Who Did It Best: Morticia Addams

Which Morticia was the best, from newspaper comics to Netflix series

Morticia Addams in "The Addams Family." (Image c/o Paramount)

By Val Hill
Visiting Opinion Columnist

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Over the years, there have been many versions of The Addams Family. Along with that brings different versions of Morticia Addams, who is considered to be one of the “mothers of goth.” So which Morticia is the best, and what separates her from any of the other versions?
 
But first we need to look at the many different variants of The Addams Family from over the years. The idea first started as a comic in 1938 by Charles Addams on page nine of The New Yorker. It was just a simple black and white single-panel that depicted a salesman trying to sell a vacuum cleaner to the spooky family. That panel was the spark that was needed to light the fire for the 1964 TV show, starring Carolyn Jones as Morticia and John Astin as Gomez.

The TV show was only the tip of the iceberg, making room for cartoon shows, movies and a Netflix series. And with all these different Morticia’s, which actress did the best job at bringing her out of the coffin and onto our screens?

I believe that the best portrayal of Morticia came from The Addams Family Values, made in 1991, starring Anjelica Huston. Her performance and added depth of the character made the movie so much better. The almost corpse-like color of her face and the way she moves in her long and slender black dress making her look as if she was floating across the set made her the best choice. The on scene chemistry between Huston and Raul Julia, the actor for Gomez, was immaculate. It was as if the two were an actual couple in real life, and the embodiment of the dynamic between Morticia and Gomez. Huston’s dedication to the role of Morticia was amazing, bringing the whole franchise to new heights.

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