Horror, true horror is such a rarity these days. Decent horror on a television series is even more rare. True, frightening horror on the television is completely unheard of (unless you count the train wreck called reality TV — to me that is just beyond horror!) That is why I am so hesitant to really fall in love with American Horror Story on FX now. Why? Because it is quite good and, at times, quite frightening. Episode two went far to prove this to me.
I won’t do recaps…that’s not my style. I will however, tell you that this show has me in grip the same way Carnivale had me. It’s really that good. But…is it really that frightening? As of this moment, I want to say a resounding “yes”. But why? What makes it that frightening? Can a television show get beyond what Hollywood has decided is scary? Nothing more than remakes, torture, and choppy edits?
Yes, it can.
What we have here is the producers/creators of Glee jumping to the complete opposite end of the spectrum. From happy, embracing, diversity to home-wrecking, life taking, insanity. That is what AHS is. And how it accomplishes this is layer upon layer of backstory, characters that each have tragic and profound flaws that resonate into the wells of fear. Not one character on this show is exempt from mistrust. The writers and producers of AHS are weaving a web so complex that, at any minute, you wait for the web to strangle one or more of its captives.
This particular episode dug every possible hole deeper and deeper.
- The crazy neighbor, as portrayed by the brilliant Angela Lang, is more of a puppet master than just a wacky neighbor.
- The husband cannot control his libido — that is never a good thing when married AND a shrink.
- The daughter is on a collision course with dark doings.
- The maid is NOT human — can’t be both incredibly hot and ol’ one-eye at the same time.
Of course, as I mentioned in my first review of this show — it’s too much for the American audience. It won’t last. I can’t last. It’s at the same time too horrific and too realistic at the same time.
Say what? How is that possible?
Simple — men cheat, women scheme, children lie, neighbors are crazy. But when you view it after entropy has really taken it for a ride it reveals just how out of control our lives can get. Sure the things that are occurring on this show might not be real, but they only serve as a microscope to show us just how big the snowball of fate can get.
You toy with things you shouldn’t and they will, without a doubt, fuck up your life. The average audience doesn’t want to see that. The average audience only wants to see women with bad weaves or low IQs yelling at one another that their baby-daddy done run out. They want to see people on islands reading from scripted plots that insist they hate one another and try their damnedest to get voted off (all the while trying to convince the audience they are trying to stay on). The average American audience wants TV that doesn’t challenge their beliefs, their morals, their hope, and their intelligence. And from the producers of one show that already does that, we have another — only this one takes us to darker realms.
Bravo to the creators for continuing the vicious spiral down the dark path toward an abyss most of us can only glimpse one hour at a time.