By Shelby Clemons, Staff Writer
American Horror Story is back for Season Two. Never watched the show before? The new season has new characters, a new location and a brand new plot, so fans can jump on board without having seen the first season.
Like its title American Horror Story: Asylum suggests, this season centers on an old insane asylum, Briarcliff Manor. It opens in modern day with a young newlywed couple (Adam Levine and Jenna Dewan-Tatum) on a “haunted honeymoon,” exploring the abandoned asylum. Typically, freaky things tend to happen when people are alone in abandoned places.
Cut to 1964, where we are briefly introduced to a young man, Kit, working alone in a gas station. After being threatened by his racist friends, he returns home to his new wife, with whom he is in a somewhat-illegal interracial marriage. Suddenly, a bright light, presumably his returning racist friends, appears and Kit makes a run for it outside with his shotgun. Then comes the confusing chaos of explosions and loud noises, which is followed by Kit being suctioned to the ceiling. It all seems very random and trippy, and leads one to make assumptions based on the vivid imagery.
Now, cue the asylum again, this time alive and in use by the Catholic Church to hold the mentally insane. A reporter talks to the nun in charge, Sister Jude (Jessica Lange) and it is revealed that a serial killer known as “Bloody Face” (think Silence of the Lambs) will be committed to the asylum that day.
From that point, the plot progresses along the lines of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, only on a much more horrific scale. There is the cruel treatment of the mental patients, the corrupt doctors and the stench of sin everywhere. But there are also all the things one would expect in a thriller: suspense, mystery, wicked imagery and a fast-paced plot.
The episode ends with a few cliffhangers, but instead of leaving the viewer in anticipation for the next episode, it creates confusion. It make the viewer puzzled, but nonetheless excited.
Although there is a brand-new cast, two members from season one return as new characters. Jessica Lange is back amidst a wave of recognition for her role in the last season, and Evan Peters also returns. The show also guest-stars Levine and Dewan-Tatum along with Chloe Sevigny as a nymphomaniac.
The filming style is very impressive, as it is much more sophisticated than most television shows today, resembling a film rather than an hour-long television episode. This degree of sophistication adds to the suspense and makes viewers feel as though they are actually the mental patients themselves.
Though the first episode of American Horror Story: Asylum had a few confusing and lackluster qualities, it is certainly a promising season for the chilling show. Proceed with caution, America, and prepare to be horrified.
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