A horror comedy classic is dominating Netflix today. This month has seen the release of The Addams Family 2, the follow-up to the 2019 animated reboot of Charles Addams’ kooky clan. And, despite its talented voice cast, it’s receiving some mixed reviews, with critics agreeing that it’s a by-the-numbers reheat of the first film. Given that, it looks like fans are revisiting an old favorite to remind themselves of the proper way to do an Addams sequel.
1993’s Addams Family Values is racing up the charts on Netflix today. As per the latest stats from Flix Patrol, the Barry Sonnenfeld-directed effort shot up 18 places in the rankings this Friday and is currently the 26th most-watched movie on the streaming giant the world over. It’s proving particularly popular in South America right now, breaking into the top 10 in the likes of Mexico and Argentina.
Values sees Gomez (Raul Julia) and Morticia (Angelina Huston) hire a nanny for their newborn mustachioed baby Pubert – Debbie Jellinsky (Joan Cusack), who’s really a black widow intent on seducing, marrying, and murdering Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd) to get at the Addams’ vast fortune. Meanwhile, Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) are sent off to an obnoxiously peppy summer camp for rich kids, which the Addams children – along with Wednesday’s love interest Joel (David Krumholtz) – take delight in destroying.
It’s difficult for a sequel to best the original, but Values is a great example of how to do just that, as it takes the twisted black comedy of the 1991 movie to new heights and throws in some biting social satire to boot. No other bit of Addams media has really managed to top it since, but maybe Netflix‘s upcoming Wednesday TV series from Tim Burton will be able to.
The Addams Family 2 is in theaters and available to rent online now.