We’ve looked at The Munsters in our Halloween review and if we’re going to do that we better look at TV’s other Halloween family The Addam’s Family.

And everyone knows the theme, and not just the words, but the double finger snaps also.

The Addams Family is that mysterious family who lives down your block. They’re not monsters (though their relatives may be and if they ever encountered them they would be extremely happy!). The Addams live the creepy life, but the best thing about it is they never even realize how different they are. Indeed, the Addams take ‘dysfunctional family’ to a whole new level and revel in it. This IS normal for them… and we love it. Every episode is a whole new experience in strange. And strange is funny. They make us laugh and want more of their creepiness in our live. I can still recall being a young child and wishing I could stick a light bulb in my mouth and make it light up!

Family patriarch Gomez, played by the laughable and lovable John Astin (well recognized for many appearances in several different TV series), leads the craziness by hitting golf balls off the roof, standing on his head and blowing up his toy trains… “Why else would a grown man play with toy trains?” Morticia is the matriarch, played beautifully by Carolyn Jones (also appearing briefly in many series). Morticia spends her time knitting (mostly things with three arms), growing hemlock plants which are one hundred times more threatening than Venus Fly Traps. And don’t forget Uncle Fester! (The light bulb nut) Jackie Coogan started early in life in Vaudeville even playing Tom Sawyer in the 1930’s movies of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Uncle Fester is perhaps one of the oddest characters, playing with knives, waxing his bald head, and sleeping on a bed of nails. Round the cast off with Lurch, Frankenstein type butler, and Pugsley and Wednesday, the Addams children (and Wednesday’s headless doll) and you have a wonderful fun time in the house of weird. (Oh, and never forget the final member of the family who tends to hold it all together… Thing! A body-less hand who is very handy to have around the house!)

The series lasted two full seasons, but also spawned two major motion pictures in the 1980s starring Raul Julia, Anjelica Huston, and introduced young Christina Ricci. The Addams let us know the strange family down the block is strange, yes, but maybe strange isn’t so bad. The whole family will love and laugh at the entire spooky series.