My first post was originally going to be about Rubber Man, the draft is currently saved and will be uploaded as soon as I've finished. However, I was doing a bit of research on the web while writing the post and came across this article on Yahoo:
'Three Reasons Not to Dissect American Horror Story' written by Drew Taylor. I couldn't resist talking about an article that is essentially giving me three reasons as to why this blog shouldn't exist, lol!
Before I delve into his article -- I want to say that I think the fact that AHS provides you with so many clues and so much information beneath the surfaces of the story line, in many cases, without you even realizing it's there is what makes AHS such an amazing show. It keeps me talking, thinking and in turn makes the anticipation for next week's episode that much greater.
Back to the article...
Taylor's first reason to not dissect AHS is
Unpredictable Twists.
Well yes, they are crazy unpredictable twists -- I probably would have
never guessed that Larry was secretly or not-so-secretly I guess, in love with Constance. "The show adds rich layers to an otherwise foreseeable source of the supposed dream house's unrest by giving the doctor a drug addiction, materialistic wife, slain child, Frankenstein obsession and crushing debt. Who could anticipate that combination?" Very true, Taylor, very true -- but isn't the fun in trying to come up with the explanation in the meantime??
"'American Horror Story' drops clear hints about upcoming plot twists, but the clues are not predictable enough to anticipate the whole story." My feeling is that the writers are dropping clear hints for a reason -- they want us to try and figure out the whole story, but obviously aren't giving us enough information to figure out the whole story -- what would be the point of the show if we knew what was going to happen around every corner?
Second Reason:
Fast Paced Mythology.
Taylor explains we are introduced to a number of different characters and possible storylines in a short amount of time, but many of these 'smaller' storylines develop rather quickly. He takes living vs. dead as an example -- we learn quite quickly who of the main cast has a pulse and who doesn't. I'd have to counter you with this question, Taylor: what about Tate? I for one, couldn't decide if he was of the living or dead until the Halloween episodes, when it started to become very clear, but yet not definite that Tate was in fact living among the dead. ('Living among the dead'? A future topic for discussion I'm sure... What is actually happening to these ghosts in the house? Are they dead among the living? or Living among the dead?)
Taylor cites Viv's pregnancy as an example of a storyline Murphy has injected into the show with a need to develop more freely and slowly. As a previous fan of Nip/Tuck -- I love how Murphy includes story lines that take quite a few episodes to develop, some even being forgotten storylines that reappear and make you wonder, "Hey what
did happen with that?"
"For the truly impatient, Ryan Murphy appears to have an affinity for giving major spoilers." -- Does he? because I'm not sure I've caught on to these major spoilers yet -- do you agree with Taylor?
Third Reason:
New Lore vs. Tradition
I'm pulling Taylor's entire third reason below because I think there's a ton to dissect here.
"The show relies heavily on surreal images, jolting camera angles, and uncomfortable themes to create an emotional experience that does not always jibe with real-world logic or existing horror themes. Although the show explains, or at least acknowledges, two major cracks by giving the cash-strapped Harmons financial incentive to stay in the haunted house and having the undead teens ask Violet how she never heard of their high school massacre, it does not have to play by the rules.
By reimagining popular horror stories, legends and historical events, "American Horror Story" is creating new lore.
Theorizing and speculating about "American Horror Story" add to the unique appeal of this show, but there is no reward for giving it the "Lost" treatment. Instead, relish the combination of horror, suspense and mystery as the story develops. "
I'd have to disagree with Taylor in the first paragraph. While I agree that an amazing use of different technique certainly sets the tone of the show, I don't agree that is at times, at the expense of real world logic.
I think the creators/producers/directors have done a wonderful job invoking emotion out of its viewers -- when the characters start to get scared, I start to get scared (Example: Violet at home on Halloween night, with Larry knocking at the door). I can feel the worry in Viv's character about her pregnancy, while feeling nothing from the scenes with Rubber Man -- cold and icy, just like a murderer.
I'm not well versed enough in the horror scene to say they aren't keeping with the typical horror themes -- I'd like to think I'm pretty well versed in real world logic. I think the characters do a great job of being put in a completely other-wordly situation and keeping their logic. Larry's referral to Ben's logic as a 'puny analyst's worldview' is quite telling, especially when you set the scene: the two are arguing, standing over Hayden's grave. Ben watched Larry kill her, but is so much disbelief that this could
actually be reality -- he's making up stories to explain the supernatural. Side Note: I love that Ben's profession is a therapist; it adds an extra element of believability (great new word I just made up!) to his overly realistic way of viewing the world. Viv's concerns about her babies having hooves are even cemented as normal fears by her OB-GYN in the last episode.
Creating a horror show that lasts an entire season, and perhaps even more is a hard task -- in the movies, its quite easy to gloss over a few details and questions (like, WHY ARE YOU STILL IN THAT HOUSE?) without losing the audience. AHS has a much harder task at hand -- having to keep this story alive and running for a number of hours. Personally, I think they have done a pretty good job at convincing me that there are legitimate reasons for the Harmon's still be in the house and still not completely believing that the house is indeed, haunted.
I disagree with Taylor that AHS does not deserve the Lost treatment. A wonderful HS teacher of mine, loved to bring up the Wizard of Oz story -- the story starts out with an initial problem, Dorothy loses Toto in Kansas - yet the main storyline never deals with this problem, we never know that Toto is brought home safely. I'm using this as analogy for AHS because I think the original problem is "You're going to die in there" -- something is wrong with the house itself, which we haven't explored deeply in any of the episodes -- we've explored many of the murders that have happened in the house, but we don't know why so many murders are occuring in this particular house. Everything we're learning about the house's inhabitants should be major clues as to what supernatural powers the house actually has.
What are your thoughts? Do you agree with Taylor that AHS doesn't deserve the Lost treatment? Do you disagree with me that the root of the problem within all of the storylines is the house and we still don't know why? What are your feelings on how or how not Murphy and the writers have infused typical horror themes into their storylines? Do you think AHS's writers are doing a good job at keeping the show believable?
Ready.. Set.. Discuss! :)
Short was born on July 29, 1924 in Hyde Park, MA to Phoebe and Cleo Short -- she spent most of her childhood in MA. In 1929, her father dissapeared -- many ruled it a suicide as his car was found abandoned at the foot of a bridge. Years later he sent a letter to his wife apologizing for dissapearing, but she refused to let him back into the family. 
