The Post-Halloween Transition : The Addams Family

The atmospheric difference between Halloween and the Thanksgiving/Christmas season is incomprehensible. Every year on November 1st, all the creepy fun is entirely abandoned for feelings of warmth and community… They’re both good moods, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a bit jarring to make the change so fast. Luckily, The Addams Family is the perfect film to make the transition. Even though it’s full of spooky visuals we might more strongly associate with Halloween, the film is arguably better suited towards the other holidays thanks to its sweet and authentic portrayal of a happy family life.

If this were any other film, the Addams would be the neighbourhood freaks, made out to be mere oddities if not straight-up villains. In The Addams Family, though, they’re the heroes while the “normal” people around them seem to be the true bad guys. The first way the film sets up this role reversal is through the use of the “normal” characters as foils. We see them as manipulative and greedy con artists, a sharp contrast to the relaxed and fun-loving Addams family. The worse the "normal people" are, the better the Addams seem. Even without this, though, The Addams Family humanises its eccentric characters by giving them probably one of the healthiest family dynamics on TV : Gomez and Morticia are deeply, passionately, and openly in love with each other and each family member’s bizarre quirks are more than just accepted, they’re encouraged. Though they seem a bit odd when you first see them, it quickly becomes obvious that they’re one of the most well-adjusted families on screen.

The best way to summarise the film is that it manages to convey that almost dissociative feeling of bringing someone over to have dinner with your family. As soon as that unknown element is introduced into family life, who doesn’t feel like a family of freaks like the Addams? Weird rituals and habits are suddenly made hyper-obvious and even uncomfortable. The beauty of The Addams Family, then, is that it shows us that we don't have to feel so insecure about these oddities. We might eat food that our guests aren’t accustomed to, or make jokes that aren’t funny if you don’t get them, but so do the Addams. Wednesday electrocutes Pugsley for fun, Gomez is dramatic to the extreme, and their food is disturbingly gloppy, and yet we still like them, so why should we be ashamed of ourselves?

Thanksgiving and Christmas are quiet, restful times that we enjoy with our families - at least in theory. The truth is, family is a weird thing. Maybe someone is bringing home their partner for the first time, changing the dynamic entirely, but even if it’s just the normal crew, it’s inevitable that people will start to grate on each other. Old quibbles will flare up, annoying habits continue unchanged, and touchy topics will inevitably be brought up. The Addams Family, though, reminds us that we can try to appreciate each other's quirks rather than be annoyed by them. Fights are normal - even Gomez had a falling out with his brother Fester - but when we have them, we can let our remorse soften us and try to put things right for the sake of pure familial love. We all wish we had a picture-perfect family life where everyone is smiling and there’s absolutely no conflict, but the image that conjures for us is that of a stereotypical ideal family that doesn’t exist, never has and never will. The Addams family, on the other hand, reminds us that the visuals aren’t required - all we really need is love and understanding.

Given that the film is basically a love letter to a family founded on unconditional love regardless of people’s quirks, though, there is one thing I would change about the story. The plot centres around a man named Gordon pretending to be Gomez’s brother Fester so he can rob the family. During his time with the family, though, he finds that he feels far more at home with the Addams than with his own mother and his loyalties begin to shift. I won’t say what happens in the end, but I’ll tell you what I wish happened : I wish Gordon were adopted by the Addams. Not only that, I would have loved it if it turned out that all of the Addams had been adopted, a family comprised of misfits and outcasts. In my opinion, this would drive home the idea that family is just about conditional love and community rather than any blood ties, the perfect finishing touch on the film’s themes.

In short, The Addams Family is an incredibly sweet movie about what it is to be a family, to have unconditional love and support for those around you. Though I think it could have been a little bit better, it is by no means bad, and the mix of Halloween aesthetics with family values makes it the perfect film for transitioning away from Halloween. Spending the holidays with family can be hard, so let The Addams Family remind you of how to celebrate rather than criticise what makes us all unique.