American Horror Story

American Horror Story, The sophomore season of the drama — which Murphy revealed would reboot itself every season with a new central plot and different characters and cast members — will feature Golden Globe and SAG Award winner Jessica Lange, Zachary Quinto, Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson and Lily Rabe but as new characters that are the complete opposite of their initial roles.

“It’s very fun to take a group of actors that you love and say, ‘come play again,’ ” co-creator Murphy said after announcing Peters, Paulson and Rabe’s return. “Every year in the series is about a different haunting, so everybody will be playing the opposite of what they played, which is fun.”

Murphy joked that the Harmons — played by Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton and Taissa Farmiga — would not be featured in Season 2 and were exhausted after the intense year that culminated with their sad deaths and yet poetic reunion as a happy family trapped inside the bizarre abode.

While Friday’s lively and often funny session didn’t flush out exact details beyond the “horror institution” setting on the East Coast, Paulson hinted to The Hollywood Reporter beforehand on the red carpet that a big clue exists in the “Birth” episode.

“It is something I said,” she told THR of the “Birth” teaser. Paulson played medium Billie Dean, who in the episode in question explained to Violet (Taissa Farmiga) that the house had a paramagnetic grip — like a battery, with negative energy that feeds on trauma and draws things to it. Pressed if the scene in question involves the energy that’s often found in prisons or asylums, Paulson added: “I can’t say the answer to that but I think you’re warm.”

As for the “rules” of the second year drama, co-creators Murphy and Brad Falchuk noted that the supernatural would likely be a component but that the ghost trope wherein if you died in the house, you remained trapped there, would not likely be further explored.

“There are so many great genre subsets of horror. Our only rule on the show is no werewolves and no vampires,” he said to applause from the packed Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. “I feel that a supernatural element will always be a part of the show but I don’t think we’re interested in that the same way. We’re trying to do something much more historically accurate.”

“From where we are now, I’d say that [we’re going for] a very equally terrified but very different vibe,” he said. “I loved the ghosts … but the fun part of the show, the gift of the show, is reinventing it every year. So I don’t think we’ll go back to a trope that we did.”

Also set for a reinvention in Season 2, Murphy noted that the opening credits — which were inspired by David Fincher’s 1995 thriller Se7en — will also get a makeover while still offering clues as to what’s ahead.

American Horror Story Episodes

American Horror Story Episodes, I’ve got mixed feelings about tonight’s Season 1 finale of “American Horror Story.” On one hand, I hate to see it end so soon. “AHS” is among the few shows that I can’t take my eyes off of — a show that gathers no dust on my DVR. I HAVE to watch it right away.
On the other hand, it’s a good time to stop — before this hot mess of a shock fest goes completely bonkers (if it hasn’t already) and there are no more actual flesh-and-blood characters left to bring it “life.”
I’ve already seen tonight’s episode (couldn’t resist watching an early screener), but you’ll get no major spoilers here.

I will point out that, as usual, it begins with a flashback, but this one goes back only nine months to when Ben and Vivien’s marriage was about to dissolve. In a desperate effort to salvage it, Ben has been scanning the real estate ads looking for the perfect house/location to launch a fresh start. He excitedly shows Vivien the ad for a beautiful home in Los Angeles and declares, “When I look at this place, for the first time I feel there’s hope.”

American Horror Story

American Horror Story, It’s like Christmas for American Horror Show fanatics. We finally find out who the Rubber Man is this week. Perhaps just as important, we find out a lot of information about just how the Murder House works, even if we don’t know why the Murder House works the way it does. As always, AHS cheerfully answers our questions, while still raising new ones.

This week is the origin of Rubber Man, one of the more fascinating minor characters on AHS. As it turns out, the latex suit which gives RM his name is brought into the home by Chad and Patrick, the home’s owners before the Harmons. Patrick’s been exploring himself on the Internet, and Chad wants to spice things up. After a hilariously weird trip to the sex shop, he comes home with a rubber bondage suit. Turns out Marcy was right about those two being into some strange things (though Patrick isn’t impressed by the latex, since he’s more into leather).

Meanwhile, in the modern day, Vivien’s pregnancy is getting a little tougher on her. Twins are hard to handle even in the best of times, and an older mother going through a messy separation, a move, a rebelling teenage daughter, and a brutal home invasion doesn’t help matters. Turns out Constance’s brains ‘n’ entrails combo platter is helpful, but not too helpful, when it comes to helping babby form. So so she’s vulnerable and she wants to leave Murder House. As it turns out, Hayden and company are not going to let her get very far.

For the past few episodes, the Harmons have been taking a back seat, but this week’s episode hinges on Vivien Harmon. Most of the interactions are either with Viv or concerning Viv, and the episode’s biggest psychological horror concerns Vivien’s descent into what she (and the world) thinks is madness. She has a great descent into paranoia this week, complete with an emotional break down, self-rationalization, and a thrilling confrontation with Ben, who she blames all her problems on.

Speaking of thrilling confrontations, it looks as though Moira and Hayden are going to end up butting heads before this season is over, and the person at the center of their confrontation? You guessed it, Vivien and her twin babies. Apparently, they’re very important, as Mo, Hayden, Lily, Tate, and pretty much everyone else in the show’s cast of spirits seem to be obsessed with children, either procreating them, protecting them, stealing them, or mourning them. Obviously this has been an ongoing concern for the show, but it seems like it’s getting more and more important, but why? I have my theories, which I will keep to myself. It’s a credit to the show’s many skilled character actors that this week’s episode featured absolutely no Constance or Crispy Larry, yet was still wonderfully acted (especially by Kate Mara) and very entertaining.