After putting myself through an hour and a half of Brittany Murphy I decided I needed an enormous pick me up. And what better way to pick myself up then another Masters of Horror, John Landis episode!? I've said it numerous times but I'm just going to say it again- I fucking love this man. Both Family and Deer Woman are the best MoH episodes I have seen- AND they are both even better than half of the full length movies I've seen this year. I can't judge which episode I like better- it's like asking me to pick between my two favorite pairs of pajama pants but I will just say- Family is a trip. The best trip I've ever been on- and I even went to Disney World this year so marinate on that for awhile.
OK so Harold played by the always chunky and kind George Wendt- is a nice guy whose only real happiness in life is spending time with his family. Unfortunately, Harold does not have a family. So to make up for that little blunder- Harold kills people, disintegrates their flesh, and makes their skeletons into his wonderful little family. Here is his "daughter" watching cartoons.
What a great shot! So honestly- have you ever heard of a more delightful premise for a movie? The sick and twisted mind of Harold is so cruel and yet so sad at the same time- BUT also hilarious. The Norman Batesian way of interacting with a family one no longer has is so off putting and weird. Every time Harold interacted with his skeleton family I would laugh outrageously but then shift uncomfortably in my seat. I find myself asking over and over how does John Landis accomplish this feat every single time he makes a movie and I can't for the life of me figure it out. Like Deer Woman the plot is almost too outrageous to believe, but he pulls it off! It works and it works so well that I'm gushing all over the place about it. I'm not a 100% on this but I'm pretty sure the only possible answer is that John Landis is Jesus. It's really the only sane explanation.
So when the new neighbors move in Harold immediately gets excited over the woman- played by Andie from Dawson's Creek. He starts fantasizing about making her his new "wife" but his current "wife" tries to convince him that it's too risky. Poor Harold's heart cannot be swayed however.
The ending of this movie could have easily gone overboard but it did not. Even though I sort of guessed a major piece of it- it was still pretty exciting and great to watch. I did not anticipate exactly how things would turn out- but I loved the way the idea of what a true family means played into things. I have to say I'm also in love with the Jesus music that Harold would always blast when doing his work down in the basement...Jesus music!- a sign that Landis IS Jesus...aha!
There were way too many amazing things happening in this and I can't talk about them all or my head will explode. But please, if you have Netflix go watch Family and Deer Woman right now. I swear your life will instantly be better.
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