The Addams Family (1991)

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1991
Running Times: 99 mins102 minsFormat: Technicolor 35mm
Ratio: 1.37:1 (negative ratio) 1.85:1 (intended ratio)
Sound: Dolby SR

(Full Credits)

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Orion Pictures Corporation/Paramount Pictures
Executive Producer: Graham Place
Producer: Scott Rudin
Co-Producer: Jack CumminsAssociate Producers: Ronnie Arnold, Paul Rosenberg

SCRIPT
Script: Caroline Thompson, Larry Wilson
Characters: Charles Addams

DIRECTION
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Owen Roizman
Additional Director of Photography: Gale Tattersoll

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editors: Dede Allen, Jim Miller

MUSIC
Music: Marc Shaiman
Songs/Additional Music: Hammer/Pilate (The Addams Groove; This Is the Way We Roll; Burn It Up); Vic Mizzy (The Addams Family Theme); Hammer, Pilate, Early, Kelly, Burrell (Too Legit to Quit); Marc Shaiman, Betty Comden, Adolph Green (Mamushka); M. Leonovitch, Peter J. Wilhousky (Carol of the Bells); Saxie Dowell (Playmates); Eduardo di Capua, Giovanni Capurro, Alfredo Mazzucchi (O Sole Mio); Duke Ellington, Irving Mills (The Mooche); Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II (Getting To Know You); Dan Radlauer (Sally Jessy Raphael Theme)
Songs Performed By: Hammer (The Addams Groove; Too Legit to Quit; This Is the Way We Roll; Burn It Up); The Caroling Company (Carol of the Bells); The Kipper Kids (Playmates); Benjamino Gigli (O Sole Mio); Carol Koenig (La Folia)

SOUND
Sound Recordist: Mark 'Frito' Long
Sound Mixer: Peter F. Kurland

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up Designer: Fern Buchner
Make Up: Kathrine James, Kevin C. Haney
Hair Designer: Anthony Cortino
Hair: Christopher C. Shihar
Costume Designers: Ruth Myers, Barbara Matera (uncredited)

SPECIAL MAKE UP EFFECTS
Special Make Up Effects: Makeup and Effects Laboratories Inc, Louis Lazzara
Special Prosthetics and Mechanical Devices: Alterian Studios Inc, Tony Gardner
Thing Prosthetics and Puppets: David Miller Studios, David Miller

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects Coordinator: Chuck Gaspar

VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual Effects Supervisor: Alan Munro
Visual Effects Coordinator: Chuck Comisky

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Richard MacDonald
Art Director: Marjorie Stone McShirley

LOCATIONS
Locations: California, USA; Virginia, USA

STUNTS
Stunt Coordinator: David Ellis
Stunts: Randy Kovitz, Keith Campbell, Mary Peters, Danny Rogers, David Welch

CASTING
Casting: David Rubin

CAST
Anjelica Huston (Morticia Addams)
Raul Julia (Gomez Addams)
Christopher Lloyd (Gordon/Fester Addams)
Dan Hedaya (Tully Alford)
Elizabeth Wilson (Abigail Craven)
Judith Malina (Granny Addams)
Carel Struychen (Lurch)
Dana Ivey (Margaret Alford)
Paul Benedict (Judge Womack)
Christina Ricci (Wednesday Addams)
Jimmy Workman (Pugsley Addams)
Christopher Hart (Thing)
John Franklin (Cousin It)
Tony Azito (Digit Addams)
Douglas Brian Martin (Dexter Addams)
Steven M. Martin (Donald Addams); Allegra Kent (Cousin Ophelia Addams); Richard Korthaze (Slosh Addams)
Ryan Holihan (Lumpy Addams)
Maureen Sue Levin (Flora Amor)
Darlene Levin (Fauna Amor)
Kate McGregor-Stewart (employment agent)
Lela Ivey (Susan Firkins)
Whitby Hertford (Little Tully)
Patty Maloney (Lois Addams)
Victoria Hall (Swedish blonde)
Jimmy Ross (pre-teen Gomez)
Ryan Anderson (pre-teen Fester)
Daniel Pikus (teenage Gomez)
Michael Hittesdorf (teenage Fester)
Lauren Walker (teenage Flora)
Valeri Walker (teenage Fauna)
Mercedes McNab (girl scout)
Joe Zimmerman (Long Arm Addams)
Steve Welles (Fingers Addams)
Eugene Jackson (one-armed bass player)
Richard Tanner (snake charmer)
Marc Shaiman (conductor)
The Passing Zone (Jonathan Wee, Owen Morse) (jugglers)
Sally Jessy Raphael (herself)

The guilt-stricken Gomez Addams is determined to find his lost brother Fester, missing after a fight for which he blames himself. The situation is exploited by the unscrupulous lawyer Tully Alford, his dippy wife Margaret and the evil, loan-sharking Abigail Craven whose lumbering son Gordon is a dead ringer for the absent Fester. Wishing to get their hands on the gold said to be stashed at the Addams Mansion, Gordon disguises himself as Fester and gatecrashes the (un)happy home with a concocted story about vanishing in the Bermuda Triangle.

Surprisingly, this big budget, big screen 90s updating of the cult 60s TV hit was rather better than one might have hoped. Though the plot is no great shakes, the casting is superb and the film simply revels in its own craziness, often casting the meager story to one side to concentrate on the latest bit of weirdness - indeed, the film is often at its worst when it tries too hard to provide us with a plot. The result is a patchy but undeniably very entertaining movie with knockout performances and technical credits. (Full Review)

Argentina
Video Distributor: LK-TEL

Germany
Laserdisc Distributor: Columbia/Tristar (12810)

Spain
Theatrical Distributor: Filmayer S.A.

UK
Video Distributors: VCC; Columbia
Laserdisc Distributor: Columbia/Tristar (LD 12810)

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Video Distributor: Paramount Home Video
Laserdisc Distributor: Paramount (LV 32689-WS); Paramount (LV 32689)
DVD Distributor: Paramount (32689)

Argentina
Rating: 13

Australia
Rating: PG

Chile
Rating: TE

Finland
Rating: K-10

Netherlands
Rating: AL

Peru
Rating: PG

Spain
Rating: T

Sweden
Rating: 11

UK
Rating: PG

USA
Rating: PG-13

1992
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards, USA
Top Box Office Films (Marc Shaiman) - winner

Academy Awards, USA (Oscars)
Best Costume Design (Ruth Myers) - nominated

BAFTA Film Awards, UK
Best Make Up Artist (Fern Buchner, Kevin Haney, Katherine James) - nominated
Best Production Design (Richard MacDonald) - nominated

Casting Society of America, USA
Artios Best Casting for Feature Film, Comedy (David Rubin) - nominated

Golden Globes, USA
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture: Comedy/Musical (Anjelica Huston) - nominated

Hugo Awards, USA
Best Dramatic Presentation - nominated

MTV Movie Awards, USA
Award Best Kiss (Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia) - nominated
Best Movie Song (M.C. Hammer) - nominated (for The Addams Groove)

Razzie Awards, USA
Worst Original Song (M.C. Hammer, Felton C. Pilate II) - winner (for The Addams Groove)

1993
Young Artist Awards, USA
Best Young Actor Co-starring in a Motion Picture (Jimmy Workman) - winner
Best Young Actress Starring in a Motion Picture (Christina Ricci) - nominated

1991
November
22: USA - theatrical release

December
13: Sweden - theatrical release
20: Finland, Netherlands - theatrical release
26: Australia - theatrical release

1992
January
9: Argentina - theatrical release
23: Germany - theatrical release

April
10: Spain - theatrical release
15: France - theatrical release

June
18: USA - laserdisc release (Paramount (LV 32689-WS); Paramount (LV 32689))

October
Day Unknown: Germany - laserdisc release (Columbia / Tristar (12810))

2000
February
22: USA - DVD release (Paramount (32689))

2002
June
30: USA - television broadcast (on The Sc-Fi Channel)

It's not the same old Thing.

Weird is relative.

Creepy. Kooky. Spooky. Ooky.

Die Addams Family - German title
La familia Addams - Spanish title
Los locos Addams - Argentinian title
The Addams Family - perhe Addams - Finnish title
La famille Addams - French title
Az Addams család - Hungarian title
La famiglia Addams - Italian title
Rodzina Addamsów - Polish title
A Família Addams - Portugese title
Familjen Addams - Swedish title

SEQUEL TO
The Addams Family (1964 - 1966)
The Addams Family (1973 - 1975)

SEQUELS
The Addams Family (1992)
Addams Family Values (1993)
Addams Family Reunion (1998)

SEE ALSO
Casper (1995)
Chicken Park (1994)
The Haunting (1999)
The Maddams Family (1993)
Mars Attacks! (1996)

MAGAZINES

Cinefantastique February 1992 pp.48-51 (USA)
illustrated article

Cinefantastique June 1992 p.54 (USA)
review

Cinema 19 December 1991 (Germany)
review (by Heiko Rosner)

The Dark Side July 1992 pp.32-33 (UK)
review

Empire January 1992 pp.19, 54-61 (USA)
illustrated review, illustrated article

Fangoria no.108 (November 1991) pp.30-33, 68 (USA)
illustrated interview

Première May 1992 p.21 (France)
review (by Francois Forestier)

Studio April 1992 p.27 (France)
review (by Michel Rebichon)

BOOKS

Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror (2nd edition) p.468
credits, review

Creature Features Strikes Again p.11
credits, review (by John Stanley)

Elliott's Guide to Home Entertainment (4th Edition) p.5
credits

The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film p.3
credits

The Essential Monster Movie Guide p.28
credits

Horror and Science Fiction Films Volume IV pp.2-3
credits

The Illustrated Vampire Movie Guide p.124
credits, review (by Stephen Jones)

Psychotronic Video Guide pp.3-4
credits, review

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

sequels, television into film, frankenstein monster, vampires, families, haunted houses, hands, children, girl scouts, disembodied hands, the occult, accountants, chainsaws, amnesia