Family

Landis adheres to what he is good at, so he made a relaxed and entertaining episode without mystery or tension. The dark secret of the main character is revealed in the first scene, and the whole episode is bright and black-humorously cheerful, giving the impression of sitcom rather than horror. However, an unexpected twist turns it into a horror thriller. Although it is not scary, direction, twist and especially George Wendt made this episode one of the better in the series.

7/10

Stars George Wendt from "Cheers" as the ordinary neighbor with a secret. A young couple move into town to start a new. He is an ER doctor and she is an investigative reporter. Their only child recently passed away; and they are trying to get back to normal and prepare to have another child and a fresh start. In the meantime they develop a friendship with the "ordinary bachelor" that lives next door(George Wendt). What they don't know might kill them. Or is it the other way around? This episode is the best of season 2 (out of the two season 2 episodes shown so far on Showtime). It's creepy, gruesome and ultimately horrifying with a great twist to it all. It's a little slow with the story dragging at times, but it's definitely worth watching. 7/10

This is the first episode I've seen from Season 2 and I must say I am very impressed. Considering the amount of flak Season 2 was receiving I was considering just passing them by but I gave in to temptation and I'm glad I did. John Landis yet again proves he is definitely one of the Masters of Horror with "Family." Like with "Deer Woman," Landis blends horror and comedy flawlessly but with this one he adds a little more horror than comedy. The script is very well written, the acting is great and there is a good amount of gore to satisfy gorehounds.

Harold (George Wendt) seems like a peaceful, friendly enough neighbour but in reality he is a murderous psychopath who has his eyes set on his new neighbour Celia (Meredith Monroe) who has just moved in with her husband David (Matt Keeslar, of Scream 3 fame).

As I said before the acting in this is great. George Wendt gives a very funny performance as the Psycho neighbour and Meredith Monroe and Matt Keeslar are great as the married couple. The script is very witty and funny but there are plenty of odd, disturbing bits to make you shiver or squirm in disgust.

Overall a pleasant start to Season 2. I'm hoping for the rest of them to be as good as this.

4½/5

I watched this On Demand the other day when I couldn't get to sleep. I loved George Wendt in "House" (the horror movie from the 80's, not the Hugh Laurie TV show) and thought he would fit well in the world of MOH. And, he did. This is the story of a man (Wendt) who kidnaps and kills people, melting them down to bare bones and dressing them up as his "family." The creepy thing is that he imagines the "family" in his house, watching TV together, cooking dinner and of course fighting with his wife. A young couple moves in down the block and is completely oblivious to his antics. I'll stop there, because the ending certainly puts a different perspective on it. The acting is horrendous, in a good way. It's the way acting should be in a horror flick. The ending is also horrendous, not so much in a good way. It's pretty stupid honestly, but this is definitely worth watching if you're a fan of horror movies.

Greatest moment: As George Wendt watches the young couple from his upstairs window, we hear him humming "The hip bone's connected to the leg bone..."

John Landis has a go at the popular Showtime series, MASTERS OF HORROR, with a nasty little number about a lonely man (George Wendt of CHEERS fame) who kills folks and makes a family out of them -- after first stripping the flesh off their bones. A young couple moves in next door, and Wendt soon has his sights set on the wife, a sad little blonde who has lost her only child to cancer. The husband, a surgeon, abruptly disappears one day, leaving the despairing wife wide open to suggestion. The ending is not what you'd expect. And the episode is very funny when it is not being gory. It may remind some of a modern TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE story.