Thankfully, Showtime enjoyed the success of the original Masters of Horror enough to warrant it a second season. Strangely though, the series creator, Mick Garris thought John Landis to be such a master. I'm guessing it was the unmistakable stamp Landis put on the classic genre film An American Werewolf in London, otherwise, Landis' horror adventures, such as Innocent Blood, have been rather flat.  Here, he gives us a nice look back at his earlier, smarter filmmaking days.

Family is a thoughtful, engaging, sometimes moving portrait of the power of loneliness within a warped mind. George Wendt, who somehow has become the fastest rising horror icon of the last few years, plays Harold, a seemingly innocuous work-at-home bachelor living in an idyllic small town. Enter Celia (Meredith Monroe) and her husband David (Matt Keeslar), the newest neighbors to him. The three become fast friends as Harold begins to hear some rather nasty sex talk from Celia. Of course, it's all in his head, although exactly which head is the question! Harold is obviously growing a lustful addiction to Celia. Unfortunately for him, his 'family', a group of preserved skeletons with clothes and wigs, echo conversations within himself, pushing Harold from remaining cautious about acquiring Celia as the new mother for his family and all out grabbing her directly from her house.

Celia and her husband aren't exactly living in bliss either. Celia tells Harold that the couple lost a child to cancer. In private, Celia is ready to start again but her husband is very nervous about moving forward with anything. One night, David wakes her up, tells her he's ready and disappears. Celia becomes a wreck and Harold decides tonight is the right night to induct her into his family and invites her over for dinner.

What happens next comes as a nifty little surprise.

No doubt the Masters of Horror series, which met with some mediocre responses last year, needed this little boost of Twilight Zone-esque story telling mixed with just enough gore and sexual undertones to make worthy of Showtime. John Landis mixes it up here in a tidy little batch and the story comes to a full, satisfying closure.

The best aspects of Family lie within the lead performances. Wendt is simply magnificent as Harold. Full of sadness, he's a murderous Ward Cleaver (ha!) with something of a heart. In a scene where he picks out a possible victim, he 'hears' a young girl begging him to take her somewhere where she will be loved. It is this scene where you see Harold as sadistic and sorrowful. It's an amazingly anchored execution. Monroe also does well with a quietly sexy performance. She's lovely to watch and is excellent in the part.

I have to take my hat of to Landis for approaching the subject with a subdued sensibility. The score, by Peter Bernstein is sparingly sprinkled throughout and never overwhelms the story, written by newcomer Brent Hanley. It's a nice look back at a more wistful time for horror, when script and performances rose above random gore effects.