They are spooky and they are kooky – they are all together ooky, but there is something more to the Addams Family than meets the eye. For decades, everyone’s favorite macabre family has graced our screens, giving a new definition to the idea of family. There is an essence that can not be left to rest, the most recent undertaking being Tim Burton’s Wednesday. For myself, the Addams Family has always been a staple, one that grounded its roots in Barry Sonnenfeld’s 1990s classics The Addams Family and Addams Family Values.

Growing up, I loved the Addams Family. There was just something kooky and spooky that just hit all the right notes. While I had never seen the live-action or the animated series, the 1991 classic was a strong induction to the franchise. And while overall it is a fairly straightforward narrative of lost relatives, greed, and comeuppance, The Addams Family reaches further, diving deeply into the craft of world-building while also proving that while dark and gloomy, the Addams Family is all about love and acceptance.

World Building

The Addams Family leans into its world-building from the moment the film begins. As Christmas bells ring and the “Carol of the Bells” fills our ears, the film opens on a group of carolers. Their blue and red sweaters and holiday joy are immediately contrasted as the camera pulls away, focusing instead on a black wreath hung on a weathered door. While it gives a hint to the world we are about to embrace, the camera continues to pan along the side of the house, each detail revealed allowing us to piece together an idea of the house that will accompany a majority of the film’s setting.

As the camera settles on the Addams family far above, smiles surround a caldron slowly being turned over, its contents intended to fall on the carolers below. It is a brief introduction to the family, the out-of-place feeling fully encompassing the carolers, the camera taking us inside the world of the Addams Family as it moves inside the cauldron, heavy fog and opening credits returning the familiar Addams Family theme song along with an eerily romanticized score.

Following the credits, the camera opens to a clock resembling the Addams’s home, with various replicas of the family engaging with the chimes. As the camera pulls away, Thing (Christopher Hart) appears, giving viewers a “hand” in introducing each member of the family while broadening the world they live in. First, it’s Gomez (Raul Julia) lamenting the 25th anniversary of his brother Fester’s disappearance. Next up is the dynamic duo of Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) as their child play proves potentially deadly. As the film finally settles on Morticia (Anjelica Huston), the cinematography takes center stage, a beam of light across her eyes an Addams Family staple.

The world-building is in even the smallest of details and continues throughout the entirety of the film. Yet, world-building is not exclusively limited to set design and costume, but to the actions and props of the Addams as well – swordplay, Morticia cutting the heads of roses, Wednesday being told to “play with her food”. Audiences will find themselves immersed within the world of the Addams Family, its lived-in vibrancy enticing and entrancing.

Acceptance and protection

From the very beginning of the film, The Addams Family establishes its deeply rooted strength and love of family. As Gomez laments the loss of his brother Fester, the family is consistently united to give him strength and support, gathering for monthly seances in a show of resilience of hope. There is also suspicion and deeply rooted protection when a man claiming to be Fester (Christopher Lloyd) appears, a breadcrumb trail proving he may not be all that he seems. Morticia and Wednesday are the first to suspect something is off with Fester, Wednesday immediately questioning holes in the story surrounding his disappearance. Morticia is less straightforward, her prowess able to deliver an Addams warning, all while avoiding pure rejection.

And while this protection rings true. It is the overall acceptance within family that stands out the most. For a film that revolves frequently around murder and pain, the Addams Family is one of the most accepting and welcoming families of film and TV. From the very beginning, even emotionally distraught about the anniversary of his brother’s disappearance, Gomez and Morticia are both excited and welcoming of their accountant Tully (Dan Hedaya) and his wife Margaret (Dana Ivey). And when Fester arrives, with Dr. Pinder-Schloss (Elizabeth Wilson) in tow, Gomez delivers little hesitation in welcoming them into their home and into their lives.

The Addams Family is keen too on introducing others to the culture of their family. Many times ignorant to the outside world, they are never hesitant to engage in swordplay, donate to charitable auctions and engage in the children’s school activities and play. Nothing is ever forced, and no judgment is truly ever placed. The Addams Family is always just that – The Addams Family.

Conclusion

While the plot of the film is formulaic in structure, The Addams Family finds its success in the culmination of all its parts. Everything flows perfectly, never drowning an audience in world-building, but rather inviting them in. Never memorable for its performances, but containing undeniable entertainment that would be compared to for decades to come. Never denying an audience, always welcoming them in. The strength of this childhood classic speaks to the success that would follow with its sequel, Addams Family Values, and the adaptations that would follow in the decades to come.

Have you seen The Addams Family? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!