In its first season, American Horror Story was largely a dramatic disaster that morphed into a twisted camp comedy. Creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk threw pretty much every horror cliche at a wall and hoped something would stick, all while getting various gratuitous shots of Dylan McDermott’s apparently interesting ass. The show became an unintentional comedy; if watched ironically, the show could make you laugh harder than any intentional comedy on TV. I’m not sure how many genuine fans of AHS there were in its first season, but I was certainly in the camp of ironic viewers.
AHS‘s second season, subtitled American Horror Story Asylum, now two episodes in, has exhibited some of the same poor judgment that its first season did; however, the show’s overall tone is much more coherent than it was in its debut season. Recycled actor Jessica Lange is still hamming it up like she did last year, but her new character, Sister Jude, actually has discernible motivations as the warden of a creepy 1960s asylum for the criminally insane.
Murphy and Falchuk created a much more thematically unified world for this second season, but the question is: does this make the show better, or does it suck out a lot of the fun of the completely bug-nuts first season?
The answer will vary from person to person. Hardcore horror fans will probably be pleased with the show’s new direction (which is much scarier than anything the first season did), but many might be disappointed with the show’s more coherent feel. It all depends on what the viewer finds appealing about the show.
As with any Ryan Murphy show, AHS has gotten great buzz in the media and very high ratings for a cable drama. But again, as with every Ryan Murphy project, the show tends to be schizophrenic, vacillating between character drama and over-the-top horror cliches. If as a viewer you value continuity and consistency, Ryan Murphy probably isn’t for you. If you’re a fan of balls-to-the-wall programming that falls flat about 70 percent of the time, then AHS is probably for you.
American Horror Story will continue to be at least an interesting case study in anthology story telling since each season of the show will feature a new cast and a new story. If nothing else, AHS is a sometimes fun, sometimes grating attempt to bring horror to the small screen. Let’s all hope rubber man makes a triumphant return this season.
