I’d be ecstatic if I moved into a quiet Midwestern suburb and Norm from Cheers was my neighbor. Of course, as this outing from Masters of Horror teaches us, I’d probably end up pretty fucking dead. George Wendt is the quiet and polite new neighbor of a young married couple and he’s holding one hell of a secret. He’s a serial killer with a knack for breaking down bodies with acid in his basement. Expectantly, he’s set his sights on the pleasant lovebirds who have just moved in across the street when a drunken accident has them wrecking his mailbox. When the couple comes over to apologize, their new dangerous neighbor falls for the journalist wife (the charming Meredith Monroe makes it very easy) and grows a distaste for her doctor husband (always happy to see Matt Keeslar while he was still acting). He sets things in motion but there’s a few roadblocks Wendt is going to have to navigate that may cost him way more than he ever expected. John Landis utilizes his lead expertly and the script from Brent Hanley (Frailty) lets Wendt have himself a blast as he builds himself the perfect family of skeletons which he sees as full-fleshed members of his family (this also lets the awesome Kerry Sandomirsky get some screen time as Wendt’s worried/vindictive wife/subconscious). The pitch black comedy works well and the whole cast is more than up to the challenge. On my first viewing of the MoH series this outing me always stood out as a favorite and it holds up. Granted, I didn’t get far because apparently they stacked the early parts of season one with their weakest bits but even I wasn’t passing up a juicy role for George Wendt.
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