Inside we've posted our second review from this year's Masters of Horror: Season 2, which airs every Friday on Showtime. Inside you'll find Tex Massacre's review of "Family", which was directed by John Landis and written by Brent Hanley. The film tells the story of a young married couple (Meredith Monroe and Matt Keeslar) that moves into a new home in a new city and finds out that their neighbor (George Wendt) is not what he seems.
Family (MoH 2.2)
Reviewed By: Tex Massacre
7/10 or 3 ½ Skulls
John Landis has directed a lot of films and television shows over his 30 plus years in the field. But, even with his forays into episodic television – à la HBO’s DREAM ON or in serial filmmaking like TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE – the one thing Landis never got a chance to direct was an episode of TALES FROM THE CRYPT. Well film fans, with the help of screenwriter Brett Hanley (FRAILTY) he can consider that task accomplished.
Family is the tale of a young Los Angeles couple (Meredith Monroe & Matt Keesler) who relocate to the quiet Wisconsin suburbs. After a night of celebratory drinking, the pair accidentally run right into the mail box and consequentially into the happy life of their new neighbor Harold (George Wendt). Harold is a life long bachelor who just happens to be hiding a gruesomely bizarre secret– Harold is a serial killer.
I promise you that it’s not going to take more than 15 seconds for you all to guess the big twist ending here. But, that’s not what makes this episode one of the most fun segments in the MoH textbook. From the opening moments of the film Landis perfectly captures that same sinister suburban vibe that’s made everything from BLUE VELET to THE ‘BURBS set your skin crawling. You know almost immediately that everything you’re about to see here is seriously wrong.
For their parts Wendt and Monroe are pitch perfect. He’s all thumbs around new people but his charm is clearly disarming. She’s a nosey lush who’s hiding a terrible secret of her own, but in Wendt’s eyes she’s the perfect mix of The Madonna and The Whore. And, even though Wendt gets to be the modern day Norman Bates, Monroe has the juicer role since she gets to play not only herself but Wendt’s twisted view of her as well. It’s a lot of fun all around and Landis knows better than anyone how to make the black humor work perfectly against what is a decidedly unsettling story line.
Family is exactly the type of film that I had hoped to see more of in the first season of “Masters”. It plays with the conventions of the genre—a move that was really only successfully mined last year by Larry Cohen and Don Coscarelli. Even Landis’ own Season One entry DEER WOMAN—while an amusing piece—was hampered by the truncated running time of the episode. This is not an issue with FAMILY. Lands makes his film fit the hour perfectly, exacting just the right amount of overall discomfort sprinkled in with the whimsy.
Those of you familiar with the bulk of Landis’ career know full well that this film is not going to be “extreme”. Still, some of the effects sequences are exceptionally grisly and if they were not handled with the deft hand of the director—might qualify the film for place aside some other CABIN FEVER-like gore fests.
With these past two seasons of Masters of Horror and the upcoming Horror/Comedy Batboy (which he knowingly plugs in a brief scene), Landis is seeing something of a career re-focus after a decade of minor comedies and unfortunate sequels. If FAMILY is any indication of the Masters return to tongue-in-cheek form, than all praises to Mick Garris and company for resurrecting one of the horror cinema’s most original voices. And, bring on the next round.
After viewing this episode, I felt that it was not up to the same level of horror as some of the other offerings in the series. But upon further viewings I tend to think that it is Landis' style to be more funny and cerebral than other horror directors.The episode grew on me, and now I think it is one of the best.
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John Landis has directed a lot of films and television shows over his 30 plus years in the field. But, even with his forays into episodic television – à la HBO’s DREAM ON or in serial filmmaking like TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE – the one thing Landis never got a chance to direct was an episode of TALES FROM THE CRYPT. Well film fans, with the help of screenwriter Brett Hanley (FRAILTY) he can consider that task accomplished.
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