[TV] American Horror Story

[CeeKay]

Teaser.

this one is coming to FX October 5th, and it's created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk (Glee), and it's starring:

American Horror Story revolves around The Harmons, a family of three who move from Boston to Los Angeles as a means to reconcile past anguish. The All Star cast features Dylan McDermott (The Practice) as “Ben Harmon,” a psychiatrist; Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights) as “Vivien Harmon,” Ben’s wife; Taissa Farmiga as “Violet,” the Harmon’s teenage daughter; Jessica Lange (Tootsie, Blue Sky, Grey Gardens) in her first-ever regular series TV role as “Constance,” the Harmon’s neighbor; Evan Peters (One Tree Hill) as “Tate Langdon,” one of Ben’s patients; and Denis O’Hare (The Good Wife) as “Larry Harvey.” Guest stars for the series include Frances Conroy (Six Feet Under) and Alexandra Breckenridge (Dirt) as the Harmon’s housekeepers; and Jamie Brewer as Constance’s daughter.

the teaser has me intrigued; it appears the home they move into is haunted.  here is a review from a critics screening. 

[Bullwinkle]

I'm actually very interested in this.  I hope they pull it off.

[hepcat]

They had me at Tim Minear. 

[PR_GMR]

A friend showed the trailer for this last night. It's looking good. Neo-gothic-creepy good. I'm gonna give it a chance.

[CeeKay]

shoot, almost forgot this started tonight.  thank god for encore showings.

[lildrgn]

Just watched it.

Hooked.

Confusing at times, but you had me at CONNIE BRITTON.

[PeteRock]

I've been anxiously anticipating this since first seeing previews.  Perhaps my anticipation is the problem because I was fairly disappointed.  The filming style is completely haphazard and disjointed, almost creating viewer ADD, the characters are realistically flawed but completely wooden, and for a "horror" TV show it has so far merely been weird, not scary or even creepy.  

I'm curious about where things might be going, but so far it's more "WTF" in a lack of focus kind of way, not in an "american horror story" kind of way.  Where's the horror, or even anything even remotely creepy?

And of course right after I typed this up something kind of creepy happened.  But it felt more like they put it at the end of the program to intentionally hook you just to get future viewings.  It's no Walking Dead.

Spoiler for Hiden:

I'm thinking the pregnancy thing has something to do with the random dude/ghost in the rubber suit, and I'm starting to think some of the characters are ghosts or something as well.

I'm kind of hooked, but only because I want to see WTF is going on, hoping the show will get better.

[rittchard]

(warning: Spoilers within the text):

Funny about Pete's reactions, because mine were just the opposite - as much as I love Walking Dead, I thought this show just blew it out of the water...

For all the Glee haters out there, this is your show, I call it the Anti-Glee.  It's like all of the positive happy energy Ryan Murphy generated out of glee created a twisted dark side that had to be exploited somehow, so he let it out and it all got turned into American Horror Story.  In this high school, you don't get slushied, you get spit on and burned by a cigarette.  Their cute blonde boy is not going to sing Justin Bieber tunes to you, he'd just as soon cut you (or himself) into pieces with a sexy smile on his face.

This show was really the most demented thing I've seen in a long time, it's like Blue Velvet meets Amityville Horror meets The Shining meets Lost.  And yeah, I loved every minute of it.  It's not just your generic nice couple moves into haunted house story, which is what I originally assumed.  The horror is as much about the characters themselves, every one of them is fucked up in their own way (she lost her baby but had to carry it to term and deliver it, then catches her hubby cheating on her with a young student).  That's what ultimately makes it so compelling.  The creepy traditional horror stuff can be a bit cheesy and even ridiculous (yeah, let me go check out that attic all by myself, or wander into that dark cellar lol).  What's really disturbing is watching Dylan McDermott jerk himself off in front of an open window and then see some half burnt face dude staring at him.  What's awesome is watching freaky eyed Frances Connor talking to his wife and then when the camera flips to his point of view she's turned into this super sexy hot temptress kitten-maid (that chick was so slutty she almost turned me straight). 

The acting/cast is fantastic from top to bottom.  It's a pleasure to see Jessica Lange again, and she does crazy better than 99% of the population.  The lead actress (not sure what she's been in before) is fantastic, and Dylan McDermott's hairy chest and naked ass on display is awesome.  OK OK his acting is pretty good too.

My only problem with the show is how they can possibly sustain a series.  I mean it's hard enough to suspend credibility that anyone would want to move into a house where they know a murder-suicide occurred.  And then a few minutes later some freak is inside telling you you are going to die.  I mean seriously how long would you stay at this place?  I suppose the family being so fucked up mentally might be a case for them staying longer than a "normal" family, maybe the whole point is that they fit right in with the demons, ghosts, and other assorted psychopaths.

[lildrgn]

The lead actress (not sure what she's been in before) is fantastic

Friday Night Lights. She is exceptional (Connie Britton, that is). Check out that show.

[soulbringer]

(that chick was so slutty she almost turned me straight). 

 

[CeeKay]

My only problem with the show is how they can possibly sustain a series.  I mean it's hard enough to suspend credibility that anyone would want to move into a house where they know a murder-suicide occurred.  And then a few minutes later some freak is inside telling you you are going to die.  I mean seriously how long would you stay at this place?  I suppose the family being so fucked up mentally might be a case for them staying longer than a "normal" family, maybe the whole point is that they fit right in with the demons, ghosts, and other assorted psychopaths.

this is what I'm wondering too.  I just got around to watching the premiere and right now I'm thinking that:

Spoiler for Hiden:

the only people involved with the house that are living are the family and their dog.  I'm guessing the boy/patient is an evil entity (pretty obvious), the next door neighbor is a good entity (kinda stretching but that is the vibe I get from her even with her peculiarities) and the maid is a neutral one (two sided, one moral and the other the slut).  I'm guessing even the half burned man is a ghost since he was able to keep up with Dylan while running.

[hepcat]

Reminds me of the old Eddie Murphy stand up routine about a black family moving into the Amityville house.

Father:  I can't believe our luck.  What a great house.  Good schools, a lake, a boat house, neighborhood is crime free...

Spooky voice:  Get out!

Father: ...too bad we can't stay.  Kids, grab the dog and I'll meet you outside.

[rittchard]

My only problem with the show is how they can possibly sustain a series.  I mean it's hard enough to suspend credibility that anyone would want to move into a house where they know a murder-suicide occurred.  And then a few minutes later some freak is inside telling you you are going to die.  I mean seriously how long would you stay at this place?  I suppose the family being so fucked up mentally might be a case for them staying longer than a "normal" family, maybe the whole point is that they fit right in with the demons, ghosts, and other assorted psychopaths.

this is what I'm wondering too.  I just got around to watching the premiere and right now I'm thinking that:

Spoiler for Hiden:

the only people involved with the house that are living are the family and their dog.  I'm guessing the boy/patient is an evil entity (pretty obvious), the next door neighbor is a good entity (kinda stretching but that is the vibe I get from her even with her peculiarities) and the maid is a neutral one (two sided, one moral and the other the slut).  I'm guessing even the half burned man is a ghost since he was able to keep up with Dylan while running.

I was wondering that too, the problem is they aren't in the middle of nowhere.  From what I recall I thought they were supposed to be in the middle of LA?

[theohall]

Too many standard horror tropes. 
Creepy house including deaths in past - check
Dysfunctional family - check
Weird kid who sees things - check
Mysterious house keeper - check

Skipping the rest.

[hepcat]

Too many standard horror tropes.  
Creepy house including deaths in past - check
Dysfunctional family - check
Weird kid who sees things - check
Mysterious house keeper - check

Skipping the rest.

You can abstract almost every show on television (as well as the vast majority of movies in existence) down to its components if you spend a few minutes thinking about it.  The original Amityville Story had almost all of the tropes you mention and it still managed to be pretty dang good.  It's what they do with those components that matters.   I'm not going to immediately give up on it because it's a haunted house story that has a haunted house.  

[theohall]

Too many standard horror tropes. 
Creepy house including deaths in past - check
Dysfunctional family - check
Weird kid who sees things - check
Mysterious house keeper - check

Skipping the rest.

You can abstract almost every show on television (as well as the vast majority of movies in existence) down to its components if you spend a few minutes thinking about it.  The original Amityville Story had almost all of the tropes you mention and it still managed to be pretty dang good.  It's what they do with those components that matters.   I'm not going to immediately give up on it because it's a haunted house story that has a haunted house. 

At least make the effort to gradually work the elements into the story, instead of throwing all of them in our face in the first 30 minutes.  This was just plain lazy scripting.

[rittchard]

You know the show is doing something right (or wrong, depending on your point of view) when they have you (well, me anyway) cheering for a twisted psychopathic teenage killer.  Tate is quickly becoming my favorite character on the show.  I love the way he plays from creepy to geeky to psycho to sweet.  His therapy scenes with Dylan McDermott are squirmy fun.

This second episode seemed to slow the pace down a bit from the opener, but ramped up in the second half.  Of course watching it I couldn't help but continue thinking how they could possibly justify staying in the house after the events that were happening.  Good news is they cleaned up enough of it by the end and the promo seems to indicate they will be addressing the question immediately next episode, so I'm looking forward to that.

Still in question is who/what exactly the majority of the cast are, particularly Jessica Lange, 6 Feet Under lady, burned guy and Tate.  It doesn't seem like they are standard ghosts, since the show seems to differentiate them from the actual "ghosts" of people we see die in the show (the boys, the nurse, etc).  It also seems like they interact with the regular physical world, though in retrospect I don't recall seeing them in a scene without one of the main cast members.  Hopefully more will be revealed soon.

Also read that they cast Spocklar as one of the dead(?) gay previous owners, that should be fun.

[PeteRock]

At first I believed the kid in therapy to be an entity of some sort, but McDermott was able to speak with his mother on the phone to try to cancel his therapy.  Yet he always seems to be in and around the house when he shouldn't be.  Plus because of his abilities in the basement I find it hard to believe he is a normal human.  Not to mention what happened in the upstairs bathroom (walking behind the shower curtain then appearing behind the intruder).  Still, I'm not accustomed to seeing entities with the ability to act in the physical world, at least in terms of attacking with tangible weapons.   

Given the burned man's ability to show up at any moment gives that same impression, that he may be a spirit entity of some kind, but wouldn't a ghost of his type be confined to the house if he were killed or died there?  Finally, I want to say that the maid is also a ghost given her varying appearance to McDermott and his wife.  At the end of each episode so far you see the kid, maid, and Lange's character working together on some kind of plot, but determining what each of them are (ghost, human, otherwise) is difficult and confusing based upon their actions/presence in the show.

I'm also wondering why Lange's character is trying to poison/kill Violet, McDermott's daughter.  That sort of came out of nowhere.  I felt genuine concern for Violet when Lange delivered the cupcakes but kept wondering where the hell that plotline came from.

In terms of the show's look, I hate the haphazard feel to how each scene is cut.  You don't need quick cuts to shaky-cam or quick cuts to other angles so quickly to create a feeling of horror.  The director seems to still have directorial ADD.  I also really dislike the intro.  I enjoy the song choices in the commercials and show trailers, but when the show starts I just don't like the actual intro.  Yes, it's creepy, but more odd than anything.   

Yet despite how many issues I have with the show, I keep watching to see WTF is going to happen next.  It's more morbid curiosity than genuine interest.  Like slowing down next to a gruesome accident on the freeway.  I'm not interested in the carnage and destruction, but for some reason I still feel compelled to gawk.  I dislike the characters, I dislike the filming style, I so far dislike the disjointed story and random elements, but I can't seem to look away.  I should continue driving on, but I can't seem to take my foot from the brake. 

How many damn murders happened in the house?  Every episode seems to have a new set.  That just seems odd and unlikely.  I can see one gruesome murder, but to have them keep happening in the same locale? 

And that fucking basement creeps me the fuck out.   

[rittchard]

At first I believed the kid in therapy to be an entity of some sort, but McDermott was able to speak with his mother on the phone to try to cancel his therapy.  Yet he always seems to be in and around the house when he shouldn't be.  Plus because of his abilities in the basement I find it hard to believe he is a normal human. 

Didn't they pretty much establish he is the same as whatever Jessica and 6FU lady are, since the three of them were together on the clean up?  My impression was that the implication was he was Jessica's perfect child, and that she's the one he's been speaking to in some form or another.  They make some reference to wanting him to continue his therapy...

[PeteRock]

I understand the reference to his therapy being part of their "master plan", but overall I don't think they've established anything concrete just yet.  Anything we come up with seems like conjecture at best.

[Toe]

Loved the first two episodes. Probably my favorite fall series so far.

[hepcat]

While I'm enjoying it so far, I also fear that it's something that will run out of steam after one season.  Especially if they open every episode with a murder that occurred in that house.  After the 23rd homicide, you'd think they'd bulldoze it.

[lildrgn]

While I'm enjoying it so far, I also fear that it's something that will run out of steam after one season.  Especially if they open every episode with a murder that occurred in that house.  After the 23rd homicide, you'd think they'd bulldoze it.

I agree with this. But I'll still watch. Someone compared it to Lost and I sort of get that comparison.

[kadnod]

I hope this show never gets cancelled.  The plot is too all over the place, but Jessica Lange saying things like "and then came the mongoloid" and "I have a nose like a truffle pig" needs to continue at all costs.

[CeeKay]

Given the burned man's ability to show up at any moment gives that same impression, that he may be a spirit entity of some kind, but wouldn't a ghost of his type be confined to the house if he were killed or died there? 

did you notice the human like shape on the tunnel wall that seemed to glow as he stepped away from it to talk to McDermott?

[rittchard]

I hope this show never gets cancelled.  The plot is too all over the place, but Jessica Lange saying things like "and then came the mongoloid" and "I have a nose like a truffle pig" needs to continue at all costs.

yeah and what was up with her and that hooker dude?  Such a creepy scene.  Also did I imagine it or was the hooker dude's back all scarred up or something weird?  I thought they were going to show something gross but I couldn't really tell.

[rittchard]

Another yummily disturbing episode.  Not enough Tate, but plenty of Hot Maid (Alexandra Breckenridge), who I really enjoy. 

So now it seems like almost everyone here is a ghost, and the ghosts can appear (or not) to people as they wish?  Can they interact with the human world as well?  It sure seems like it if Hot Maid can deliver coffee and clean the house.  I dunno what's going on but honestly I guess I don't really care.  They've totally got me sucked in.

I like that they've at least addressed leaving the house and the excuse(s) to stay are at least semi-plausible.  I wonder if at some point they'll just reach some equilibrium/understanding with the ghost world that allows them to co-exist.


Next week: Gay Spocklar (btw I just read he came out in real life, he always did set my gaydar off), w00t!!! 

[raydude]

I agree, an excellent episode. It seems to me that the "horror" can extend to the "ghosts" as well:

Spoiler for Hiden:

from what I gather, the maid's spirit is trapped in the house but the horror for her is that she appears to age to match how old she would have been had she lived. In addition, I think she was trying to drug Ben and maybe influencing him to dig up her bones so he can realize she's a ghost, and possibly lay her bones to rest. Which makes the ending even more horrible for her because now with a gazebo over her dead body her bones will likely never be dug up and she really will be "trapped here forever" as Lange's character says.

[kadnod]

I agree, an excellent episode. It seems to me that the "horror" can extend to the "ghosts" as well:

Spoiler for Hiden:

from what I gather, the maid's spirit is trapped in the house but the horror for her is that she appears to age to match how old she would have been had she lived. In addition, I think she was trying to drug Ben and maybe influencing him to dig up her bones so he can realize she's a ghost, and possibly lay her bones to rest. Which makes the ending even more horrible for her because now with a gazebo over her dead body her bones will likely never be dug up and she really will be "trapped here forever" as Lange's character says.

Yeah, I think that's right and I really liked the way the show handled it.  They didn't spoon-feed exactly what was going on to the audience, but left plenty of clues.   

[CeeKay]

just watched this weeks episode, and well, damn....

Spoiler for Hiden:

you had to figure all hell would break loose on Halloween, and it sure has.  I guess by the shows rules the burnt man isn't really a ghost since he can be anywhere.

my theory on Addie's death:

Spoiler for Hiden:

Constance tried dragging her back to the house so her ghost would be trapped there.

[Crawley]

Yeah this first part of the Halloween episode was pretty strong. I hope Zachary Quinto keeps making re-appearances as he and his partner made compelling characters (wonder if his recently coming out was partly due to this episode coming up). I want to know what was on the monitor for the ultrasound.

The show definitely has me grabbed for the mystery surrounding whats going on. But I find I have no invested interest in any of the family characters or if they die or not.

[rittchard]

Yeah this first part of the Halloween episode was pretty strong. I hope Zachary Quinto keeps making re-appearances as he and his partner made compelling characters (wonder if his recently coming out was partly due to this episode coming up). I want to know what was on the monitor for the ultrasound.

The show definitely has me grabbed for the mystery surrounding whats going on. But I find I have no invested interest in any of the family characters or if they die or not.

I read the original concept was to kill off the main family each season, don't know if they'll stick with that or not.

Spocklar was pretty good, though I did keep expecting him to use his Sylar powers. 

The Slave Suit guy is awesome, he's just all over the place and unpredictable.  I loved seeing my cutie Tate wearing the costume too.  Interesting side factoid: apparently the lead actress asked that Dylan McDermott wear the costume for their scene in the premiere, guess she felt more comfortable with him in it.  Can't say I blame her. 

Really liked Dylan's scene with Tate getting coffee, I find their interactions so interesting.

[rittchard]

Very interesting second part to last week's Halloween extravaganza.  Last shot of everyone returning to the house was fantastic.  I hope we haven't seen the last of Spocklar.

No secret that Tate is my favorite character, and it really seems like they are giving him an intriguing backstory element.  So he died like 15 years ago I guess?  After slaughtering a bunch of high school kids while wearing a creepy skull outfit?  Or is that just what they want us to think?  Weird stuff.

I guess we are starting to see some of the "rules" of the show.  If you die in/around the house with unfinished business, your ghost is locked/trapped there forever.  Otherwise depending on circumstance you may get to go to the afterlife.  Ghosts can appear at will to anyone they feel like, and may appear differently to different people.  There's some funky creature in the basement that kills people or drives people crazy?   On Halloween all the ghosts are free to roam outside the normal confines of the house, and other ghosts are also active/roaming.  Jessica Lange is one creepy lady.  I guess she's one of the few humans (?), and apparently now all her kids are dead.  Her golden boy is/was Tate who is/was a serial killer and she is hoping to rehabilitate him.   No idea why it seems like the maid and others are afraid of her.  Maybe because she's Jessica Lange and you just don't f with her.

[CeeKay]

I agree, part 2 of Halloween was great.

Spoiler for Hiden:

I wonder what happened with Burn Man and Sylar.  I could almost hear the clocks ticking at their end of the confrontation before they cut away.

anyone else think the doggie is now a ghost?

who was the ghost that freed Dylan in the basement?  was that the crazy doctor's wife?

I'm wondering what was beneath the bed.  was it the basement creature/Tate (I'm still not convinced they aren't the same being) or could it possibly have been Addie (since she popped out from under the bed last episode)?

[hepcat]

Spoiler for Hiden:

I also had the same thought about the doggie.  But I am a moron, don't forget.

And yeah, that was abortionist doctor's wife.  I guess she feels guilty for what she encouraged her husband to do and is now protecting babies in her dead mind.

I thought the hand under the bed was kind of cheap.

I really liked Tate's subplot.  I want to learn more about just what the hell he is. 

[rittchard]

Spoiler for Hiden:

I don't think this really warrants spoilerage but anyway, didn't the affair chick explain the dog wasn't really killed?  I thought she said she used a tomato or something like that.  Or did I miss something else?

[CeeKay]

Spoiler for Hiden:

I don't think this really warrants spoilerage but anyway, didn't the affair chick explain the dog wasn't really killed?  I thought she said she used a tomato or something like that.  Or did I miss something else?

That is assuming Hayden told the truth.

[rittchard]

Tate fans rejoice!!!  That was pretty brutal, disturbing, horrifying and touching all at the same time.

I kept assuming Modern Family was also on last night so I was OK with watching Cam get piggied in this ep.  Usually I'll watch MF afterwards so I won't be all freaked out before I go to bed.  Imagine my horror when I realized it wasn't on!  Excellent guest appearance, though.

Cool info on the baby as well, what's up with that?

[CeeKay]

OK, what was the deal with the Dr. Ben's patient in last week's episode?  it didn't seem to go anywhere and felt more like something to fill out the episode.

[rittchard]

OK, what was the deal with the Dr. Ben's patient in last week's episode?  it didn't seem to go anywhere and felt more like something to fill out the episode.

I guess it was just supposed to be an ironic filler?  Aren't all of the patients aside from Tate kind of filler material?  I dunno, I thought it was fun but I'm a big fan of Modern Family.