Of course, there is more to Phillips’ career than horror, as he is also known for David Fincher’s Zodiac, an episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., a recurring role on Westworld, and an uncredited appearance in Seth Rogen’s HBO Max original, An American Pickle.
Sheri Moon Zombie (Lily Munster)
As Herman’s vampiric wife, Lily, we have the director’s real-life wife, Sheri Moon Zombie, who has worked with her husband…well, nearly every other time she has ever acted (save Tobe Hooper’s Toolbox Murders and an episode of Californication).
After appearing in three of the musician’s music videos, she made her feature-length acting debut in her his feature-length directorial debut, 2003’s House of 1,000 Corpses, as Baby Firefly — a role she reprised in 2005’s The Devil’s Rejects and 3 from Hell — and later played Michael Myers’ mom in his Halloween movies and the lead of The Lords of Salem and 31. The Zombies have also collaborated on a faux trailer from 2007’s Grindhouse, the animated horror-comedy, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, and an episode of CSI: Miami.
Daniel Roebuck (The Count)
Starring as Lily’s father, The Count, who is otherwise referred to as “Grandpa,” is Daniel Roebuck, who also previously worked with Rob Zombie on most of his filmography, save House of 1,000 Corpses and that fake Grindhouse trailer, most notably.
Like his onscreen son-in-law, the actor is known for several other horror flicks like the first of the Final Destination movies or Don Coscarelli’s Bubba Ho-Tep and John Dies at the End, or for lending his voice to the Dead Rising video games, and has even played Dracula before in a 2001 short called The Vampire Hunters Club. His many other most notable film credits include the likes of 1987’s Project X, 1993’s The Fugitive and its spin-off, U.S. Marshals, and We Were Soldiers from 2002, while he is best-known on TV for playing Jay Leno in HBO’s The Late Shift, starring with the Lost cast in its premiere season, and plenty more.
Richard Brake (Dr. Henry Augustus Wolfgang)
Yet another Zombie movie veteran (i.e., Halloween II, 31, and 3 from Hell) in the Munsters cast is Richard Brake as a new character named Dr. Henry Augustus Wolfgang, who bears a slight, more cartoonish resemblance to his brief role in the mind-bending Nicolas Cage-led revenge thriller, Mandy, from 2018.
However, it's only one example of why the one-time Game of Thrones cast member is one of today’s leading Scream Kings, known also for 2007’s Hannibal Rising, the last of the Tremors movies, Amazon Prime’s Bingo Hell, and Zach Cregger’s Barbarian, most recently. Non-horror fans may also recognize him as Nym in 2003’s Cold Mountain, the Waynes’ killer in Batman Begins, the Einherjar Lieutenant in Thor: The Dark World, and countless other notable roles that may or may not give you the creeps.
Jorge Garcia (Floop)
Another new character named Floop — Wolfgang’s assistant and Herman’s friend — is played Daniel Roebuck’s old Lost co-star, Jorge Garcia, who has since poked fun at his role as Hurley on the hit survival drama a few times, like when he guest-starred on How I Met Your Mother or delivered an ominous finale line at the end of 2015’s The Wedding Ringer.
The former Hawaii Five-0 cast member is also no stranger to Netflix comedies — such as The Wrong Missy or The Ridiculous 6 — and horror-comedies — particularly Cooties from 2014. Garcia is also know for playing Steve Wozniak in iSteve (the funnier Steve Jobs biopic released in 2013) and from his dramatic performance in Nobody Knows I’m Here, in which he also boasts impressive singing talent.
Cassandra Peterson (Barbara Carr)
As real estate agent Barbara Carr, we have Cassandra Peterson, who is, easily, the biggest horror icon in the cast, having both presented some classic horror movies for television and starred in a few of her own as her famous, devilish alter-ego, Elvira. Her most notable acting credits outside of her enduring tenure as the Mistress of the Dark include the 1983 sequel to The Sting, 1985’s Pee Wee’s Big Adventure as a “Biker Mama,” and as the evil queen Sorais in Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold two years later. Although Netflix would reject the revival of her horror movie showcase, she recently leant her voice to the platform’s exclusive anime, Dota: Dragons Blood, in 2021.
Sylvester McCoy (Igor)
Starring as Igor — a name you may recognize as Dr. Frankenstein’s assistant from Universal’s 1931 adaptation — is Sylvester McCoy, who is best known for playing one of pop culture’s most famous doctors, the title hero of Doctor Who, from 1987 to 1989. He also once appeared alongside another famous iteration of Bram Stoker’s legendary vampire, as played by Frank Langella, in 1979’s Dracula. Modern audiences may better recognize the Scottish actor as Radagast in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy, or from Netflix’s original sci-fi TV show, Sense8.
Catherine Schell (Zoya Krupp)
As Zoya Krupp, we have Catherine Schell, who once starred on a four-part episode of Doctor Who in 1979 and most recently appeared on BBC and Netflix’s limited series adaptation of Dracula in 2020. Said vampiric miniseries was the Hungarian actress’ first credit since 1996, when she retired from a legendary career that began when she played the title role of Lana, Queen of the Amazons in 1964 before playing the female lead of the 1969 sci-fi Western, Moon Zero Two.
However, her most iconic roles — which the Munsters director would gush about on Instagram — include George Lazenby’s Bond girl, Nancy, in 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Maya on the cult favorite sci-fi TV show Space: 1999 from 1975 to 1977, and her Peter Sellers movies, The Return of the Pink Panther and The Princess of Zenda.
Thomas Boykin (Lester)
Before he was cast as a werewolf named Lester in The Munsters, Thomas Boykin worked with Zombie on the aforementioned 3 from Hell, which was only his most recent (and decidedly biggest) horror credit at the time. After debuting in a 2001 spy thriller called Among Thieves, the actor starred in The Asylum’s Haunting of Winchester House (and its adaptation of Princess of Mars) in 2009 and went on to appear alongside Danny Trejo in 2014’s Voodoo Possession, and The Chair alongside Roddy Piper in 2016. Some may also recognize Boykin from his guest spots on TV shows like Parenthood and How to Get Away with Murder.
Butch Patrick (Tin Can Man)
For his feature-length reboot, the director managed to get two people from the original TV show's cast involved, including original Eddie Munster actor Butch Patrick as his famous character’s robotic creation, Tin Can Man. In his youth, Patrick also acted in plenty of other legendary shows from the 1960s — such as more fantasy sitcoms like My Favorite Martian and Mister Ed, and Westerns like Gunsmoke and Bonanza — and also played the title role in 1970’s adaptation of The Phantom Tollbooth. The actor has also poked fun at his iconic Munsters role in Scary Movie (not the one you think, but an obscure 1991 horror comedy) and in Dicky Roberts: Former Child Star with David Spade.
Pat Priest (Character Unconfirmed)
Another veteran appearing in the reboot is Pat Priest, who was actually the second actor to play Marilyn Munster, when Beverly Owen exited after 13 episodes. The titular family’s one seemingly normal member may remain Priest’s most iconic role, but she was also in a movie with Elvis Presley (1967’s Easy Come, Easy Go), was in the original Airport from 1970, and has an impressive resume of TV guest spots that includes Perry Mason, Bewitched, and Mission: Impossible, to name a few. This new movie is, actually, not the first time she has revisited the world of this sitcom, as she cameoed in another feature-length reboot attempt from 1995 called Here Come the Munsters.
If some of the original cast agreed to be involved, it appears that this return to 1313 Mockingbird Lane is a trip worth taking. See for yourself by streaming Rob Zombie's The Munsters on Netflix now.
