“American Horror Story” is just that– a story that focuses on all things horror including deception, spirits, and murder. The FX Network presents a new television series, which revolves around the Harmons, a troubled family who moves from Boston to Los Angeles in order to resolve past issues. However, rather than escaping their own problems, the Harmons find themselves dealing with unknown mysteries.
Ben Harmon (Dylan McDermott) plays a psychiatrist who is caught cheating on his wife, Vivien (Connie Britton). Deciding to reconcile their anguish, they move across the country with their teenage daughter Violet (Taissa Farmiga).
While settling in, they begin to notice an uneasiness about the house and begin experiencing unusual disturbances. They soon discover that the house is known as “The Murder House” and that it has a troubled past of its own.
Adding to the bizarre occurrences are the constant visits by their neighbor, Constance (Jessica Lange), and her daughter who repeatedly warns the Harmons that they are going to die.
Deciding to dismiss the abnormalities, the family attempts to bring comfort into their home. Ben constantly has patients coming through the house and Vivien occupies herself by redecorating. She’s learning to cope with the unfaithfulness of her husband and after a brutal miscarriage, they find out that Vivien is expecting once again.
Although, things are anything but normal. Ben travels back to Boston to fix a mistake between him and his mistress. While he’s out of town, three strangers break into the Harmon’s home while Vivien and her daughter are there. They intend to kill the two in such a way eerily similar to a murder that happened in the house years before. However, the spirits lurking between the walls have a different plan.
“The Murder House” was built in 1922 and was originally seen as a noble home. Many scenes from the past are shown to show the history of the house and the residents that were once there. Viewers become aware of the torture, horror, and murders that occurred throughout the years and the dead residents reappear as they haunt the Harmon family.
Director Ryan Murphy (“Nip/Tuck”) brilliantly wrote “American Horror Story” as a horror-drama television series. It’s a psychosexual thriller with a creepy edge that will keep viewers in suspense.
With every episode, viewers discover more secrets about the house and the strange hauntings. With its captivating style, “American Horror Story,” is a new television experiment full of all scare and all screams.
“American Horror Story” airs on the FX Network every Wednesday at 10 p.m.
Jennifer Mika is a fourth-year student majoring in English with a minor in journalism. She can be reached at JM653231@wcupa.edu.