American Horror Story: Series and Season One Musings

American Horror Story

American Horror Story musings with tons of spoileramas for all the seasons!

With American Horror Story: FreakShow wrapping up in two episodes, I decided it was high time to sit down and watch the first two seasons once and for all. Luckily I’m a Rogers subscriber and a new service they’ve started called Showmi is offering the first three seasons. Even luckier, the first month of Showmi is free so there’s no excuse to not do my homework.

I completed my American Horror Story: Murder House viewing in the wee hours of the morning after watching it for about two days. I will confess, I had tried to watch it twice before when it was on FX. Once was on the day it actually started and the other when it was in reruns last year during Coven-time. However, both times it failed to hold my interest past the first little while. Mostly it was the less-than-stellar acting.

Several good horror writing pals told me that I’d like Murder House if I’d just get into it. And they were right. I like it very much. It was way better to watch it binge-viewing. And as a Rosemary’s Baby fan, I loved that part of it.

My first gut instinct comment is that Evan Peters has evolved and matured amazingly as an actor over the seasons. His work in Murder House is acceptable, he didn’t really have to do much as hunky horny FrankenTeen in Coven but as Jimmy the Lobster Boy in FreakShow, he deserves awards. I can’t wait to see him in Asylum which I’m starting tonight.

It was fun to watch Murder House after seeing Coven and FreakShow first. There are some little bits that tie the series together that are fun to spot. It’s also fun to see all the tropes and homages to other horror stories (hence the title of the series); some obvious, some not so much.

The first real line of dialogue in Episode One, Season One of American Horror Story is: “Hey, Freak!”  If you’ve been watching FreakShow, you know that freak is the operative word, especially with Jimmy yelling, “We’re not freaks,” a thousand times an episode.

Rosemary’s Baby is hugely spotlighted with Jessica Lange as a Ruth Gordon-type character. There are way too many Rosemary’s Baby references to get into. However, I loved the eating of the raw brains as one of my favourite scenes in RB is when Mia Farrow as Rosemary is chomping on raw liver. I’ve had those cravings myself when pregnant (craving raw steak, not brains) so it’s always fun to see a pregnant lady with extreme iron-deficiency cravings.

Evan Peters as Tate is very much playing a Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange character. I always thought Peters had a McDowell look about him, but they just plain out shot him a la Kubrick in a couple of scenes to drive it home! Love it.

As I mentioned, I didn’t totally buy Peters’ portrayal of his character. Of course, it’s hard playing a ghost playing a psychopath. I wonder too if perhaps it had something to do with the directing. The female psychopath Hayden played by Kate Maya in Murder House was terrible. I’m sorry to say that, I wanted to like her as we all know, I love psychopaths. She looked like Avril Lavigne trying to act like a bad girl. (I've never bought into Avril Lavigne as a Goth Grrl either.) I didn’t buy the black eye-liner, and she just didn’t feel real. Maybe she’s too nice in real life to find the evil inside of herself to be a husband-stealing-baby-stealing little bitch. I just didn’t buy her performance at all. I barely believed her as a mistress and didn’t believe her at all as a stalker. She gets points for trying. I’m not sure what didn’t work for me.

I guess the problem with seeing Murder House after FreakShow is that FreakShow is high voltage bloodbath orgy-ridden roller coaster ride while Murder House is slow slow slow. In FreakShow, Finn Wittrock expertly plays psychopath Dandy in larger than life manner; every nuance, every finger twitch, every lip quiver, every eyebrow lift is carefully calculated in a dance of perfection between actor, director, and camera. The actors playing psychopaths in Murder House don’t have the same level of intensity, perhaps direction, and so the performances feel weaker and don’t ring as true. There isn’t that level of audience fear about what the psychopath will do next, that anything can go horribly wrong at any minute in Murder House that you get with Dandy’s scenes in FreakShow. Dandy is a tightly wound violin string that can snap at any minute, and it's not predictable exactly when that snap is gonna happen. Peters character just doesn't have that same intensity although as a school-shooter mom-raping psychopath, he should.

Interesting that there was a very specific chair flip camera pov shot that is in Murder House and FreakShow and I think in Coven as well. It may well be a famous shot from some horror movie, I don't know.

There are lots of puppet and doll references in Murder House. We all know about the puppets in FreakShow. Dandy plays with his puppet theatre a lot and makes his own puppets out of mom and Tupperware lady. And there was a psycho doll hoarder who made a girl into his own doll in Coven. The ventriloquist doll/Jamie Brewer in FreakShow is going to be a big plot point this week, I think.

Murder House has a Dr. Frankenstein, in Coven we have a Frankenteen. In FreakShow, Elsa has wooden legs. Lobster Boy needs new hands to name a couple of numerous Frankenstein references.

Jamie Brewer wears a mask and make-up in Murder House and plays a ventriloquist doll in Freakshow. She sees dead people in Murder House and Coven and likely FreakShow. Chester wears the same over-exaggerated make-up in FreakShow that she does in Murder House.

There’s a character named Fiona in Murder House. Jessica Lange plays a Fiona in Coven.

Not sure how I feel about the Freddy Krueger stuff.

There’s a scene where Constance is painting a pair of lady legs in Murder House. Elsa has wooden legs in FreakShow.

Is the little boy in the Murder House Dandy? Yet it can’t be since Dandy was born by his mom, a product of inbreeding with relatives. And Dandy is just like his dad. In Murder House, Tait is the dad. Or was Dandy adopted or switched? We never saw his birth. Of course, I have to go back and look at the timeline, it likely wouldn’t make sense.

How is Tait a dad? How does a ghost make a baby? Or is he a demon, devil? We never learn what the original source of the horror of the murder house was. Yes, it was built for Lily Rabe by a Frankennut, but what was there before THAT? What made Frankendoc the original horror? There's a whole plot point where Sara Paulson tells us there's an original evil and made it sound like it was a demon or a portal, but then it was never addressed again. Or maybe I dozed off...

In Murder House, since it's in California, there are a few characters over the eras who want to be famous movie stars. A few are satisfied that their grisley deaths make them famous. In Coven, Emma Roberts is a famous movie star. Of course, Madam LaLaurie and Marie Laveau are famous in NOLA folklore, as were Axman and several others who showed up. In FreakShow, the driving theme is fame. Elsa wants to be famous, she almost was, and then she was for grisly reasons (much like some of the people in Murder House) and then she has another chance to be famous and won't stop at anything to make it happen. Dandy wants to be an actor and if his mom had just let him do some community theatre, he wouldn't have tried to become a clown and then found his true calling: Playing God.

Major Series Theme takeaways: puppet makers, other people "working the strings," Pinnochio, Frankenstein, God Complex, being famous/movie stars, parts sewn to parts, loves lost, perversions win, and the real freaks are those who are warped/evil on the inside no matter how beautiful they are on the outside...

Overall, I enjoyed Season One and am glad I took the time to watch it. 

Psychopath Sunday:Musings and Observations

While I was walking today, I had deep thoughts about American Horror Story:Freakshow that I binge-watched last night. If you've been following my blog, you know I started watching this season late, the episode when Twisty was led away by the Halloween spirit. My thoughts are many and I don't have a lot of time to ponder in my blog, as tomorrow begins my back-to-work writing and editing life! However, like millions of others, I've been fascinated and repelled by the storyline concerning Dandy and his evolution from spoiled mama's boy to serial killer. This blog isn't really about that either.

Psychopaths Entertain Us!

I could likely write several non-fiction books about the power of the real-life psychopath and how normal folk are drawn to their dark, dangerous ways, however, I'm sticking to fiction. And even then, I'm just having a few scattered Sunday thoughts.

Some of the best stories are about psychopaths, serial killers, and other deranged folk. It's easy to see why we use them in entertainment. I myself often write about psychopaths, they are my favourite monster. When I look at my favorite books, movies, and stories, I seem to favor tales about psychopaths and narcissists.

Some iconic psychopaths have a lot in common in how they've been portrayed in film and television. They are often good-looking or unique-looking, have a hang-up or obsession, and inevitably have scenes that exposes their human-like vulnerability.  Although psychopaths themselves have no empathy, the average viewer has empathy for them and this is the key to how we love and hate these psychopaths. We see how they are "misunderstood" as we are privvy to their behind-the-scenes madness. This makes them human to us, and we root for them even though we know we shouldn't.

Psychopath Rituals

We get hooked in by scenes such as Eric Roberts in Star 80 working out and self-talking in the mirror for confidence. On my first viewing of this movie, at the Toronto Festival of Festivals (our film prof recommended we score tickets, if possible, so I did) this was one of the scenes that creeped me out the most. If you've ever seen All That Jazz, you'll recognize that Fosse used this idea though with another kind of narcissist. Jessica Lange is in All That Jazz, one of my favorite musicals. 

Real-life narcissists and psychopaths have to self-talk as well to get through their daily routines of deception and maintaining the illusion that they are human.

Many psychos are insecure despite their immense narcissism.   

Dandy has deep thoughts while doing push ups.

In American Horror Story: Freakshow, we were treated to a montage of Dandy working out and losing his mind. Nice work, Finn Wittrock!

Psychopaths think best in a warm tub.

Alex in bath. 

Dandy in his bath.

They also spend a lot of time in bed or on couches, thinking, obsessing over their idols and hobbies, and playing with themselves.

Alex in bed.

Dandy in bed. 

They love to dress up for their nefarious deeds and may even wear a mask now and again as they clown around.

Clowning around in A Clockwork Orange

Dandy Clown

Sometimes they just like to do normal stuff, which is why we like them.

Are you ready for your close-up?

Mmmm...

Though sometimes they can freak out their friends with their enthusiasm.

"Hey! Why don't you want to take a bath with me like we used to when we were little?"

Which can lead to bad things happening.

Dandy did it this time!

Sometimes there's a mom ready to wipe up the psychopath's mess. 

Dandy and his mom

Of course, where would we be without the original movie, Psycho and the modern series, Bates Motel and those twisted mother and son stories?

Bates Motel finally starts up again very soon. I can't wait to see what's next in this sick soap opera!

Norman and his mom, Norma.

And since the big wigs in television land know that we are used to seeing our bad boys running around in tightie-whities, they've thrown in some big brother eye-candy for good measure. Norman's older brother, Dylan is essentially a good guy but has enough bad boy for us to love him.

Norman's hunky older brother, Dylan ends up shirtless in every episode and often is covered with blood and bruises! Yum.

So what's going to happen next on American Horror Story: Freakshow? Are they going to kill off Dandy so that the new cast members can shine? Will they make use of the psychopath storyline they've begun? Will Dot and Beth, the two-headed woman get their men, mortal enemies Dandy the psychopath and Jimmy the alcoholic Lobster Boy? Or will that potentially weirdly fun (and could be bizarrely erotic) and violent storyline get discarded because the series needs to wrap up fast?

I think that the lobster hands we saw in the jar were from one of Jimmy's relatives. Lord knows they've mentioned them enough over the past few months.

Like I said, these were a few of the thoughts that tumbled around my head this Sunday afternoon in January. I'm already thinking of more to add and maybe I'll have a Psychopath Sunday every week.  Remember, truth is often stranger than fiction. Watch out for the psychopaths in your own life!

Feel free to add your thoughts about psychopaths and American Horror Story: Freakshow.

American Horror Story:FreakShow What a Dandy Blood Bath!

Sometimes when I'm watching American Horror Story, I like to watch the live tweets. The other night, during the Tupperware party, several tweeters lamented how psychopaths are always so hot!

And often they are.

After all, how else can they charm and hypnotise their targets?

They also need to pump themselves up to perform their dastardly deeds. A bit of preening and they're all set for a night of the old ultra-violence.

This is where I found this A Clockwork Orange pic.

Their victims are often innocents who chance to cross their paths. However, if psychopaths spot an opportunity to taunt and goad, they'll take it.

The character of Dandy is proving to be a Class A charismatic Ted Bundy/American Psycho/Paul Bernardo-inspired wack-a-doo.

I will confess, I missed the first few episodes of American Horror Story: FreakShow which so far, hasn't proven to be an issue so I've not felt compelled to watch them On Demand. I came in while the plot of Twisty was in its final two episodes and a spectre of death dude was being introduced.

I'm not sure if the recurrence of Ethel this week is a thread related to that death dude, and if it's not, it's too bad.

At any rate, it seems like that was around the time Dandy came to the forefront of the plot lines.

Even though I've yet to see a freak show on Freakshow, I'm enjoying the spoiled baby antics of this psychopath.

This is where I found this picture.

Anyone who has read any of my work knows that I often visit the themes of psychopaths (Mistress of the Dark, Captured Souls, "All Paths Lead to Psychopath") and bathing in blood (Borrowed Flesh, "Blood Countess"), and  sometimes entwine the two, as is historically done both in reality and in fiction. So to see Dandy bathing in the blood of his doting mom, of Tupperware ladies, and more, while growing stronger (and crazier) in the process, is fun to watch.

This is where I found the blood bath scene.

Real life horrors exist every day, yes. But American Horror Story is just good old-fashioned extreme fun. Or at least that's how I viewed Coven and FreakShow. I've not seen the other seasons yet.

Sure you can drive a truck through plot holes and character motivations. But the visuals and most of the acting from most of the characters are worth watching.

I'll be the first to say the I loved Coven but hated the ending. It should have been two seasons to explore more of the sub-plots and tie up loose ends.

I was a huge fan of Carnivale back in the day. I lived for that show. When it was cancelled, my world was a darker place. I hated how they wrapped that one up as well. But I forgave it as the plot should have had another year or two to unfold, not suddenly race to a conclusion within weeks.

FreakShow has a flavour of the Carnivale we miss. The dirty gritty circus life. The mysteries and tediousness of day-to-day existence. Corruption and temptation; how far is too far?

In a way, I wish FreakShow had more supernatural elements but again, there are already so many plots that more would be too confusing.


Here's a link to one of many recaps from this week:
American Horror Story Freak Show Recap Tupperware Episode

However, back to psychopaths.

This is where I found this image from A Clockwork Orange.

Some of the most compelling characters in life and in fiction are psychopaths. Look at Charles Manson! He just got engaged and he's a crazy old man in prison for life. Yet he still has that psychopath charm that managed to ensnare a target.

Psychopaths are scary characters because they are real. We hear about them all the time. Serial killers. Serial cheaters. Serial thieves.

This is where I found this picture of Dandy from AHS: FreakShow

Dandy has many of the traits of a good psychopath but he'll likely come to a horrible end as he grows too cocky. He hasn't really thought through his money situation and I'm not clear if he's smart enough to figure out how to survive financially forging his mom's name or whatever needs to be done.


What do you think about Dandy? Do you like him as a character? Is he too over the top? Too creepy?

How do you think he'll die? Will he go on to be a psycho in the after-dead clown parade?

Here's where I found this picture of yummy sicko Dandy!