American Horror Story

So, as promised here is my first post on Season 1 of American Horror Story. For those of you who have seen it, I am dying to hear what you thought of it. Email us at pausedreviews@gmail.com, or message us on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/pausedreviews or Twitter, @PausedReviews. Tell us what you liked, what you hated, or if  you just think the blog to follow is totally off base. Also, let us know if you're cool with us sharing your thoughts on the next podcast!

So, with all that said, back to the subject at hand. Overall, I thought Season 1 of AHS was not bad. I admit, it definitely did not have the greatest of starts in my book. However, as the story progressed I found that I could not stop watching. As every episode ended, revealing another piece of the puzzle, I just had to see what the next episode would unveil.

The concept of the show, I thought was brilliant, and while elements may have been super predictable, I thought it made for very original television. If you haven't seen it, I'll give a brief run down, without giving out any spoiler. The general idea is that a family of three, Vivien, Ben and their daughter Violet, move out to LA from Boston after tragedy strikes their family. Looking for a fresh start, they move into an old house that is, of course, aggressively haunted. From there, insanity ensues, as the family is forced to deal with hardship after hardship from both the living, and spiritual worlds.

What is so brilliant about the show is how they reveal each character to you. Word of warning, after the first episode, I was so confused, I had no idea what just happened. You are thrown in the middle of roughly 4.6 million plot lines and introduced to a minimum of 58 characters. However, in epic, Tarantino-esque fashion, the more you watch, the more is revealed about each character, and better still, how each relates to the other. This is what grabbed me and compelled me to keep watching.

As for the story itself, it's not half bad. As I mentioned, several parts are super predictable, but it doesn't really ruin the show for you. Just because you guessed it right, doesn't make it bad. Another aspect that was so great, was the balance of turmoil from both the living and the dead. Interactions between the ghosts and the family led to not only issues within the house, but also consequences in the real world. Watching the family have to struggle against this war on two fronts is also what make the show so fun to watch. And with such heavy hitting actors as Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton, Morris Chestnut, Kate Mara and Jessica Lange, the acting and writing is compelling, well-structured, believable, and will keep you watching.

Production quality is also respectable. I love that the show didn't try to do too much with the spirits and ghosts. I find that when TV shows try to depict ghosts in cheesy ethereal fashion, they really only succeed in making it look even more unbelievable. AHS lets the actors make you believe they are who they say they are, and again, they do it quite well.

Overall, I would have to say, this was a good recommendation, and I would definitely recommend it to you. Don't let the subject matter deter you. If you are sensitive to "horror" this show is not really "scary", but more of a tense thriller. I'd say very worth the watch, I'm actually excited to catch up on Season 2: Asylum as soon as I can. Word of warning however, I did the whole show in basically one day. Try to pace yourself, it is some dark subject matter, and by the end I found myself just a tad overwhelmed. Kind of like after I watched "Requiem for a Dream", it just kind of takes you to a weird place and leaves you moderately troubled. However, if you pace it, you'll be fine.

So, on a scale of "Legion" to 10 (with 10 being the highest and "Legion" being the worst movie ever made), I'd give American Horror Story, Season 1, a strong 7.5.

If you have Netfilx, they just added the full season to their Instant watch offerings. If you don't have Netflix...why not?

Give it a shot, and let us know what you think. Also, keep sending us more recommendations for movies, shows and games. So far you guys are 1 for 1!

Happy viewing!

Franc