Addams Family Values (1993) Review

“Summer camp is hell, and the Addamses are thriving.”

Let’s start by showing y’all the trailers, shall we? 🎬

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Non-Spoiler Plot Overview 🦇

Released in 1993, Addams Family Values takes everything the first movie did right and cranks it up. It’s darker, funnier, and somehow even more on-the-nose about what makes the Addamses iconic. This time, Gomez and Morticia welcome a new baby, Pubert, while Uncle Fester finds himself entangled in a doomed romance with the family’s new nanny, Debbie Jellinsky — who just so happens to be a gold-digging serial killer. Meanwhile, Wednesday and Pugsley get shipped off to summer camp, where Wednesday absolutely steals the movie.

If the first film proved the Addamses could survive the leap to the big screen, this one proved they could dominate it.


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Character Rundown 🕷️

Gomez Addams (Raul Julia) – Still the passionate, dramatic, sword-swinging patriarch we love. Raul Julia goes even bigger this time, with Gomez caught between doting on Morticia, cooing over baby Pubert, and trying to rescue Fester from Debbie’s clutches. He’s a chaotic joy.

While Raul Julia’s Gomez in the films is larger-than-life — passionate, romantic, and hilariously chaotic — John Astin’s Gomez from the black-and-white series had a quieter charm. The TV Gomez was still eccentric, but he was more grounded, more of a playful schemer than a theatrical hurricane. In some ways, that balance made Astin’s Gomez feel closer to a real dad, whereas Julia’s version, as brilliant as it is, sometimes feels like a gothic rock star. Neither cancels the other out — but the show’s Gomez had a kind of subtle warmth that the films, by design, traded for spectacle.

Morticia Addams (Anjelica Huston) – Regal as ever. Once again, Huston gets that signature eye-lighting trick in nearly every scene, making her look like a gothic painting come to life. Morticia is calm, powerful, and lethal with just a look.

While Anjelica Huston’s Morticia in the 1991 and 1993 film is undeniably iconic — regal, elegant, and shot like a gothic painting with that signature eye-lighting — my favorite Morticia has always been Carolyn Jones’ version from the black-and-white TV show. There’s just something about Jones’ Morticia that feels warmer and more playful. She wasn’t just an untouchable gothic queen; she had this sly humor and mischievous spark that made her feel alive in a different way. Huston’s Morticia is stunning and commanding, but Jones’ Morticia felt like she was in on the joke — laughing with you, not just floating above you. That balance of elegance and sly wit is probably why the TV Morticia sticks with me as the best version.

Wednesday Addams (Christina Ricci) – This is her movie. Wednesday fully becomes my favorite character here, alongside Fester and Gomez. Ricci delivers deadpan line after deadpan line with absolute perfection. Her arc at summer camp is both hilarious and sharp, skewering toxic positivity, fake wholesomeness, and saccharine Americana. From electrocuting fellow campers to hijacking the Thanksgiving play, Wednesday is the dark heart of this film — and it’s glorious.

Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd) – Once again, Lloyd kills it. This time, the comedy comes from Fester hopelessly falling for Debbie, ignoring all the obvious red flags. He’s lovably pathetic and still radiates that perfect mix of weirdness and warmth. Fester works because Lloyd never plays him with irony — he’s 100% sincere, and that’s why he’s so funny.

Debbie Jellinsky (Joan Cusack) – The villain of the film, and she’s phenomenal. Joan Cusack makes Debbie one of the best Addams antagonists ever — she’s over-the-top, glamorous, hilarious, and psychotic. A black widow obsessed with marrying rich men and killing them, she chews the scenery in the best way possible.

Pubert Addams – Yes, even the baby gets a gothic glow-up, complete with a tiny mustache and deathly pallor. The gags with him are consistently funny, and it’s shocking how well a literal infant fits into the Addams chaos.


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Pacing / Episode Flow ⏱️

Where the first film flowed like a gothic fairy tale, Addams Family Values is more like a satirical rollercoaster. It balances the Addams mansion storyline with the summer camp subplot, cutting between them at just the right rhythm. The camp scenes give Wednesday (and Ricci) room to shine, while the Fester/Debbie plot escalates into some of the wildest comedy the franchise has ever done. It never drags, and by the end, both storylines crash together in spectacular fashion.


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Pros ✅

Christina Ricci’s Wednesday fully iconic.

Joan Cusack’s Debbie = villain perfection.

Gomez and Morticia still magnetic.

Fester’s arc balances humor and heart.

Summer camp satire is hilarious and biting.



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Cons ❌

Honestly, none. This is lightning in a bottle.



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Final Thoughts 💭

If The Addams Family (1991) was the resurrection, Addams Family Values (1993) is the coronation. This is the film where Wednesday cemented herself as my favorite character, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Fester and Gomez. Christina Ricci carries the camp subplot like a gothic wrecking ball, Joan Cusack delivers one of the best comedic villain performances of the ’90s, and Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston keep the Addams heart beating with chemistry and style.

It’s creepy, kooky, mysterious, spooky — and somehow sharper and funnier than the first.


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Rating ⭐

10/10.


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⚠️ Spoiler Warning ⚠️

From here on, I’m diving into full plot details.


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Spoilers 💀

The film kicks off with Morticia giving birth to baby Pubert, a pale little ghoul with a Gomez mustache. Wednesday and Pugsley immediately plot to kill him (in typical sibling Addams fashion), but their schemes are foiled by Morticia’s new nanny, Debbie Jellinsky. At first, she seems like a helpful caretaker — but it quickly becomes clear she has eyes on Fester, not the children.

Debbie is a black widow serial killer. Her pattern is simple: marry rich men, kill them, and inherit their fortune. Fester, gullible and lonely, falls hard for her, and Debbie uses that to her advantage. The Addamses are suspicious, but Fester is so blinded by love that he marries her anyway. Debbie isolates him, cutting him off from his family and turning him into her bumbling puppet.

Meanwhile, Gomez and Morticia, realizing the kids are becoming too murderous toward Pubert, ship Wednesday and Pugsley off to summer camp. And this subplot is where Christina Ricci owns the film. The camp is a saccharine nightmare run by cheery counselors who try to force the kids into smiling, singing, and playing nice. Wednesday, dead-eyed and sarcastic, refuses to conform. Her scenes dismantle the fake wholesomeness of American childhood like a scalpel. The climax of this arc is her hijacking the Thanksgiving play, torching the set, and delivering one of the most iconic moments of ’90s dark comedy.

Back at the mansion, Pubert becomes the unintended hero. Under Debbie’s reign, his goth baby powers backfire — every attempt to make him “normal” just highlights how unkillable and weird he really is. Gomez, desperate to save both Fester and the family’s unity, launches into one of his most dramatic rescue arcs yet.

The storylines collide when Debbie finally reveals her true colors. She straps the entire family (baby included) into electric chairs for her big finale. In one of the funniest villain speeches ever, she calmly flips through a slideshow of her past murders as if she’s giving a TED Talk on gold-digging. Just as she’s about to fry them, Pubert triggers a chain reaction that turns the trap against her, sending Debbie to a fittingly explosive end.

The finale restores order: Fester is back where he belongs, Pubert survives every death trap thrown his way, Wednesday and Pugsley return from camp even more twisted, and Gomez and Morticia close the curtain on another Addams chapter with their signature passion and unity.

It’s a perfect mix of gothic family love, razor-sharp satire, and pure weirdness.