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Written by Katie Thompson
The highly unimaginative title does not bode well for FX’s American Horror Story, which comes across as slightly clichéd from the word go, as the camera pans out over a spooky house with a creepy little girl standing outside. However, what ensues is far from what we know of the typical American horror genre, and often borders on nothing short of disturbing.
After two obnoxious twins are butchered in the late 70s, the spooky house (and indeed, the main protagonist) is revisited in present day, about to be purchased by a dysfunctional family who have moved away from their problems – namely, a miscarriage and a cheating husband. Psychiatrist Ben (Dylan McDermott) and his wife (Connie Britton) bring with them their only daughter, Violet (Taissa Farmiga), who is just as isolated and troubled as her mother.
The family are reminded prior to buying the house that two people were killed in a ‘murder-suicide’, which sets in motion a series of inexplicable events and even more inexplicable characters, the first of whom takes it upon herself to casually enter the house whenever she likes. To Vivien’s horror, she is her neighbour and the mother of a child who is obsessed with the house and hence enters unannounced, carrying the warning "you’re going to die in here".
This is the first of many baffling subplots all crammed into one episode which can make American Horror Story appear a little convoluted. Along with family unrest due to Ben and Vivien’s lack of intimacy and their hermit daughter’s conflicts at school, there is also the vast array of creepy characters to contend with: the deluded psychiatric patient Tate (Evan Peters), a geriatric housemaid whom Ben sees as a twenty-something sex kitten – and a sickeningly disfigured burns victim who enjoys staring through the window. And to top it all off? There’s a gimp costume hidden in the attic upstairs.
After an hour of viewing and more ends to tie than a series of Lost, this is a show which requires a mega-attentive viewing. However, for all its complexity, American Horror Story manages to encompass a whole repertoire of genuinely scary moments, coupled with disturbing images of test tube babies, Victorian photographs and high school killing sprees. This, coupled with the family’s tense home life, makes for highly engaging viewing, and after a while we manage to establish a rapport with the characters, whose problems are obviously far from over.
If you’re more of a fan of no-brainer slasher horrors, then this one’s not for you. However, if you fancy getting your teeth into something which challenges the mind and pushes the boundaries of the haunted house genre, then by all means, give American Horror Story a go – just don’t expect to be able to take it all in the first time round.
The second episode of American Horror Story airs on FX, 10pm on Monday
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