The Masters Of Horror series is best explained as a modern day Tales From The Crypt, and just like Tales, the episodes are either hit or miss. Episodes like ” The Damned Thing” are unbearably hard to watch, and others, such as Family, border on genius.
Harold is your average bachelor getting up there in years, cooking, cleaning, and murder people for their skeletons. Just like grandpa, Harold hears voices and think people are saying completely different things to him when they speak, asking him to make them a part of his Family, and to save them. Saving them implies an acid bath, and some assembly required.
When the new couple in town, Ceila and David, drunkenly drive their car into his mailbox, they come over to apologize, and quickly are welcomed as friends. As they grow together in friendship, so does Harold’s delusional sexually obsession with Ceila, until it climaxes at the end. See what I did there?
From the start I was sure I knew how the episode was going to end, but the last quarter really had me second guessing myself, and for that I’m glad. It still went the way I thought it was going to, but I wasn’t expecting it when it got to it.
This one is directed by John Landis, of American Werewolf In London, and is handled perfectly. Some really tight editing in some of the gory parts, really makes for a fun watch. The acid bath scenes are quite gruesome, but still hold quite a bit of campy charm, which helps make the whole experience a fun, yet morbid time.
Score – 85%
Gore - 7/10
