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

Exactly why John Landis is credited as a "Master of Horror" is somewhat beyond me but there's no denying that he makes good films. He made the most entertaining Season 1 episode with "Deer Woman" and here he makes another solid entry in the uneven horror series.

George Wendt, of "Cheers" fame, is rock solid as the less-than-stable bachelor with a creepy family, of sorts. It's best going into these "Maters of Horror" episodes knowing as little as possible.

This episode relies entirely on George Wendt. He nails it to a tee and plays a very troubled character, who can seem very normal and likable, very well.

There's little gore to speak of here but what there is is done well. Also, the surprise twist really came from behind. Maybe I'm just a tad dense at times but I didn't see it coming.

"Family" isn't one of the best from the series but it's a solid diversion for a bit less than an hour, although I felt it was a bit stretched.

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

George Wendt plays a seemingly normal man who lives with his wife, daughter and mother. Unfortunately they're all dead--skeletons dressed up in clothes. Then a nice normal couple movie in across the street and things get weird...

A comedy (sort of) with horrific undertones. It's strange (but you could probably tell that from my plot synopsis) and takes twists and turns that you don't see coming. It's well-acted and well-directed. One problem though--it's not really scary. For being in a show like "Masters of Horror" you would except something more horrific. There's blood and guts here but that doesn't make it horror. So--within its limits--not bad. Director John Landis must have been having an off day when he did this. I DO give him credit for not throwing in pointless female nudity (which he seems to enjoy doing).

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..."