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Scariest TV show ever or just plain weird? Opinions divided on American Horror Story

Dylan McDermott, Taissa Farmiga and Vivian Britton star as the Harmon family.

I’m still undecided on FX’s “pyscho-sexual thriller” American Horror Story. I mean, that self-prescribed tag is eye-rollingly excessive enough, and that’s before you even see dead baby-bits in containers during the show’s jarring intro.

AHS’ blatant excess should come as no surprise because it’s helmed by Brad Falchuk and Ryan Murphy, creators of Glee and Nip/Tuck, two shows that were built around an overabundance of extreme (almost X-treme).

There’s certainly an audience for that, and I respect them for pushing the boundaries of what can be done on cable TV. But when it becomes the focus of the show instead of an attribute, I start to lose interest. (I guess, for full disclosure, I should go ahead and say this now: I’m no fan of either show. Maybe it’s a little worse than that. Maybe I despise them for reliance on overtly extreme gimmicks instead of actual story telling.)

But I am a fan of horror—all of it, and for a long time.

When reviews came out claiming the pilot would haunt my dreams, it felt like I was being tested, almost being dared to like it. After the subsequent three episodes saw a rise in ratings (practically unheard of in the TV world), the temptation became too great. So I watched the first four episodes on Hulu, if only out of respect for the genre. I just wish Murphy and Falchuk had done the same.

American Horror Story centers on the Harmon family, consisting of psychiatrist/cheating husband Ben (a mega-buff Dylan McDermott), artist/estranged wife Vivien (the always good Connie Britton) and typically troublesome high school-aged daughter Violet (Taissa Farmiga).

The opening scene of the show alludes to a painful still-born delivery Vivien endured months ago, which looks to play a pivotal role as the series progresses. The family is forced to leave Boston after Vivien walks in on her father having an affair with a young student of his. They are able to swing a presumably slick deal for a house in the Los Angeles hills, but it of course, has a crucial flaw: it was the site of a husband-wife murder-suicide. Uh-oh, let the haunting begin.

With saving graces like Connie Britton’s hurt, hesitant wife, the plentiful amount of scares and the haunting sound design, the show can absolutely succeed beyond its core audience.

The pilot introduces a wide cast of characters, each with foreshadowing toward their own haunting story lines. Two of the most promising are Constance (Jessica Lange) and her daughter Adelaide (Jamie Brewer). Constance is an aging southern belle, proud of her seemingly prestigious Virginian upbringing and overprotective approach to mothering her Down syndrome daughter. The relationship approaches Black Swan levels of creepiness, but may actually exceed it considering Adelaide’s condition.

In an unfortunate display of Falchuk and Murphy’s excess, Adelaide and this relationship isn’t thoroughly explored until the fourth episode. Instead, she is used as a creepy punch line: sneaking into the house when all of the doors are locked, talking to mysteriously absent individuals and warning visitors, “You’re gonna die here!”

Another interesting potential haunt introduced is housemaid Moira (Frances Conroy). Help to the former owners, she possesses some yet to be revealed knowledge on the personality of the house, and warns “mistreat it and you’ll regret it.” The show takes an interesting approach to this character; she appears as old and haggard to everyone but Ben, who sees her as a much younger, more tempting version of herself (played by Alexandria Breckenridge). This device is used to great effect, setting up unfaithful Ben for awkward close calls with his family.

Denis O’Hare plays Larry Harvey, the disfigured, brain cancer-ridden homicidal ex-tenant. Larry tells Ben his story of murdering his two daughters and wife. After warning Ben of the trouble his family faces, he runs off. OK, Harmon family, that’s three eerie warnings about your hard-to-beat deal of a home, maybe it’s time to relocate?

Finally, we have Tate (Evan Peters), the oh-so-pitifully troubled high school youth, who can’t decide if he’s actually crazy or just starved for attention. The show casts him as one of Ben’s patients, allowing the story to explore his maniacal musings through therapy sessions.

It’s with this character that Murphy and Falchuk’s flawed excess really shines. Tate’s teenage psychosis crosses the line from troubling to comical as he delivers, with a calmly crazed straight face, gems like, “I prepare for the noble war...I know what’s coming and I know no one can stop me, including myself.” And, “It’s a filthy world we live in, a filthy god damn helpless world, and honestly I feel like I’m helping to take them away from the shit and the piss and the vomit that runs in the street.”

The series tackles a classic of American horror—the haunted house—in a predictably slow TV manner. Cautiously unraveling each character and their back story, careful to build suspense enough to keep the audience interested, and of course, teasing with a half-reveal in the closing seconds of each episode. All very formulaic, which I have no problem with (again, I love all horror, especially when the plot follows rigid structure), but when a show begins to force its quirkiness on the viewer, the experience becomes a painful exercise in cliché spotting.

Even with too much of Murphy and Falchuk’s signature style spattered throughout the series, there is certainly some potential for great horror here. With saving graces like Connie Britton’s hurt, hesitant wife, the plentiful amount of scares and the haunting sound design, the show can absolutely succeed beyond its core audience. Just take out some Glee and inject a little Argento. That’s the right kind of extreme.

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American Horror Story airs Wednesdays on FX at 9 p.m.

Dylan McDermott, Taissa Farmiga and Vivian Britton star as the Harmon family.

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Movie Review

Twin sisters set out for revenge in Tarantino-esque film 'Is God Is'

Photo by Patti Perret

Kara Young and Mallori Johnson in Is God Is.

The revenge story is one of the most enduring in all of cinema as it can be adapted to multiple different genres. It most naturally fits in the action/thriller genre, but comedies, dramas, Westerns, and more have made good use of characters seeking revenge. The new film Is God Is demonstrates that malleability by detailing an intensely personal story that turns into something bigger.

Twins Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson) have lived a difficult life, going in and out of foster care and forced to endure stares and taunts because each bears burn scars from a childhood attack. Racine, whose scars are “only” on her left arm, has developed into the protector of Anaia, who suffered burns over much of her face.

An unexpected call from their mother, Ruby (Vivica A. Fox), who was burned almost beyond recognition in the attack, gives them a purpose: Seeking revenge on the man who ruined their lives. Setting out in a barely working car and with only a small amount of direction, the sisters attempt to fulfill the mission without losing their souls.

Written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Aleasha Harris, the film may remind some viewers of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, and not just because Fox has small roles in both films. Harris has a knack for dialogue, especially between the twins, that ably gets across the story exposition and entertains at the same time. There are many instances where she has the sisters hold silent conversations told on screen via subtitles to convey twin-speak, a method that deepens their connection and draws the viewer in.

Harris also has her characters engage in the type of shocking violence that Tarantino has used to great effect. The difference here, though, is that even though the story is heightened to a certain degree, the egregious nature of the crime perpetrated upon the girls and their mother makes the whole thing feel bracingly real. This revenge plot is not meant to merely entertain; it’s designed to put the audience in Racine and Anaia’s shoes and fully embrace the call for justice.

There are a few times when the lack of experience by Harris shows up, especially in the climactic sequence where the stunt work could have used some more precision. But overall, it’s a self-assured filmmaking debut for the playwright-turned-director, who’s adapted her own play with a richness and depth that is not often found from someone stepping behind the camera for the first time.

Young and Johnson don’t especially look alike, but they embody the essence of twin sisters, and it’s their chemistry together that makes the story as impactful as it is. They’re joined by other strong female performances by Fox, Erika Alexander, and Janelle Monáe, each of whom brings a different vibe. And anyone who loves This is Us or Paradise should prepare themselves for a completely different kind of role for Sterling K. Brown.

Is God Is uses a variety of inspirations for its storytelling, but in the end it becomes its own thing. The filmmaking world can always stand to have another strong Black voice, and Harris has made an auspicious debut, one that should have cinephiles wondering what she’ll do next.

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Is God Is opens in theaters on May 15.

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