Make no mistake - American Horror Story can also be filed under Seriously Fucked Up. If you are a fan of horror, or even just love being spooked and surprised, this show will be right up your alley. If you are a bit of a scary movie sissy, you might want to pass. I am usually pretty picky about my scary movies, but I am hooked on this shiz. The premise is this: Dr. Ben Harmon and his wife Vivien are having some marital problems. Namely, Vivien suffers from a third trimester miscarriage and soon after walks in on Ben screwing one of his students. As if that wasn't bad enough, they have a terrible relationship with their rebellious teenage daughter, Violet. Naturally, they pack up and move in that whole "let's start over" thing, which never works. Unfortunately, they move into a very, very bad house. Without giving too much away, the house has an intense history and the show has fun showing you pieces of it in each episode. Ghosts of the past literally and figuratively plague the home and the Harmons' lives.
Because this is Ryan Murphy, there are plenty of questions and some loose threads. It's also completely over the top. I mean, the first episode features dead babies in jars and a rapist in a rubber gimp suit. Interestingly enough, both become recurring characters. The highlight of the show, though, is their neighbor Constance, who is played by Jessica fucking Lange. Seriously. She is badass. She's the worst woman ever - or a victim? Or maybe she's actually dead? Who knows! Whatever, she's Jessica Lange and she is fabulous. If she doesn't get an Emmy nomination for this show, I'll be very surprised. American Horror Story also features some awesome guest stars like Sarah Paulson, Zach Quinto, Frances Conroy, Denis O'Hare and Eric Stonestreet. For reals.
While the show is heavy on the horror homage and big on the extreme deaths, it's also developed some very rich characters. AHS weaves together scary-movie horror with real-life horror almost seamlessly, and the behavior of the characters is sometimes just as upsetting as the bloody axe murder scene. Themes like abortion, miscarriages, adultery, teenage cutting, high school shootings and mental disability are all laid out harshly, so blunt it's...kind of like an American horror story of its own. I see what you're doing there, Ryan Murphy. Who knew he could be fun, entertaining and kinda deep? Plus, did I mention the babies in the jars?
Awesome pics of the show from here.