"Masters of Horror" Family (2006)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

John Landis

Writers:

Mick Garris (creator)
Brent Hanley (written by)

TV Series:

"Masters of Horror" (2005)

Original Air Date:

3 November 2006 (Season 2, Episode 2)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

Harold is a seemingly peaceful neighbor in a quiet midwestern neighborhood, but underneath, he's a murderous psychopath who sets his eyes on a couple that have moved in across the street.

Plot Keywords:

Neighbor | Psychopath | Bludgeoning | Father Daughter Relationship | Cigarette Smoking

Cast

George Wendt	...	Harold Thompson
John B. Scott	...	Grandpa
Meredith Monroe	...	Celia Fuller
Matt Keeslar	...	David Fuller
Haley Guiel	...	Sarah (as Hailey Guiel)
Kerry Sandomirsky	...	Jane
Nancy Whyte	...	Grandma
Emily Tennant	...	Teenage Blonde Girl
Emily Hope	...	Teenage Punk Girl
Aleita Northey	...	Teenage Sad Girl
Frances Flanagan	...	Housewife
Donald R. Mintz	...	Interior George Wendt (as Dr. Donald R. Mintz)

Runtime:

58 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:TV-MA | Australia:MA (2007) | Italy:VM14

Filming Locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Starz Media

Trivia:

The hospital was actually a set built in the high school where Harold looks for a "big sister".

Goofs:

Continuity: After Harold returns from the dinner and he speaks with his 'wife', she finishes her glass of wine twice while Harold holds the bottle the entire time without pouring any more for her.

Movie Connections:

References Men in Black (1934)

Not bad as recent "Masters of Horror" go

I don't have cable so I don't get the station that features "Masters of Horror", obviously, but I have to say that the DVD's I've seen of the second season pale in comparison to those of the first. "Family", starring George Wendt, though, is not bad, in fact it's a decent enough dark comedy. Wendt plays Harold, a seemingly normal bachelor type who lives in a little Wisconsin community. But after a few moments you realize that Harold has a few screws loose, at a MINIMUM, because his house is populated with skeletons dressed in clothing and he often sees them as being live humans. When new neighbors across the way move in, Harold keeps his distance, but when the new neighbors are on their way home from a night out (and too many cocktails), the hubby hits Harold's mailbox (made from bricks) and knocks it down. The next morning they go to apologize and the mailbox is already repaired, and yet they do get to meet Harold, who thinks that lovely Celia is coming on to him while her husband is sitting there, but again, that's all in Harold's little spook-house mind. Now, Celia and husband David seem to squabble a lot, and some of what they seem to be squabbling about is having another child, after their last one died. Then after agreeing with Celia to go through with their decision, David disappears. Of course Harold is delighted and ready to welcome Celia into his little family, as his current nagging skeleton/wife has been getting on his nerves. But then it turns out that what Celia and David had been discussing was of an entirely different nature than having another child and therein lies "the twist that I didn't see coming" to this episode. This is pretty well done & the twist made the episode, because I never suspected for a moment what was going on. Not bad for Landis too, considering that most of his contributions to horror have been made many years ago. 8 out of 10.