FALL REVIEW 2011 OCTOBER ISSUE
TWO AND A HALF MEN
TELEVISION WEEKLY
WHITNEY
AMERICAN HORROR STORY EXCLUSIVE
The X-FACTOR
WEDNESDAY FALL REVIEW
AMERICAN HORROR STORY
Starring: Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott
By: Emily Hines
Its been seen before in nearly every horror movie. It all begins with a few naive kids entering a haunted house
ability to produce a show with an entirely different tone than that of “Glee”. The show seems to have a spin that
despite several warnings. The dramatic music and cinematography build the tension. What they find in the basement is beyond what they expected. Years later, a family barley managing to remain together moves into the
attracts a larger female audience in their late teenage years, to adults who still find a thrill in horror stories.
house, looking for a new beginning. The numerous warnings do not manage to convince the family to leave. The only difference between these movies and “American Horror Story” is that this new FX show runs every Wednesday. “American Horror Story” attracts an audience to cable TV that had previously been under the monopoly of channels like Showtime and HBO. A supernatural spin on a murder mystery, with a heavy emphasis on sexual content, make it almost identical to HBO’s “True Blood.” FX is calling it a psychosexual thriller. This connection is especially seen in the cinematography used by Christopher Baffa in the opening and closing credits. There is a predominately male production and writing team lead by Dante Di Lorato co-producer of “Glee.” Di Lorato however, has created a drama that showcases his
While zap2zip.com reports that by the end of the third showing the premier totaled 5 million views, 3.2 million of which were adults age 18-49. Many other sites report that viewers felt that the show held up to its expectation of a horror story, however lacked in plot. It seemed that the writers spilled much of the plot in the pilot, leaving the audience with only a few questions. Another criticism of the show is its lack of diversity. With an all white cast at this point there is little representation of racial minorities in the show. Similarly, as in many T.V. dramas, the woman is portrayed as a “damsel-indistress” following her miscarriage and her husbands affair. There is one minority represented in the pilot, and that is the character of Adelaide, played by Jamie Brewer a young rising actress with Downs Syndrome. This is not uncommon for Di Lorato, as he cast Lauren Potter, who played “Becky” throughout the series of “Glee”.
“a psychosexual thriller.” Updates from the American Horror Story can be found on Twitter @FXNetworks or on the “American Horror Story on FX” Facebook page. The show has not made its own twitter, nor have the characters like in many popular shows such as Dr. House from Fox’s popular T.V. show. However, fans can follow the gossip of the show through #ahsfx. On the YouTube channel American Horror Story has uploaded several previews into the season. Clues can also be found on the site that give hints to the viewers of what to expect over the coming season. These creepy and bizarre clips are a testament to the style that Di
The Harmen family moves from Boston to Los Angeles in the hope of staring over in a new home. The house however is beyond what modern viewers will consider haunted.
Lorato has produced through the show. This season viewers can expect to see a variety of characters developed as the story unfolds. A pregnancy gone wrong, a masked man, and an interwoven love story will make for a complex plot. Viewers will have to wait until next Wednesday at 10pm to find out what more of the plot will unfold and develop.
“Everything you love about a triller, nothing you expect”
THE CAST DYLAN MCDERMOTT: Most commonly known for “The Practice,” McDermott will play the father in “American Horror Story” and is also set to star in the upcoming film, “The Perks of Being a WallFlower”
CONNIE BRITTON: Best known for her role in “Friday Night Lights” Britton is playing the mother of the Harmen Family, who suffered a miscarriage, only to be impregnated again by the mysterious black shadow.
- FX
TAISSA FARMIGA: New to the TV industry, Farminga has only been featured in two small films in 2011. Her role in “American Horror Story” is that of the Harmens daughter, lashing out because of her parents failing marraige.