American Horror Story

Reviews > DVD > Nov 05 2012

By Serena WhitneyIt's hard to believe that the same creators who are responsible for the atrocious Glee phenomenon are also accountable for one of the most cleverly crafted and effectively trashy horror shows on air, but creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk have definitely exceeded expectations with American Horror Story. Proving to be a pastiche of a variety of horror classics, with its visuals, sampled horror scores and moody, atmospheric tone, the first season follows the Harmon Family as they move to an old Victorian home in Los Angeles to get a fresh start after the husband's indiscretion and the wife's tragic miscarriage. They soon find out that their creepy Southern belle neighbour (Jessica Lange) is the least of the worries, as their home is full of ghosts that want to terrorize, burn, rape and murder them. Not since the underrated American Gothic has there been a supernatural television show that has pushed the limits as far as American Horror Story. (And the episode "Piggy, Piggy" is proof of that statement alone.) The series also gets a huge upgrade in high definition, as the gore, set pieces and colorless yet striking gothic environments are intensely amplified for the viewers. On the downside, American Horror Story's self-imposed, trashy exploitation flair gets old after the first six episodes and its underwhelming finale comes off as an attempt at titillation that unfortunately falls flat on its face. There are, however, enough scares and surprises to garner certain choice episodes multiple viewings. The Blu-Ray includes a "Murder House" featurette, with the original host from the Eternal Darkness Tours of Hollywood taking viewers on a tour of the house and the history behind it. It also includes pretty standard behind-the-scene interviews and another special feature includes an audio commentary of the pilot episode from show co-creator Ryan Murphy. Sadly, there are no special features relating to the upcoming second season.
(Fox)

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