Fear Itself: Family Man
2008; directed by Ronny Yu

The NBC series Fear Itself only lasted for one season in 2008. A horror/suspense anthology, each episode had a different director, crew, and cast, which brought forth mixed results. The third episode of the series, Family Man, was directed by Hong Kong veteran Ronny Yu, and is perhaps unsurprisingly one of Fear Itself's stronger offerings.

This episode centers on two characters: Dennis (Colin Ferguson), a church-going bank executive, and Richard (Clifton Collins Jr.), a serial killer known as the "Family Man". After a car accident, the two men switch bodies, with Dennis now facing execution in prison and Richard trying to adapt to suburban life without going on another killing spree.

Frankly, this is a pretty schlocky setup, and really not all that original -- anyone remember a little film from Mr. John Woo named Face/Off? Anyway, Ronny Yu still gets a lot of mileage out of the idea and manages to create some truly creepy sequences. In particular, one scene that involves Dennis having a dream of his daughter in a blood-covered bumblebee suit is something that pushes the limits of what can be considered kosher on American prime-time network television and must have been a bear to get past NBC's censors.

In the end, though, this is a horror mini-movie made for mainstream network TV, so if you're looking for something as hard-hitting as Category III entries like The Untold Story, you're not going to find it here. But it is a decent diversion for about forty-five minutes. So if you're someone that's easily spooked and doesn't like to watch the rough stuff when it comes to horror, or are maybe just looking to kill some time at work (the series is available from several legitimate sources online, including instant Netflix) Family Man is worth a look.

RATING: 5