[Interview] Butch Patrick Talks ‘The Munsters’, Halloween, His New Haunt, and More

The Munsters are back in writer/director Rob Zombie’s new feature film, but the frightfully hilarious and beloved family have never really gone away, just as much a part of pop culture as the original Universal Studios monsters that inspired them, and the original Eddie Munster himself, Butch Patrick recently joined us for a fun conversation looking back on playing Eddie Munster in the iconic 1960s TV series and lasting impact of the show, as well as voicing Tin Can Man in Zombie’s movie, his new Munsters-themed haunt, and much more.

In a video conversation earlier this month, commenting on the legacy of The Munsters, Patrick tells HDN, “They were a super talented crew, first of all, and a super talented cast. It was a perfect storm. People always ask, ‘What do you attribute the longevity of the show of the show to?’ It was a combination of being in the ’60s, the black and white genre and Universal Monsters’ studios supplying the sets and the lighting and the special effects, but it was really about the writing.

“Because the Leave It To Beaver producers had done that show, they were very, very well groomed and adept at writing scripts that were kind of from the child’s point of view of life. Leave It To Beaver was the first series to really do that, where Wally and the Beave, everything revolved around their point of view, and the parents were sort of supporting actors. And they utilized that with the Universal Monsters, to mush this show together to where you never really thought of us as monsters, ever. You always thought of us an odd looking family, perhaps, but we were very functional and we were very loving, and we were very much the typical, average American family, who just happened to be in makeup and living in a very cool and creepy old house.

“The talent pool there, not only for the immediate cast but the guest stars we had coming through there was just top notch, and then we had the best makeup people, we had the best special effect people, the music soundtracks, the foley artists, I mean everybody. It was just really a well done show.” 

On the off screen bonds he formed with his co-stars, Patrick said, “I actually spent more time with my TV family than my real family. They all had kids my own age, so it was a very cool deal to where, yes, when I wasn’t in school, I was with them, but I didn’t really spend a lot of time with them, because number one, they’re adults and you’re in school, so you don’t really have that interaction, and at the end of the day when they all go out to dinner, you’re on an hour-ride home on the freeway to get home to learn your lines, to get to sleep, to get up the next day.” 

In Rob Zombie’s new Munsters movie, Patrick voices Tin Can Man, a character from the original series. Of the film, Butch said, “I really couldn’t be happier. It’s not a remake. It’s 58 years later with different technology, different colors, it’s a whole different thing. If you go in without any baggage and any preconceived expectations, and just want to have a good time and be entertained, I think you will.”

We also got the scoop on Patrick’s new Munsters-themed haunt attraction that he plans to open in Arkansas in 2023, and of course we talked about celebrating the Halloween holiday itself, and that other beloved spooky TV family, The Addams.

“It’s going to feature the Munsters soundstage and the front of the house,” he said of the haunt, “because I want people come in and I want to educate them about this whole horror community that everybody loves so much, that Halloween is no longer one day a year, it’s six weeks. This all started with the Universal Monsters, and I’m going to educate them, and the Munsters were Universal Monsters. So it’s going to be a really interesting, historical cool thing. You’ll see what it was like being on the set with me almost 60 years ago.” 

You can watch our full exclusive interview with Butch Patrick on The Munsters and more below.

You can also watch The Munsters Q&A panel with Butch Patrick and Daniel Roebuck here.

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