The film introduces audiences to the titular family, sans Uncle Fester, who, now Gomez’s long-lost brother, returns to the family with amnesia as part of a scheme to steal the family fortune. Though the plot is simple, it allows for characters like Gomez and Wednesday to become more iconic than ever while delivering a quotable comedy. The Addams Family is not only a fun family film but perfect to kick off the Halloween season by knowing that while it’s creepy and spooky, it’s also one of the most fun and endearing family films to both honor what came before and introduce something new.

The Addams Family Reintroduces Its Characters in a Smart Way

Image via Paramount

Audiences who already know The Addams Family know a lot of the tropes that make them interesting or the quirks that are tied specifically to them, thanks to the original series. This makes the 1991 film so interesting because it’s not a matter of trying to reinvent the wheel or offer something new. Instead, the story is more focused on reminding audiences why they love these characters so much and how there’s even more weirdness to love about them now that they’re on the big screen. That’s not to say the family hasn’t appeared in movies on the small screen before, either, but in going to the big screen, the film offers much in the way of creativity to make this iteration feel both fresh and definitive.

One of the best ways to exemplify what makes this movie so revolutionary and fun is Thing. While many know the character as the fast-moving (and fast “talking”) hand that aids Wednesday, it was the 1991 film that introduced the character as a free-roaming hand rather than one that is called upon and comes out of a box. Through Thing, it’s clear how ambitious the film is to honor the source material while also pushing these characters in new directions to tell a story that defines how strange they are. For example, Wednesday often plays sick and twisted games with her brother, Pugsley, like, Is There a God?, where she electrocutes him.

Aging her up from the young girl she was in the show allows for these weird and twisted games to be even more funny and strange, as she clearly does electrocute her brother, even if he doesn’t die like anyone else naturally would. The supernatural qualities of the Addamses were always alluded to in the show, but the movie shows just how different they are and the “powers” they possess. It takes their quirks to a new level and makes them fit in well for a movie.

As The Addams Family redefines its characters, though, the story remains deeply rooted in family, even showing their resilience when they are evicted from their home. Rather than try to change these characters, the film opts to explore situations that challenge their base qualities. A common, and annoying, trope of TV shows turned movies is how often characters will change from what audiences love and remember. In The Addams Family, the characters remain constant, and it serves as a definitive reason why this film has stood the test of time.

The Cast Revolutionized the Characters (Even With Its Changes)

One of the most interesting things about The Addams Family franchise is how franchise continuity isn’t necessarily important in the grand scheme. For example, in the cartoons, the characters didn’t even have names, and the original TV show delivers this while also introducing new characters like Cousin Itt. As a result, each interpretation of the family involves capturing the spirit of all the versions that came before, and the 1991 film may still be the greatest example of this. Granted, the story delivers this in more than one way; it’s also the casting that remains iconic even now, and it also added new qualities to the characters that are still relevant and narratively crucial.

Raul Julia’s Gomez Addams may be the most impressive and impactful performance of the film, and his outrageous and charismatic turn as the family patriarch can’t be understated. The late actor understood the character deeply based on his portrayal to the point that he even added his Puerto Rican culture into the mix, making this the first canonical example of what ethnicity the Addams family is. This has become so important and integral to the lore that actors who have played Gomez since have all been Latin American or Puerto Rican. There’s also the addition of Anjelica Huston’s Mortician, who may be the best iteration of the character ever, and, coupled with Gomez, still stands as a perfect example of understanding parents and passionate lovers through thick and thin.

Though Christina Ricci’s Wednesday Addams has its own cult following that’s more than deserving, it should also be stated that the time she spent with her brother, Pugsley (Jimmy Workman), only added to the overall chemistry of the family, while Lurch and Grandmama bring very one-note but still consistently fun levels of weirdness that capture what makes them both so great. One change that has stood out, however, is with Fester, who, in the show, was Morticia’s Uncle but is now Gomez’s brother in the film. It’s a change that adds narrative punch, but thanks to Christopher Lloyd’s exceptional acting, it doesn’t alter just how off Uncle Fester is as a character and his love of mayhem and chaos. He may be the most “feral” of the family, but he’s also the most lovable and the perfect bridge between the main cast and the equally skilled supporting actors.

The Addams Family Remains Timeless Even If Fans Watch It Only Once a Year

It’s no small claim to say that The Addams Family is the perfect, family-friendly movie to kick off the Halloween season. It’s spooky, it has an air of gothic fun that can’t be ignored, and more than anything, it’s not chipper in the traditional sense. But that’s all just the aesthetic of the brand and not indicative of the movie as a whole. It’s a movie about family, faith in those people who love dearly, and unconditional love in its purest form. As a result, while it’s a great Halloween-time movie, it’s by far not the only time a person can and should watch it.

The Addams Family is also unabashedly hilarious, thanks to an amazing script and a stellar cast. With the same director of the Men in Black films behind the camera, there’s a textbook weirdness that permeates the movie and makes audiences prepared for a giggle at every turn. In many ways, it feels like one big episode of the TV show, amped up higher than ever, and it works perfectly in that mindset.

Not only has the film kicked off a trilogy of films, with the third not being nearly as praised as the first two, but it also kick-started an era that fans of horror still look back on fondly, with Gomez, Morticia, and Wednesday all still integral parts of the zeitgeist today. Much like 1999’s The Mummy, The Addams Family’s cult following has evolved to become a full-blown cultural staple, and it’s all thanks to the many people who put the original film together.

There’s a fair amount of comedy in The Addams Family, but with each character comes a brand of humor for more than one age group, and that’s helped to define the movie’s timelessness. It’s a movie that can be watched seasonally, more than once, or even introduced for the first time, and it will still stand out as equally fun and hilarious all the same. This is because it’s more than a legacy; it’s an institution. Even now, many actors like Christina Ricci and Christopher Lloyd have returned as different characters in Wednesday to honor the legacy they contributed to, and it makes The Addams Family feel like more than just a fun movie by default.