Created by American cartoonist Charles Addams in the 1930s, the Addams family continues to be celebrated as the most delightfully macabre family ever to grace the silver screen. Since their first appearance in The New Yorker in 1938, the eccentric family has become a pop culture staple.
As a franchise, The Addams Family has kept up with the times and been consistently reintroduced to modern audiences through various mediums — from television to film to video games and even a musical adaptation. The franchise's films are some of its most notable properties, which can be definitively ranked according to IMDb.
6 Addams Family Reunion (1998) Could Have Been A Hit If It Stuck To Its Delightfully Dark Source Material
IMDb Score: 3.8
Addams Family Reunion had many great elements that could have made it just as successful as its predecessors, The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993). From horror legend Tim Curry being cast as Gomez Addams to director Dave Payne's intention to instill the film with the satirical black comedy that defines the franchise, several of these redeeming qualities make Addams Family Reunion even more disappointing in retrospect.
One major area where this film adaptation went wrong was co-writer Scott Sandin insisting that Addams Family Reunion should be suitable for younger audiences. Because of this, many of the darker, satirical beats that Payne advocated for didn't make the final cut. As a film that received an abysmal IMDb rating of 3.8/10, it is no wonder why Addams Family Reunion is often considered the long-forgotten Addams Family film.
5 The Addams Family 2 (2021) Didn't Learn From The Shortcomings Of Its Animated Predecessor
IMDb Score: 5.4
The Addams Family 2 is the most recent addition to the franchise's growing list of film adaptations. Like The Addams Family (2019), The Addams Family 2 is a computer-animated film that chronicles the delightfully dark family as they go about their eccentric antics. The film follows the Addams family as they embark on a journey wholly uncharacteristic of them: going on a road trip.
The Addams Family (2019) and The Addams Family 2 could have had potential if they were geared toward audiences who grew up watching reruns of the early Addams Family films. However, both films are meant for younger audiences — meaning that the films needed to walk the delicately fine line of channeling the franchise's alluring gothic sensibility while ensuring that these films were appropriate for younger viewers. As the two films' IMDb ratings indicate, the films' writers and producers largely missed the mark both times.
4 Halloween With The New Addams Family (1977) Reunited The Beloved Family, But Fans Agree That Its Plot Was Lackluster
IMDb Score: 5.7
Even though Halloween with the New Addams Family can't be held to the same high caliber as The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values, it was a notable addition to the Addams Family franchise as the only film that stars the cast of the 1964-66 sitcom. Although contemporary fans were delighted to see this amazing cast reunited, the film's plot was lacking, and the Addams family mansion was nothing like the one from the sitcom.
Unlike the franchise's other films, Halloween with the New Addams Family was a made-for-television film that reunited the cast of The Addams Family sitcom after it was canceled in 1966. In addition to celebrating the eccentrically gothic family, the film also celebrates one of the Addamses' favorite holidays: Halloween.
3 The Addams Family (2019) Left Fans Wanting More, Despite Its Phenomenal Soundtrack
IMDb Score: 5.8
The Addams Family (2019) was the franchise's first computer-animated film and was consistently praised for its talented cast of voice actors and compelling art style. Unfortunately, the delightfully macabre Addams Family aesthetic was never meant to mesh with light-hearted, kid-friendly content. Because of this, The Addams Family (2019) left many fans wanting more and received mixed and average reviews.
One of the film's redeeming qualities is its creepily catchy original soundtrack, which includes original songs from lauded artists like Christina Aguilera and Migos that are sure to become Halloween classics. Although the film contains some charming humorous beats, like Gomez referring to New Jersey as a place "no one in their right mind would be caught dead in," The Addams Family (2019) lacks the unapologetically gothic sensibility that defined earlier film adaptations.
2 Addams Family Values (1993) Embodied What Audiences Love About The Delightfully Macabre Family
IMDb Score: 6.8
Although Addams Family Values did not perform as well at the box office as its 1991 predecessor, the film contains many redeeming scenes that have since become iconic. One of these moments unfolds when Wednesday Addams refuses to glorify the atrocities that led to the establishment of Thanksgiving as a holiday in her powerful Thanksgiving play speech.
Another memorable aspect of Addams Family Values is the film's villain. While many films follow common tropes like villainy being correlated with darkness and outright wretchedness, The Addams Family turns this trope on its head by making its villain a pretty woman with a kindhearted exterior. This role reversal is part of what makes the franchise so special; after all, since the Addams family is regularly side-eyed for being unapologetically gothic, it follows that some of the franchise's evilest villains are cheery and bright.
1 The Addams Family (1991) Paved The Way For Later Addams Family Film Adaptations
IMDb Score: 6.9
It should be no surprise that The Addams Family (1991) has the highest IMDb ranking of any Addams Family film. Although it is not the first Addams Family film to be made, it is often recognized as the franchise's first official film due to Halloween with the New Addams Family's unmitigated failure.
One major factor that led to the film's success was actor Anjelica Huston's captivating portrayal of the stern yet cunning matriarch, Morticia Addams. Since the film introduced many viewers to the eccentric family, its actors and crew needed to hit it out of the park. Thankfully, they could do just this, and The Addams Family (1991) was an undeniable commercial success because of this.