Why Lily Munster From Rob Zombie's The Munsters Looks So Familiar
On June 7, 2021, Rob Zombie confirmed on Instagram that he'll be directing an upcoming movie based on the classic 1960s sitcom "The Munsters," about a family of friendly monsters who relocate from Transylvania to the American suburbs. Zombie is primarily known for directing gory, grindhouse-ish features like "House of 1000 Corpses" and "The Devil's Rejects," so some fans were concerned about what his take on "The Munsters" might look like. However, Zombie is also a huge fan of the original series, and based on what he's shared from the set so far, it looks like his movie will very much be in the spirit of the original.
Since June, Zombie has been sharing frequent behind-the-scenes photos of the production, which is based in Hungary. While the plot details are still being kept under wraps, we have gotten our first glimpses of the set, special effects, costumes, and the cast (via Variety). That includes a first look at three cast members in costume: Jeff Daniel Phillips as patriarch Herman Munster, Dan Roebuck as the Count, and Sheri Moon Zombie as Lily Munster.
If Sheri Moon Zombie looks familiar, it's probably because you're a fan of Rob Zombie's other movies. Rob and Sheri Moon Zombie have been married since 2002 — their wedding was on Halloween, obviously (via The LA Times) — and Sheri is a frequent muse for her husband. Here's where you may know her from.
You probably know Sheri Moon Zombie best as Baby Firefly from the House of 1000 Corpses movies
Sheri Moon and Rob Zombie were a couple long before they began collaborating on movies. They met at a Connecticut night club in 1993, and Sheri began working with her future husband as dancer on tour with his band, White Zombie (via The New York Post). Rob cast her as Baby Firefly in his first feature film, 2003's "House of 1000 Corpses," which was also her first-ever film role.
As a character, Baby is the youngest member of the twisted Firefly family, a childlike sadist who uses her natural charms to lure victims to their doom. In "House of 1000 Corpses," the Fireflys were the antagonists of the story, but in the two subsequent films, 2005's "The Devil's Rejects" and 2019's "3 From Hell," they shifted to the protagonist role (while being no less villainous).
For "3 From Hell," Moon Zombie was apprehensive about reprising Baby Firefly almost 15 years after she last played her, but once she read the script she was psyched. "Stepping back into Baby's shoes was a delight. I love playing her, she's so much fun, and more nuanced and wiser in her own ways. I had a blast!" (via Kerrang).
Sheri Moon Zombie played Michael Myers' mom in Rob Zombie's Halloween reboots
When Rob Zombie was hired to direct his first mainstream horror film, the 2007 remake of John Carpenter's 1978 classic "Halloween," he brought Sheri Moon along for the ride, casting her as Michael Myers' mother, Deborah. Zombie's "Halloween" was also an origin story that delved into how Michael Myers became the slasher we know and love today, and the role of Deborah was a brand new character who hadn't appeared in any of the previous "Halloween" films.
While "Halloween" was another horror movie appearance for Moon Zombie, the role was dramatically different than Baby Firefly. Deborah's scenes were much more tragic than scary, which required a more grounded and realistic performance from the actress. "I think the relationship between Deborah Myers and Michael Myers is really the only true relationship of love that Michael ever feels," Moon Zombie said in a 2010 interview with MovieWeb. "His mom is his mom and she's the only one that shows him love." To capture this loving relationship, Moon Zombie formed a bond with Daeg Faerch, the actor who played young Michael.
Moon Zombie reprised the role in Zombie's 2009 follow-up, "Halloween II," this time appearing as either a ghost, or a hallucination of Michael's — the film never explains which one.
Sheri Moon Zombie had the lead role in Lords of Salem
After Deborah Myers tested Sheri Moon Zombie's dramatic acting abilities, her next project with her husband challenged her even more. Sheri Moon Zombie played the role of Heidi LaRoc, the main character in "Lords of Salem," Zombie's 2012 thriller about a woman who discovers that she has a disturbing connection to the Salem Witch Trials. Similar to her role in the "Halloween" films, this one was much more dramatic than scary. The role had the added challenges of requiring Moon Zombie to portray both addiction recovery as well as the character's descent into madness.
"I approach every character that I play differently," Moon Zombie told Media Mikes in 2013. "They all have been challenging in their own ways. Heidi was particularly challenging for me. I had to work every day on the film. The emotional decline of Heidi was a lot for me to go through and just getting into her head everyday was a lot of work."