Netflix’s reboot and spinoff of The Addams Family puts the spotlight on Wednesday (Jenna Ortega), who has become a TikTok sensation through a particular dance sequence.
Created by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar and Tim Burton, the series follows Wednesday’s life as a student at supernatural boarding school Nevermore Academy.
‘Wednesday attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a monstrous killing spree that has terrorised the local town, and solve the supernatural mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago – all while navigating her new and very tangled relationships at Nevermore,” a synopsis reads.
What is the song during the dance scene in Wednesday?
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In episode four, titled Woe What A Night, Wednesday and her fellow students attend the annual Rave’N dance, where she performs a dance routine choreographed by Jenna Ortega herself.
The sequence is soundtracked by ‘Goo Goo Muck’ by The Cramps. The track, which featured on the band’s second album ‘Psychedelic Jungle’, was originally performed by Ronnie Cook and the Gaylads. It also previously featured in the 1986 film Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2.
Speaking to NME about the dance, Ortega said: “I choreographed that myself! I’m not a dancer and I’m sure that’s obvious. I’d gotten the song [‘Goo Goo Muck’] about a week before and I just pulled from whatever I could… it’s crazy because it was my first day with COVID so it was awful to film.
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“Yeah, I woke up and – it’s weird, I never get sick and when I do it’s not very bad – I had the body aches. I felt like I’d been hit by a car and that a little goblin had been let loose in my throat and was scratching the walls of my esophagus. They were giving me medicine between takes because we were waiting on the positive result.”
She added: “I asked to redo it but we didn’t have time. I think I probably could have done it a bit better…”
On Twitter, Ortega later paid tribute to artists who inspired the dance. “Siouxsie Sioux, Bob Fosse’s Rich Man’s Frug, Lisa Loring, Lene Lovich, Denis Lavant, and archival footage of goths dancing in clubs in the ‘80s. Helped me out on this one.”
Thanks to Siouxsie Sioux, Bob Fosse’s Rich Man’s Frug, Lisa Loring, Lene Lovich, Denis Lavant, and archival footage of goths dancing in clubs in the 80’s. Helped me out on this one. https://t.co/zlxlv1JUW4
— Jenna Ortega (@jennaortega) November 25, 2022
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In a four-star review, NME wrote: “If there’s one thing fans of The Addams Family should know before watching Netflix reboot Wednesday, it’s to expect the unexpected.
“Yes, the look – pigtails, pale skin, pinstripes – is similar to the ‘90s classic. Yes, she remains po-faced and prickly. Yes, it’s still set in a creepy mansion. But dip a toe beyond the first few episodes, and you’ll find a very different Wednesday to the one we’ve come to know.”
