George Wendt is a likeable sort of guy; the perfect fellow to play the loveable and harmless everyday man.  His always down on his luck and just a touch of grouchy character Norm on the hit television show Cheers just about summed up what I would expect of this actor; a few witty retorts and a whole slew of laughs.  It has been 14 years since that show went off the air, but time doesn’t seem to have changed Wendt in the least, as he is still a likeable and comfortable chap to invite into your living room for an hour or so...which is good, I suppose, seeing as how his character in the Masters Of Horror episode Family needs to be likeable...even when stalking and murdering complete strangers to add to his macabre collection of skeletal “family” members!

Yes, you did read that right.  For his episode of Showtime’s smash hit genre series, Masters of Horror, director John Landis has thrown a bit of a monkey wrench into your perceptions of a character that George Wendt would play...actually, less of a monkey wrench and more of a chainsaw.  As the friendly yet quiet guy next door Harold Thompson, Wendt overflows with a sense of average-ness...but what is lurking behind his homes four walls is something beyond the pale, and quite beyond sanity.  It seems that Mr. Thompson is more than the jovial bachelor and solitary character he portrays, and has a few hobbies that the neighborhood committee would certainly like to know about.

Not quite right in the head, Thompson has been filling the voids in his life created by the lack of a family by creating one of his own.  The trouble is, this particular family is being assembled piece by piece with the dead bodies of hand selected victims of this meek but psychopathic killer.  Things seem to be running along quite smoothly, with the final additions to his clan nearing completion, when his whole plan is thrown for a loop by the arrival of some new neighbors...a beautiful young woman (Meredith Monroe, Dawson’s Creek) and her husband (Matt Keesler, Scream 3)...new to the area and with no ties elsewhere. 

It isn’t long before the couple find themselves crossing paths with the disturbed guy across the street, but he seems nice enough, and altogether harmless.  But as Thompson’s sickness rears its ugly head and his focus begins to shift to claiming the young lady as his own, whatever peaceful silence had fallen over this suburb is about to be shattered.  All of this is set against the couples own personal problems, which seem to be driving a wedge between them.  But could their troubles run much deeper than what is seen on the surface, and what will the secrets they hold have in store for Thompson’s plans of murder?

Director John Landis had two things going for him when he was picked for the task of directing episodes for Masters Of Horror; and surprisingly, neither of them was being a master of horror.  I mean sure the guy directed An American Werewolf In London, and sure it was a great film...but I hardly think that it makes up enough for the mediocre vampire flick Innocent Blood to swing his grade all the way up to Master.  What he does have going on for him is that he can direct the hell out of a film, as is evidenced by his impressive list of fantastic movies.  I mean, how many of these films would you be able to turn off if you caught them on afternoon TV...Three Amigos, Coming To America, Spies Like Us, The Blues Brothers, Kentucky Fried Movie, Animal House...and the list goes on!  Obviously, steering a project towards success isn’t something that Landis is unfamiliar with.

The second thing going for Landis should be quite obvious by the previous list of films.  This guy knows funny!  Tongue in cheek funny, laugh out loud funny, darkly funny or absurdist...it’s all in his resume.  For a project like Family, which is filled with dark humor and grins, being adept at drawing levity out of various situations was going to help greatly.  But in addition to these skills drawn from Landis’ past, is one element drawn from his present.  The 90’s were a rough time for this director’s works, as he tried to recapture the glory of his landmark films...but it seems with Family that he is just having FUN.  As it turns out, this may have been the secret to his success all along, as it works terrifically here!  Watch the included featurette “Skin And Bones: The Making Of Family” and you will see what I mean...Landis is like a kid in a candy store, and his pockets are full of change!

But we also have to be sure and direct thanks for the success of this particular installment of Masters Of Horror towards the writer Brent Hanley.  A work that he had set on the back-burner for quite some time as it was not seen fit for a full feature length film, Family is written creatively, cleverly and most importantly...very well.   So many suspense-thriller pieces attempt to keep everything from the viewer until the very last second and in doing so run two risks...either that the audience will figure it all out by looking at all the missing pieces or will never really “get it” since there was no lead-in.  Hanley avoids both traps by letting us know earlier on that something is going on with the secondary characters, but really giving us no idea what it might be.  The ultimate reveal is both satisfying and genuinely creative.

Beyond Wendt as the psychopathic serial killer, there is another surprisingly good performance being turned in by Meredith Monroe as the hot wife and impending target.  I have always enjoyed my innocent and sweet characters with a twinge of something more underneath.  Wrath?  Madness?  Evil?  Whatever it may be, Monroe brings it to her role with an ease that will have you looking twice at every grin and every twinkle in her eye..heck, you can even hear it in her laugh.  This actress knew how to read the role and live it in every scene.

So...great direction, great writing, and great acting...what more could there be?  Apparently, you can also throw in some really awesome digital effects and make the end result that much better!  Who knew?  Now, I am normally vehemently opposed to digital effects...especially in a horror film...however the stuff they have come up with for Family looks great and is used sparingly enough to support the scenes without taking them over.  The opening “acid bath” is particularly awesome and will make you forget that this hour long film has anything to do with TV...cable or otherwise. 

Family is the stuff that Masters Of Horror was designed to showcase...innovative enough to be talked about later and entertaining enough to hold your attention throughout.  While John Landis’ resume may have not warranted the title Master Of Horror, I am convinced that after another work or two like Family, he can wear the title proudly and have earned it fully.  The usual bevy of bonus features and a very solid main feature make this one yet another Masters Of Horror that you simply must pick up.

-aaron-