If I was to be allowed three words to describe this first year television series I would say: strange, strange and strange. Don’t let that scare you off, though. It is a series that will have you hooked from the start. Created by Ryan Murphy of Glee, it is completely different from anything on television today. The central themes are love, sex and murder. All are shrouded under clouds of doubt and mystery. You’ll be on the edge of your seat throughout as it is hard to guess what is coming next. As a bonus you get a wonderfully off kilter and Emmy-winning performance by the great Jessica Lange as the kooky next door neighbour.
Episode 1: Pilot: After Vivien’s (played by Connie Britton) miscarriage and Ben’s (played by Dylan McDermott) infidelities the Harmon family decides to relocate and moves into a house with a sinister history.
Episode 2: Home Invasion: Ben returns to Boston to deal with something from his past leaving Vivien and Violet (played by Taissa Farmiga) to deal with the house.
Episode 3: Murder House: Vivien decides to look into the history of the original owners of the house.
Episode 4: Halloween, Part 1: The spirits of the original owners give the Harmons tips on how to decorate the house for Halloween.
Episode 5: Halloween, Part 2: The newest resident of the house begins to stalk both Ben and Vivien.
Episode 6: Piggy, Piggy: Vivien starts a diet and Violet learns the truth about Tate (played by Evan Peters).
Episode 7: Open House: Constance (played by Jessica Lange) and Larry (played by Denis O’Hare) try to stop Moira (played by Frances Conroy) from finding a buyer for the Murder House.
Episode 8: Rubber Man: The origins of the Rubber Man becomes clear.
Episode 9: Spooky Little Girl: The Harmons get a visit from the ghost of a murder victim.
Episode 10: Smoldering Children: The police question Constance about the death of Travis (played by Michael Graziadei).
Episode 11: Birth: Vivien gives birth to twins and Violet and Tate try to rid the house of its ghosts.
Episode 12: Afterbirth: After a tragedy, Ben takes his child out of the Murder House and Constance raises a child as if it was her own.
Special Features: Commentary on the pilot episode by Ryan Murphy, The Murder House presented by Eternal Darkness Tours of Hollywood, Behind-the-scenes featurettes: Behind the Fright: The Making of American Horror Story, On the Set of American Horror Story Season One, Overture to Horror: Creating the Title Sequence, Out of the Shadows: Meet the House Ghosts