What to Watch in the Theater:
The Addams Family (PG) is in theaters now. This animated re-telling about the creepy and the kooky took a minute to get us on board (only because we’re such big fans of the original series and later movies). The story introduces us to more of the world, and more “normal” human characters, than either of those did, which gives this the air of a fresh take, rather than a reboot of the same old story. It includes more settings and more interactions outside of the family. Of course, there are messages about tolerance and inclusiveness, but there’s still a lot of the bizarre, and animation allows things to get even crazier than the live action versions. This one could live happily next to our much-loved earlier chapters.
Our rating: 4.17 out of 5
Zombieland: Double Tap (R) opens today. It’s been 10 years since this motley group became a zombie-slaying family. Although it seems they’ve settled into a happy life together, Little Rock wants to explore and find kids her own age. The group splinters, and some new characters are found, as is a much more dangerous type of zombie. The action is as gory as ever, but it’s a zombie-thumping good time. The different kinds of survivors our heroes encounter add some interesting twists to the story, and it’s a thrilling, bloody good journey.
Our rating: 4.25 out of 5
What to Watch at Home (Or Not):
Are You Afraid of the Dark? (TV14) is airing on Nickelodeon and YouTube. Although this is a Nickelodeon miniseries (brought back to life for the second time), the imagery here is too creepy for kids. We meet new girl, Rachel, as she acclimates to a new school and is invited to join The Midnight Society. Her scary story, based on a recurring dream, appears to be coming true at the end of part 1 of 3. This seems similar to the recent movie Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, although this one will have less gore. The first episode was only slightly scary, but the rest promise more frights.
Our rating: 3.83 out of 5
Little Monsters (R) is streaming exclusively on Hulu. Another zombie story (’tis the season), only this one takes place in Australia, when kindergarten teacher and her young charges are stranded at a tourist farm when the monsters escape from a research facility nearby. Lupita Nyong’o really shines as Miss Caroline, who is helped by slacker, Dave, an uncle to one of the kids. Children’s entertainer, Teddy McGiggle (Josh Gad) is also on hand, but not so helpful. It’s a different take on the zombie comedy, with the strong female lead the main reason to tune in.
Our rating: 3.5 out of 5
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Click here to check out the Addams Family snap-along video.