Is the Addams Family really evil?

[Queen Bee]

Tonight was one of the rare occasions I watch TV because they had Addams Family Values on, and I love both that and the first Addams Family movie. They're just so delightfully macabre while still keeping a whimsical tone to even the darkest of material. But as I was watching it, I got to thinking... Is the Addams Family truly evil? Or are they, like me, just a quirky bunch with a taste for the sinister?

 

True, their home decor is a bit more extreme than I would like for myself, but I do lean toward it a bit, as well as their mode of dress. If I had millions to spend, I'd probably get a big creepy house and fill it with antique torture devices myself. And while they talk about murder this and torture that, it's always with such a tongue-in-cheek tone. We never actually see any real evidence that they've done any of the horrible things they talk about. I joke with my boyfriend about someday murdering him and eating his corpse, but he and I both know it's just a joke and it'll never happen. Half the time we say stuff like that in front of people just to laugh at their reactions. What if that's all the Addams Family ever does?

 

I guess what I'm asking is this: They talk the talk, but does anyone really think they walk the walk?

[Something]

Some good points, but consider the marketing demographic. Would it really be appropriate if they were showing, even in subtle hints, the kinds of things they were showing? I can see it either way, personally. Either a perfectly harmless nuclear family with a uniquely black sense of humor, or a group of truly twisted people.

[Queen Bee]

I understand these movies and the TV show were made with family audiences in mind, but I'm looking deeper than that. If they had made these movies entirely for adults, would they be shown actually committing murder? Would they be shown torturing someone (or each other)? Even the darkest scenes could be taken both ways.

 

Looking at Addams Family Values, there's the scene at Fester's bachelor party where they wheel out a giant cake and Gomez implies a woman is supposed to pop out of it. But lo and behold, she doesn't. Gomez checks inside, then sadly asks Lurch if she was in the cake when he baked it. They never show a body and immediately laugh it off, so this could be just an elaborate joke on their part. Or they could be cold hearted killers who don't care if they accidentally murdered a stripper.

 

Am I really the only one who wonders these things?

[Poontank]

Do you remember the wonderful intro sequence from the first (IMO superior) movie? A perfect recreation of a cartoon by Chas Addams himself.

 

A flock of Christmas singers doing their thang in front of the Addams mansion, singing joyous songs of peace on Earth and good will to everyone. The camera pans upwards to reveal the whole Addams family on the roof, giddily enjoying their own twisted take on the concept of 'Christmas' - by preparing a cauldron full of an ominous substance, supposedly boiling hot oil. The sequence ends as Lurch is lurching over to pour the cauldron's steaming contents on top of the hapless singers... Cue in the Addams theme: "DadadaDam *SNAP SNAP*..."

 

Can you imagine Gomez saying: "It's all right. Lurch! We had good fun by hauling up this cauldron and heating these thirty gallons of oil, but now it's time to go back down and keep on phantasizing about all things creepy..." - No, the Addams are for real! Those poor singers will be boiled alive like medieval knights on a siege! Then they'll be scooped up from the pavement and experimented upon. And ultimately eaten.

 

The universe of the Addams Family isn't exactly the normal, 'real' world at all. There are even hints of Family members' superhuman abilities: Gomez and his golf ball or fun in the Chain Room without having arms yanked out of their sockets (or drowning) come to mind. All these Addams ancestors in their crypts and tombs - a unique assortment of freaks and evildoers. I think every single one of them was for real. Or think of the distant relatives shown in that party scene... 'Flora'? Fauna'? 'Cousin IT'?! They are legit! Besides, the Family has a walking, pantomimic dismembered hand as a 'pet'/familiar! Whose hand is it anyway? What happened to the rest of the body (they made soap and glue of it)?!

 

This is actually the main fascination of the Addams Family (and the horror genre in general), to me at least: The juxtaposition of our world, 'normality', with the twisted creepy amoral 'abyss' that is the world of the Addams. The clashing of these 'cultures' that can produce countless morbidly funny situations on one hand, but can also serve as a means to deliver thinly-veiled jabs at our own way of living. I guess that was one of the intentions of Chas Addams when creating the Family. Depicting everyday ordinary family life of people for which the creepy, weird, morbid, dark and gloomy has always been the norm. They aren't shown following through with any shenanigans because of the TV show format and 'family-friendly' movie rating, but their every feat of depravity is hinted at being completely legit (and quite normal for the Family).

 

In that regard, I personally think they wouldn't even mind if that stripper turned the cake to a meat pie.

I guess they actually would enjoy the cake even more with a tasy stripper filling... Goshgawddangit, now I'm hungry.

[Kashiwaba Tomoe]

What made the adams family good to me was the way it was done.

 

Yes, they were capable of great evil if they wanted to be, however within their families twisted set of values they DID hold each other extremely dear yet at the same time some of their hobbies, abilities, and more, were at minimal borderline paranormal/psychotic.

 

My take always was that they were related to numerous monsters from monster movies, who were just their ancestors in their world, however because they WERE a loving family and semi tried to fit in they more or less obeyed the rules of the world rather than standing out.

 

One good example would be the episode where Pugsley goes and starts playing baseball and Gomez is like 'Ah so he's playing with a baseball bat... GREAT!" and morticia was like "he's playing baseball with it". If I remember correctly, it was at that point that Gomez dropped his cigar (could be misremembering a tad, haven't seen that episode since the '90s)

[Queen Bee]

Do you remember the wonderful intro sequence from the first (IMO superior) movie? A perfect recreation of a cartoon by Chas Addams himself.

 

A flock of Christmas singers doing their thang in front of the Addams mansion' date=' singing joyous songs of [i']peace on Earth and good will to everyone[/i]. The camera pans upwards to reveal the whole Addams family on the roof, giddily enjoying their own twisted take on the concept of 'Christmas' - by preparing a cauldron full of an ominous substance, supposedly boiling hot oil. The sequence ends as Lurch is lurching over to pour the cauldron's steaming contents on top of the hapless singers... Cue in the Addams theme: "DadadaDam *SNAP SNAP*..."

 

Can you imagine Gomez saying: "It's all right. Lurch! We had good fun by hauling up this cauldron and heating these thirty gallons of oil, but now it's time to go back down and keep on phantasizing about all things creepy..." - No, the Addams are for real! Those poor singers will be boiled alive like medieval knights on a siege! Then they'll be scooped up from the pavement and experimented upon. And ultimately eaten.

 

The way I see it, since we never actually see them pour it, we don't know it's boiling oil. It could be really warm water, even soapy water (I've seen this prank performed in winter). It would piss off the people at the bottom, thus making them go away, and there most likely wouldn't be a police investigation. Sure, they're rich enough to bribe certain people, but I doubt they'd be able to completely cover up the deaths of so many people, especially if they're doing it every Christmas. Considering how most people feel about the family, theirs would be the first house they'd look at if several people went missing on their block. On the other hand, a mean but ultimately harmless prank like hot soapy water could be swept under the rug by paying off the right people.

 

The universe of the Addams Family isn't exactly the normal' date=' 'real' world at all. There are even hints of Family members' superhuman abilities: Gomez and his golf ball or [i']fun in the Chain Room[/i] without having arms yanked out of their sockets (or drowning) come to mind. All these Addams ancestors in their crypts and tombs - a unique assortment of freaks and evildoers. I think every single one of them was for real. Or think of the distant relatives shown in that party scene... 'Flora'? Fauna'? 'Cousin IT'?! They are legit! Besides, the Family has a walking, pantomimic dismembered hand as a 'pet'/familiar! Whose hand is it anyway? What happened to the rest of the body (they made soap and glue of it)?!

 

No, the world is definitely not our world. Thing walking around is of course incredibly supernatural, and I'm fairly certain Lurch is a zombie. Then you add on Fester's apparent immunity to electricity, and Gomez's model trains with tiny, tiny people inside (though I suspect that was just his imagination).

 

That said, most of the members of the Addams clan seem to be "normal", if unusual in appearance. Hunched backs, misshapen heads, bulbous eyes, or disproportionate bodies certainly seem to make up the norm for them, sure. But aside from unusual appearance, I haven't seen much in the way of the supernatural outside of the main Addams clan.

 

But none of this means they're evil. Having a disembodied hand or the ability to make light bulbs glow in your mouth is certainly weird and creepy, but no more evil than most other super powers.

 

This is actually the main fascination of the Addams Family (and the horror genre in general)' date=' to me at least: The juxtaposition of our world, 'normality', with the twisted creepy amoral 'abyss' that is the world of the Addams. The clashing of these 'cultures' that can produce countless morbidly funny situations on one hand, but can also serve as a means to deliver thinly-veiled jabs at our own way of living. I guess that was one of the intentions of Chas Addams when creating the Family. Depicting everyday ordinary family life of people for which the creepy, weird, morbid, dark and gloomy has always been the norm. They aren't [i']shown[/i] following through with any shenanigans because of the TV show format and 'family-friendly' movie rating, but their every feat of depravity is hinted at being completely legit (and quite normal for the Family).

 

I like a lot of your points here. I agree the movies, the TV series and the original artwork were all used to make a commentary on our modern society. The Addams are looking at how we live as from the outside looking in, never fitting in and not really wanting to.

 

It occurred to me long ago that they are very much like foreigners in this regard, and that led me to thinking about the Romani, what most people call gypsies. Their customs are equally mysterious to us, and can appear dark and creepy. Many assume them to be at best thieves and criminals, and at worst curse-spreading witches. What if the Addams Family are like this, brought up in a lifestyle that favors darker aspects of life, promotes monetary gain, rejects modern American concepts of beauty and embraces a harder view of the world, but are ultimately harmless and misunderstood?

 

In that regard' date=' I personally think they wouldn't even mind if that stripper turned the cake to a meat pie.

I guess [i']they actually would enjoy the cake even more[/i] with a tasy stripper filling... Goshgawddangit, now I'm hungry.

 

Goddamnit, now I am too. And turned on.

[Jexsam]

I never thought they were evil, just insane in that high-functioning Hannibal Lecter sort of way. Only instead of being incredibly intelligent, they were just very funny. And they don't try to/have to conceal it.

[labrat]

Not evil, they just have their little foibles.

 

Not mad either, just eccentric.

 

I like them. Like the OP I'd prefer to think that the innocent have nothing to fear.....

 

 

 

 

and I don't have the skills of PT but I couldn't resist playing with this cutie of Triratna's when I came across her.

 

 

 

 

Any resemblance..? Oh well, suit yourselves....

[Queen Bee]

Like the OP I'd prefer to think that the innocent have nothing to fear.....

 

I never said that's what I believe. I might be currently arguing in that direction, but that's because the majority seem to be arguing for them to be evil. I tend to play devil's advocate (pardon the expression) to keep the conversation moving. I'd probably be arguing just as hard for their evilness if the majority were arguing for their innocence.

 

Also, I can't see your pictures, they won't load for me. Can you reload them in another way?

[The Irreverend]

Do you remember the wonderful intro sequence from the first (IMO superior) movie? A perfect recreation of a cartoon by Chas Addams himself.

 

A flock of Christmas singers doing their thang in front of the Addams mansion' date=' singing joyous songs of [i']peace on Earth and good will to everyone[/i]. The camera pans upwards to reveal the whole Addams family on the roof, giddily enjoying their own twisted take on the concept of 'Christmas' - by preparing a cauldron full of an ominous substance, supposedly boiling hot oil. The sequence ends as Lurch is lurching over to pour the cauldron's steaming contents on top of the hapless singers... Cue in the Addams theme: "DadadaDam *SNAP SNAP*..."

 

Can you imagine Gomez saying: "It's all right. Lurch! We had good fun by hauling up this cauldron and heating these thirty gallons of oil, but now it's time to go back down and keep on phantasizing about all things creepy..." - No, the Addams are for real! Those poor singers will be boiled alive like medieval knights on a siege! Then they'll be scooped up from the pavement and experimented upon. And ultimately eaten.

 

The way I see it, since we never actually see them pour it, we don't know it's boiling oil. It could be really warm water, even soapy water (I've seen this prank performed in winter). It would piss off the people at the bottom, thus making them go away, and there most likely wouldn't be a police investigation. Sure, they're rich enough to bribe certain people, but I doubt they'd be able to completely cover up the deaths of so many people, especially if they're doing it every Christmas. Considering how most people feel about the family, theirs would be the first house they'd look at if several people went missing on their block. On the other hand, a mean but ultimately harmless prank like hot soapy water could be swept under the rug by paying off the right people.

 

When I though of the scene I definitely thought it was hot oil or something probably lethal. However, now that I watched it again, I'm not so sure. Although, even if it was hot oil, it would be a bad idea to show it being poured on the carolers, as it would ruin the comedic tone of the movie. The other thought I had was this is probably as much a tradition for the Addams family as caroling is for others.

 

 

It occurred to me long ago that they are very much like foreigners in this regard' date=' and that led me to thinking about the Romani, what most people call gypsies. Their customs are equally mysterious to us, and can appear dark and creepy. Many assume them to be at best thieves and criminals, and at worst curse-spreading witches. What if the Addams Family are like this, brought up in a lifestyle that favors darker aspects of life, promotes monetary gain, rejects modern American concepts of beauty and embraces a harder view of the world, but are ultimately harmless and misunderstood?

[/quote']

 

I have the same impression as you. It's culture shock. However, their actions definitely have the potential to cause serious harm. After the camp is taken over in the second movie, the counselors are shown being roasted on a spit.

 

 

Ultimately, I have never thought of them as evil, just wondrously macabre. The family is designed to be viewed as lovable eccentrics, who give a bad impression to most people, but not all. The woman who marries Cousin It is a good example.

[Kashiwaba Tomoe]

 

Also' date=' I can't see your pictures, they won't load for me. Can you reload them in another way?

[/quote']

 

Ditto labrat they won't load for me either.

[labrat]

 

Also' date=' I can't see your pictures, they won't load for me. Can you reload them in another way?

[/quote']

 

Ditto labrat they won't load for me either.

 

I'm afraid you can't see the pics at the moment because the attachment system is buggered. Hopefully when it gets fixed they will magically appear (and QueenBee will see the joke).

[Balthier]

I don't think I would call them evil. Their world isn't black and white, there's a lot of blue and orange morality there. Even if their actions were to bring harm, it wouldn't be so much as a desire to hurt others. To them harm may even be enjoyable, Someone mentioned boiling hot oil. Maybe they like that and want to spread the joy for their take of Christmas. I remember a guro doujin I read once where these people ceremoniously behead all members. At time of "death" they would experience euphoria. And then they would just be heads. Still alive, joking, acting like it was all a part of life. Maybe it is similar to the Adams family, they're being mischievous and forgetting most people don't like pain due to their own fascination with it and the macabre. If they were truly evil, and if their actions were still shown, most likely they would have wiped out at least their city. In five, four, three... there would be somebody to stand against them. Military bombing their house if it came down to it. The peace tells me they haven't done anything to warrant much action against them. In the end, their darkness may be seen as evil, but their actions, at least to them aren't. It's just normal to them. Nlue and Orange morality, not black and white.

[Queen Bee]

Balthier, I see what you're saying and I can agree they do seem to straddle the line between good and evil a few times. I realize I'm referencing the movies more than the TV show, but I do remember episodes in which they had guests stay overnight who were visibly shaken by what they saw in the night. Though they did leave alive and unharmed, so who's to say it wasn't all in fun? Though I will say they do seem to enjoy pain in the movies (or at least Gomez and Morticia do). But since I enjoy pain myself, both giving and receiving, I know it doesn't mean they're evil.

 

A good character to look at is Wednesday Addams. In the second movie, Wednesday had a surprisingly sympathetic reaction to how the less popular campers were mistreated by those who thought themselves superior. She also had an even bigger contempt for the stuck up snobs and called them out on their bullshit in a public setting. In this instance, she took the moral high ground and stood up for those beliefs in the face of popular opinion, and that's something I believe only a truly good person would do.

 

Of course, she then lead a full blown rebellion who set fire to the stage, tied the another girl to a stake, and the movie strongly implied Wednesday set her on fire (though later on we see her in an airplane unscathed, so perhaps all she did was scare her). This is more true to form for her, though I think it's strange she'd stick up for anyone other than herself. Was it was a moment of mutual benefit that prodded her to help the other campers, or was it something more?

 

If I were to give Wednesday Addams an alignment in that movie, it would be Chaotic Neutral, siding with those who she feels need it, but with an eye for personal gain, and always with a flare for the macabre. This isn't exactly in keeping with everything else we see of her, but I don't mind her showing some growth as a person as she gets older. I think that's why she is one of my favorite characters to this day.

[Emily]

They are Strange & Demented, But not Evil.

---

Sweet.Tooth Legacies - Kane Family. (PS3) twisted metal.

Now that's seriously Sick, Demented and Evil family.

- Kill each other, Kill one another -