Brief spoilers for American Horror Story below:
For its second episode, American Horror Story (which I reviewed at length earlier) dialed back the crazy and the feverish imagery, but just a touch. At the same time, it gave us a bigger download of the house’s history and mythology. For starters, the Harmon abode appears to be on the National Register of Horrible Murder Locations. (Assuming the show sticks to its flashback-opening structure, each episode would seem to begin like an all-murder version of Six Feet Under.) We learn, or see insinuated at least, that the house’s past victims seem to be connected to its future hauntings. And we get some tantalyzing hints that—and this is based on no spoiler information—Constance is more deeply connected than she lets on to whatever is going on at the neighbors’. (Particularly interesting: her mention of having had a son, whom she “lost to other things.”)
If all this still has you interested, I suggest hanging on at least until next week—the last, and my favorite, of the three episodes I’ve seen so far, which gets further into the characters’ and the house’s history. Despite some very mixed reviews (as I said myself, I’m fascinated by the show’s insanity even if I can’t defend it’s whacked-out hyperactivity), it had a strong ratings debut, so I’m guessing some of you watched. Are you still haunted?