Fun fact about me: I love scary movies. I’m not quite sure why, but I find them very entertaining. To be clear, I don’t generally find them scary, or even suspenseful (most of the time), but I do really enjoy them. There’s something about the way a scary movie’s plot progresses that is very satisfying. Thus, when I heard good things about American Horror Story, I immediately jumped on it and watched the first episode of season one.
And I was immediately disappointed. It seemed like a typical horror movie plot, but drawn out through a whole series. Yeah, I’ll pass.
This was a year ago. A couple weeks ago, I decided to give it another shot, and I’m glad I did. I love it now. I’m currently on the fourth season and I’ve loved the show thoroughly.
The thing I missed when first trying out the show is, ironically, that I was exactly correct in my initial assessment. The plot of the show is the same old thing as every cliche horror movie. That’s the entire point of the show. However, and here’s where I didn’t give the show enough of a chance the first time, that’s not the focus of the show. For all that it really matters, the overarching horror movie plot might as well not exist. Let me explain why.
In a horror movie, the thing that is fun and suspenseful is the unique plot with the crazy twist ending. A family moves into a new home to escape a troubled past but, plot twist, the house is haunted and only the angsty daughter can save everyone. A town is being secretly run by a coven of witches but, plot twist, they are terrified of orange sponges and a crate of them was accidentally delivered by our hero the truck driver. A good horror movie has two hours to establish a status quo, disrupt it, then disrupt the disruption and grant a satisfying ending (note: not necessarily a happy one, just a satisfying one). A tired and overused plot thus diminishes a movie from possibly being good to being adequate at best.
American Horror Story takes this idea and completely ignores it. The over arching horror plots for all three of the seasons that I’ve completed are overused and tired. It works, though, because the show has the time, over an entire season, to make the plot fade into the setting and allow the characters to come forward. The characters in this show have actual backgrounds and real development. They have the time to interact with one another and with the setting in interesting and useful ways. These sorts of character complexities aren’t possible in feature movies because there simply isn’t enough time.
Really, this highlights the difference between short and long story formats. In a short story, the limited amount of space means that some sacrifices must be made. Characters need to be obvious and typical or the plot needs to be familiar and understood. Longer stories, however, have the freedom of space to explore both of these categories deeply and thoroughly. American Horror Story thus uses its length to expand on typical horror plotting with intricate subplots and complex characters.
It’s a good show, so you should watch it if that’s your thing.