Masters of Horror Family Review

Written by: Bulin   

For those of you who have been living under a rock or in some other way have missed hearing about the series, Masters of Horror is a Showtime series that is the equivalent of a current day Tales from the Crypt (with added violence and nudity.)  One of the stronger season 2 entries in my opinion is John Landis’ Family.I must say that Family is a solid episode. It is not the best of the series but is good and an excellent choice for those wanting to get a taste of the potential of the series. This is John Landis’ second episode for Masters, and I much prefer it over his first, Deer Woman. Landis still approaches his episodes with some comedic effect, which is his trademark and served him well in American Werewolf in London.

The story is about Harold, a lonely neighbor who want nothing more than to have the perfect family. Now Harold (played excellently by George Wendt) is in reality a loner. He builds his family by abducting and then stripping down to the bones (with the help of some good cgi!) people who he deems as good candidates to be his relatives. One day, new neighbors David and Celia move in across the street from Harold.  Suddenly Harold gets the urge to upgrade his “wife” by going after Celia. This leads to some great fantasy sequences with George Wendt arguing with his victim/wife’s skeleton/living body.

This story is good and is a perfect candidate for the 1 hour treatment. Landis adds a few humorous background bits, such as a nod to the 3 stooges at the hospital and a postman in the background that bears a striking resemblence Norm’s drinking buddy Cliff. All in all I give this one an 8 based on the other episodes of the series and recommend it as a rental.