‘American Horror Story’ Renewed for 3rd Season! Who Will Return?

Surprise, surprise.  American Horror Story is killing it once again, and fans are screaming for more.  Well, we’re all in luck.  Only half way through their second season, and it has been confirmed that AHS will return for a third.  So where will the series go from here, and who will return?

Emmy winner Jessica Lange is sure to return.  In season one, she played the psycho neighbor who ultimately becomes the care taker of Satan’s spawn.  Most recently, she has been a tormented nun and has turned in an Emmy worthy performance. I am sure fans are stricken with curiosity over what Murphy and Falchuk have planned for her in season three.  What about other fan favorites such as Zachary Quinto?

When asked if he would return for season 3 in an interview with Collider, his answer was a bit more ambiguous.

[quote]I just read today that the show got picked up for a third installment, so that’s very exciting.  I’m so glad it’s doing well.  People are responding to it, and FX has been so supportive and innovative with the stuff that they’re doing, so it’s great to be a part of it.  I haven’t had any conversations with Ryan [Murphy] about what he’s thinking for the third season, so I have no idea.  I love my job and I love the people that I do it with, and I always want that to be the case.  I know he has plans.  If they involve me, I’m sure I’ll get a call, at some point.  But, I don’t know anything about it.  I’m just focused on getting through the rest of this season and moving on to the next phase of stuff that I have lined up.[/quote]

Quinto was given the opportunity to join season one because shooting for Star Trek got pushed back.  With his growing popularity, what will take precedence if Murphy does make the call to bring him on board for season three?  Only time will tell.  Ultimately, we will all find out when the 13 episode third season begins next fall.

With a slew of interesting actors and constantly evolving plot points, I am sure things will work out just fine.  I do not see the series growing stale any time soon.  At this point, we can all just sit back and speculate where the anthology will go next.  I would love to see something in the wild west or turn of the 19th century.  There is a lot of folklore and mystery that could be involved with that particular timeframe.  With the changing timeframes, and locations from season to season, AHS is becoming a far more demented variation of my personal favorite, The Twilight Zone.

Get Ready for ‘American Horror Story: Asylum’

Would it be too bold to say that American Horror Story gave us some of the most entertaining horror we have ever seen on television? With 17 Emmy nominations, I feel it’s an appropriate statement. However, this is the same show in which a man was murdered and then sodomized with a fire poker. That isn’t exactly water cooler talk for the next day at the office, now is it? So where did these nominations come from, and how did it earn such a broad fan base?  It’s likely because AHS is such a strong representation of the entire horror genre, and that’s been recognized. The first season ended in December, and since then fans have anxiously awaited their horrific thirsts to be quenched, and now we finally have a date to look forward to. Season two is scheduled to premier on October 17th at 10/9c.

Season one got our attention with its devilish, mysterious nature. To sum it up, great writing that was shot well forced even those that hate the genre to not only engage in the program, but enjoy it. I myself am a self-proclaimed fanatic of horror so I find it interesting how often I have heard people say, “I hate horror movies, but I love that show.”

So what was it that you loved about season one? Was it a guilty pleasure? Did it have something to do with young Moira portrayed by Alexandra Breckenridge? Did the Friday Night Lights fans need some more of Coach’s wife Connie Britton? Maybe you just loved the classic struggles of the Harmons and all their foibles. If you can’t wait to see what happens to our beloved ghostly Harmon family, prepare for a blatant, and somewhat obvious spoiler. Season two, appropriately titled American Horror Story: Asylum, is set in a new location with few returning cast members. When starting from scratch, it is hard to assess how the new season will stack up. What do you say we try anyways?

From what has been reported, these rumors could very well be spoilers.

Season 2 takes place during the 1960s in a New England Mental Hospital called Briarcliff. The Hospital is run by returning actress Jessica Lange as Sister Jude. Given her expected intimate relationship with new cast member Joseph Fiennes, I suppose it is uncertain if she is truly devote. When I see a nun in a mental hospital, I can’t help but think of the forced conception of Freddy Kruger. Anyone else? No? Okay, so I may have watched The Nightmare on Elm Street franchise too many times.

Without the return of iconic figures such as Rubberman, the canvas is fresh for new terrors. So say hello and welcome to, “BloodyFace.” With origins unknown we know he/she/it is a murderous psychopath who has an affection for wearing human skin. Other expected plot points will reflect upon aliens, and Nazis.

Other new cast members include James Cromwell, Chloë Sevigny, Franka Potente, Clea Duvall, and Adam Levine. Yes, that Adam Levine. Apparently he was capable of putting the button down for a while on The Voice so he could become part of the on camera couple known as, “The Lovers.”

We certainly have more information this time around then the first season marketing campaign gave. Was this necessary to gain viewership again? Are we still going to be blown away with what is revealed? I would think so considering the trailers serve more to keep me awake at night rather than tell me anything too specific. There are now eleven teaser trailers of different names to spark as much intrigue as possible. (1) Special Delivery, (2) Blue Coat, (3) Hydrobath, (4) White Rose, (5) Ascend, (6) Glass Prison, (7) The Bucket, (8) White Rave, (9) Taste, (10) Bandages, and (11) Fork. All 11 are available HERE.

My expectation is that we have much to look forward to out of season 2. Returning cast members Jessica Lange, Zachary Quinto, Lily Rabe, and Evan Peters, with returning writers such as Brad Fulchuk and Ryan Murphy means continued chemistry. Murphy harnessed what terrifies him most, and transferred that fear to another medium for us to fear as well. I didn’t previously have a particular fear of aliens, nuns, or Nazis. That being said, we weren’t terrified to go into the water until after we saw Jaws for the first time.

Now for a brief moment of speculation: Co creators Brad Falchuk and Ryan Murphy have already stated that each season would belong to a non related anthology. However, one of my favorite things about anthologies is their potential for connection. Rarely do I find something more satisfying than when multiple stories intertwine to develop a grander plot. Is there a possibility Briarcliff will hold connection to our beloved “Murder House” from season one? Though the co creators have clearly stated, “No.” I would still love to think so.

Grizzly Review: The Vow

Sometimes as a guy, you just have to bite the bullet. This could mean a lot of things, like buying your girlfriend tampons at the store or having to sit through two whole episodes of Glee. This weekend I had to bite the bullet in the form of watching “The Vow” starring Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams. The movie has just hit the American cinema this weekend, just in time for that dreaded Valentines Day thing. And I am surprised to even see myself typing this, but the movie was actually not that bad and even a little enjoyable. As far as romances go, it was pretty decent and stuck to that same formula that most of them due with a slight twist at the end.

FX’s ‘American Horror Story’ – ‘Pilot’ Review

What. The. Shit.

Those three words could pretty much define this pilot episode. There has been a lot of build up for American Horror Story whether through our site or the other entertainment sites. Whether it be from the co-creators of Glee, Brad Falchuk and Ryan Murphy, that it has awesome Friday Night Lights star Connie Britton in it, or that the pilot was supposed to be one of the most creepy and well made in recent years. So with October in full swing, it is time to see how this series will stack up and live up to the height. After viewing the pilot, so far so good. Obviously do not proceed if you do not want spoilers. I will not give away too much but still, this is a review after all.

The pilot begins with a flashback to 1978 as we look to see a girl with down syndrome standing in front a house staring at it as two red-headed jackass twins come in with evil intentions of redecorating the interior with baseball bats. Naturally, the girl tells them they are going to die in there but details. Let’s just say that the boys get their comeuppance. Let us also note that the tone of this is pitch perfect. The way the sound and music plays into setting scenes and how the camera almost stalks its way towards the people really has this creepy vibe that adds to the atmosphere. You never feel comfortable viewing this but that’s what makes this pilot as a whole great. You are always on edge because this is not a cookie cutter pilot. There is no predictability and it definitely will suck you in.

Moving on, we advance to the present time where Connie Britton is treated at a doctor’s office months after a traumatic miscarriage only to come home to find her husband Dylan McDermott “burying his sorrows” into some other girl. Afterwards, we see the somewhat jaded couple take themselves and their daughter to Los Angeles in search of a new life.

We see the troubles still remain in all them as the episode moves on. Daughter does not fit in and is a cutter, husband is still pretty selfish oblivious to everyone else’s thoughts and ideas, and the wife is still broken.

Oh by the way, that house in ’78? That’s their new home. That creepy girl? Yeah, she just told Coach’s wife (I still have to get used to not calling her that) that she’s going to die. Also, Jessica Lange is a bitch.

Speaking of great actresses, what a great cast. You have Jessica Lange coming in giving off the right kind of kooky neighbor with a bit of unforgiving bitch slapped on for good measure. The supporting characters are great as well and the family shines as they each convey their demons with enough subtlety to where it does not feel overdramatic yet enough to show that the horror is truly what they are going through internally and obviously externally.

Throw in a creepy maid, burn victims, school bullies and one messed up kid patient and I think this will be a good show to watch. I do question how long this will all last because let’s face it, most horror movies over 90 minutes tend to wear out its welcome. FX is the perfect network for this show however because they are able to push the boundaries further than what the traditional networks can do. The writing is sharp and the pacing, while a big off-kilter, works brilliantly.

I am curious where they take this and with that, I will go 4 grizzlies out of 5. I saw way too much of McDermott’s ass to give it a perfect score.

Hot, yet creepy Maid.

FX’s new hush-hush drama ‘American Horror Story’

As some of you may know, I am a Glee fanatic. Most people – at best – tolerate that about me. I always said that the reason Glee is so well received by ladies my age is because of the original concept. It is geared towards several different groups of people, or “cliques”, and so a lot of fans find it relate-able. I am glad to say that the creators of Glee seem to have done it again! Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk (also creators of FX’s Nip/Tuck) have come up with an another idea that FX apparently loved: AMERICAN HORROR STORY, the cables station is picking the show up for a 13-episode season.

While I am very excited about this show, it is mainly because I am a fan of the creators. In fact, after a lot of internet hounding, I have yet to find out much about the plot. Here’s what we do know: The show will star Dylan McDermott (Dark Blue, The Practice) and Emmy nominee Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights, Spin City, 24) as ‘Ben & Vivien Harmon’, husband and wife from Boston who move to Los Angeles to overcome some kind of family trauma – and move into a seemingly haunted house…

Creator Murphy stated:

“What do you think the thing in the basement is? That’s my favorite question and I get so many great answers because I know what it is. He’s my little favorite creature. It’s based on a real thing! When we were shooting, everyone was freaked out by it, even the actors. We had a lot of insomnia. The weird thing is we also had a lot of accidents during the shooting. The house that we are shooting in is supposedly possessed — which I knew when I signed on for it. That was an added benefit.”

Now that’s all pretty vague, and people know about the production problems that plagued the sets of The Exorcist and Poltergeist, so it’s not uncommon to hear things like this, but anything green lit by FX has to be at least watchable – right? So while Horror isn’t an overly popular genre on TV, this could shape up to be pretty good.

Aside from McDermott & Britton, other cast members include film star Jessica Lange (King Kong, Big Fish, Cape Fear) in her first permanent TV role. From the vampire communitty is True Blood‘s ‘Russell Edgington’ himself – Denis O’Hare, and Christian Serratos of Twilight, – all of them apparently. Finally, newcomer (and sister of The Departed star Vera Farmiga) Taissa Farmiga will play daughter ‘Violet Harmon’.

All I can find about this show is what Murphy and Falchuk are saying which is that it will “blow your mind”. Here is a snipet from the official Press Release: