American Horror Story- Murder House- Episode 7- Open House

**This review contains spoilers**

Synopsis: In 1994, Larry Harvey (Denis O’Hare) is obsessed with Constance (Jessica Lange). Larry lives in the Murder House with his wife, Lorraine (Rebecca Wisocky) and their two daughters, but Larry can’t control his urges to indulge in an affair with Constance.

One night, a grieving Constance asks Larry for a favor. After Tate’s death, the state has plans to take Constance’s disfigured and feral son, Beau (Sam Kinsey), and Constance will go to jail for charges of criminal child neglect. Beau lives alone in the attic, and he’s shackled in chains. The favor? Constance wants Larry to go to the attic and murder Beau before the police arrive. Larry is willing to do anything to please Constance, so Larry surprises Beau in the attic, and Larry murders Beau.

During dinner, Larry announces his plans to leave Lorraine and his daughters, because he can’t deny his feelings for Constance. Larry promises financial support for Lorraine and the kids, but Lorraine locks herself in the girls in a room upstairs, and Lorraine sets the room on fire. Larry breaks the door down, but Larry ran out of time, and a helpless Larry watches the horrifying demise of his family.

In the 1920’s, Nora (Lily Rabe) tries to adjust to Charles’ (Matt Ross) creation. Charles used the beating heart from one of the abortion patients to resurrect the Montgomery’s dismembered and deceased son. But Nora walks into an unpleasant surprise in the nursery. The new Thaddeus (Ben Woolf) is a savage monster, and Nora is ashamed of Charles’ creation. Nora is overwhelmed with guilt, shock, and grief, so Nora murders a defenseless Charles with a gunshot to the back of the head. After Charles’ death, Nora turns the gun on herself, and Nora commits suicide without hesitation. 

In the present, Marcy (Christine Estabrook) hosts an open house for the Murder House with Vivien’s (Connie Britton) help. A wealthy Armenian developer is interested in buying the Murder House with a ridiculous lowball offer, but Vivien is desperate to sell, so she considers the offer.

The younger version of Moira (Alexandra Breckenridge) seduces the developer, with hopes of building a swimming pool in the backyard, and Moira persuades the developer to tear down the gazebo, and release Moira’s (Frances Conroy) remains, so she can move on to the afterlife with her mother.

But there’s a big problem with the developer’s plans for a swimming pool: He’s lying. The developer plans to tear down the house for a bigger profit, and his actions force Moira and Constance to seriously consider a temporary partnership to stop the developer.


Larry shows up to the open house to ask questions as an interested buyer. But an irritate Ben (Dylan McDermott) surprises Larry at his home, because Larry ignored Ben’s “If you step foot on this property again, I’ll kill you” warning.

Vivien is still furious with Ben, but a shocking announcement  from the doctor changes Vivien’s thought process. Vivien is healthy and safe, but new test results reveal Vivien is pregnant with twins. Ben is happy, and Vivien wants to express her joy with two new children in the family, but one question bothers her: How is this possible?

Violet (Taissa Farmiga) experiences a series of strange occurrences after her suicide attempt. Violet can see dead victims, who share a dark past with Murder House, but Tate (Evan Peters) offers a solution for Violet’s problems: Violet needs to stand up to the dead Murder House residents and victims of the past, and if the fear is too much for Violet to handle, Violet needs to shout “Go away!” to send a clear message with no mix-ups. Tate is Violet’s shield of protection from the malevolent forces at Murder House, but what’s going to happen, when Tate disappears? 

Review: Larry Harvey is a liar. Larry wasn’t the one, who tried to burn down the Murder House years ago. Lorraine is the one, who started the fire, and she’s responsible for the deaths of Larry’s daughters.

On top of that, Constance is using Larry. Larry is obsessed with Constance, and he’s head over heels for her, but Constance doesn’t feel the same way. Constance sees a weak and pathetic man with no self-respect, because Constance knows she can use Larry to do her bidding (i.e. murdering Beau) with no questions asked.

Ben? Yeah, he’s not worried about Larry anymore, and you can see it with Ben’s demeanor during the surprise visit to Larry’s apartment. Throughout the first half of the season, Ben was always unnerved, frustrated, and angered by Larry’s presence.

Here? Ben is cool and calm, because he knows Larry is nothing more than a sniveling weasel, who’s obsessed with the house and Constance. To put an end to Larry’s constant harassment and surprise visits at the house, Ben files a restraining order against Larry, and Ben will report Larry to the police. And Ben leaves Larry’s home with two words to crush Larry’s hopes for a $1,000 loan and a chance at moving into the house again: “Game over.”

The end to Nora and Charles’ story? Gruesome. It’s the best word to describe it, and Nora couldn’t shake the guilt for ruining the lives of the young abortion victims. As far as Thaddeus goes, we never see Thaddeus, when Nora visits the new and improved version in the nursery. You’ll hear a lot of hissing, and you’ll see Lily Rabe’s petrified facial expressions, but that’s it.

The less is more thought process/approach works here, because Thaddeus as a monster is horrifying and hideous, and they can’t show the audience a full view, because it’s too much to handle. And there’s a nasty shot of Nora’s bloody chest after a failed breast feeding attempt, because Thaddeus wasn’t interested in milk. Also, the shot for the splatter of blood after Nora turned the gun on herself is genuinely sickening.

The Armenian developer lied to the younger Moira for sexual favors. He never had any plans to build a swimming pool. Nope. The Armenian developer is going to tear everything down for his future projects, so what’s going to happen to the dead residents and victims from the past, who reside and walk the earth at Murder House? Will they fade away into nothing? Or will they answer for their crimes with an eternity of punishment? Tate “hates” Constance, but Constance believes in a second chance to fix her relationship with Tate. Beau can’t comprehend the situation, and with a happy Addie resting in the afterlife, Constance is terrified at the thought of an eternity full of loneliness and despair.

The thought of the unknown after the destruction of the house  is enough to scare Moira, and together, Moira and Constance agree to bury the hatchet (temporarily) to work together. And a delusional Larry provides a helping hand, because he’s clinging to the hopes of buying the Murder House for a second chance with Constance.

The plan? The young Moira lures the Armenian developer into the basement with the promise of oral sex. But Moira ends the pleasurable experience with dismemberment. Larry pops out of nowhere, and Larry uses a plastic bag to suffocate the Armenian developer. But Constance orders Larry to remove the developer before he “expires,”(you can walk the earth as a dead person, if you die at the Murder House) because Constance doesn’t like the idea of a confrontation in the future.

Ben is stuck in no man’s land, but he reaches out to Tate for help with a disgruntled and suicidal Violet. Tate offers his advice to Ben, but there’s a bigger problem with Violet: She can’t control sightings for dead victims (including Beau) of the past. Tate offers a solution, and when Violet tells the ghostly figures of Murder House’s past to “Go away,” they disappear without a trace. Violet has a temporary solution for the “I see dead people” problem, but that’s not going to last for long. The evil forces of Murder House are persistent, and “Go away” won’t solve the problem in the long run.

Towards the end, Violet is going through some pictures from the attic. Vivien joins Violet in her room to look at the pictures, and Violet shocks her mother with a grainy black and white picture of Nora, Charles, and Thaddeus from the 1920’s. Remember, Nora took a tour of the house with Vivien as an anxious buyer in episode 3, and Violet wasn’t around, so she doesn’t recognize Nora’s face.

Vivien’s eyes are stuck on the picture with this stunned look, because she gave a tour to a dead woman, and the screen cuts to black with Vivien looking at the picture to end the episode. It’s another great cliffhanger. How is Vivien going to handle the Nora problem? Will she tell someone? Or will she keep the secret to herself out of fear? Because Vivien’s going to have a tough time convincing others to believe in a story about a dead woman from the twenties walking around the house.

Open House ties up some more loose ends for Charles and Nora’s story, and you’ll see how far Moira, Constance, and Larry are willing to go to protect the house. They’ll do ANYTHING to save Murder House, and the union between Moira and Constance is a nice surprise, because they’re bitter enemies stuck in a never-ending feud. The Armenian developer? It’s kind of hard to feel sympathy for his death, because he crosses the line for unlikable characters. Basically, he’s a suave and soulless businessman, who’s obsessed with money, and women are just disposable sex objects for him.

Also, you have to believe Ben is on the verge of forcing his way into the house again. Vivien is clearly having trouble carrying the load on her own, and Ben needs to put in some more work for the redemption zone, but Vivien is struggling  alone. On top of that, Vivien has to deal with the Nora problem, because Violet is not alone in the boat for witnessing dead people walking around the house.

You’ll see another excellent performance from Jessica Lange in Open House. Yes, Constance is a heartless and manipulative person, but I could feel a little bit of sympathy for her in this episode. You can see the devastating look of heartbreak on Lange’s face, when Tate dismisses Constance’s pleas for reconciliation. And Lange’s passionate and emotional talk with Moira about losing the Murder House? Amazing. You can feel Constance’s desperation and fear, because Lange’s performance is spot on.

Larry is reduced to a hollow shell of a man here. He’s not a creepy and intimidating menace anymore. Now, he can’t bully Ben, because Ben knows the truth about Larry, and Larry is Constance’s punching bag. And the twins? Wow. Another legit shocker, and remember, we still don’t know if Ben is the father, because the stranger in the latex suit seduced an unsuspecting (on the pilot episode) Vivien during Ben and Vivien‘s romantic day/night. Open House features another jaw-dropping cliffhanger, and the story is progressing at a nice pace. I thought about a lower score, but I’ll give this one an extra bump for Lange’s top notch performance.   

Rating: 9/10

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American Horror Story- Murder House- Episode 3- Murder House

**This review contains spoilers**

Synopsis: In 1983, Moira (Alexandra Breckenridge) is trying to clean a room in The Harmon’s future home, but Constance’s husband, Hugo interrupts her. Hugo is looking for more after an unexpected one night stand with Moira, but Moira quickly rebuffs his advances. Hugo won’t take no for an answer, and Hugo tries to rape Moira, but Constance surprises Hugo and Moira with a gun. Constance shoots and kills Moira. Hugo begs for a second chance, but a heartbroken Constance murders Hugo after a brief pause. Constance bursts into tears, and with no one else to turn to, Constance takes a seat next to Hugo’s corpse for comfort.

After the home invasion, Vivien (Connie Britton) pushes Ben (Dylan McDermott) to sell the house, because Vivien doesn’t want to raise a child in their new home. Ben dismisses Vivien’s concerns with a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, but Vivien is determined to move.

But there’s one problem with Vivien’s plans: The Harmon’s are broke. Ben lied about a series of bad investments, and without the house, The Harmon’s don‘t have enough money for a move. Ben agrees to Vivien’s one last chance terms, and Vivien forces Marcy (Christine Estabrook) to help The Harmon’s sell their home with the threat of a lawsuit (Marcy lied about the number of murders in the house).

Meanwhile, Larry Harvey (Denis O’Hare) pesters Ben for a $1,000 loan, and a returning Hayden (Kate Mara) surprises Ben with a visit at the house. Hayden is still bitter about Ben abandoning her at the clinic, and Hayden drops a bombshell on Ben: She never had the abortion. Hayden is keeping the baby, because she wants Ben as a father, and Hayden is planning a new life with Ben as a family man. To add to his growing list of problems, Ben accuses Moira of theft for his missing tape recorder, and Ben tries to fire Moira (Frances Conroy), but Vivien demands answers for the hostile confrontation.

Violet (Taissa Farmiga) leans on Tate (Evan Peters) for comfort, and Violet threatens Vivien with the promise of running away, if Vivien and Ben sell the house. A distressed Vivien (using an inconspicuous disguise) takes a tour to learn about the history behind her infamous new home. The “Murder House” was built in 1922 by Dr. Charles Montgomery (Matt Ross). Charles lived in the house with his socialite wife, Nora (Lily Rabe), and their infant child. The tour guide retells the gruesome story for Charles and Nora’s past, but Vivien abandons the tour, when she suspects signs of a miscarriage…..

Review: The Murder House? That’s a creepy nickname for The Harmon’s new home, and the backstory for Charles and Nora Montgomery is very eerie and disturbing. An anxious Vivien listens to the tour guide’s shocking story, and the details hit Vivien in the face like a series of hard slaps.

Charles was a famed surgeon, who built The Murder House in 1922 for his wife Nora, a needy and whiny socialite. As a couple, Charles and Nora had one child, but Charles hit a downward spiral  with an addiction to drugs. As an addict with a disturbing “Frankenstein complex,” Charles experimented with animals in his basement. Need an example? Charles tries to sew wings on a small pig. Yeah, after one look at Charles’ creation (using that word loosely), you’ll think twice about making any “When pigs fly” jokes again.

But mangled pigs are low on the totem pole for the Montgomery’s list of problems. A snobbish Nora is complaining about a shortage of maids around the house, and Charles doesn’t have enough money to take care of the stack of unpaid bills. The solution? Charles performs illegal abortions for Nora’s handpicked clients in the basement, but in 1926 Nora and Charles’ relationship hit a shocking climax.

Charles and Nora’s backstory is genuinely creepy (i.e. the shot of Charles’ failed experiments in the basement), and Nora (in the modern world) surprises Vivien with a visit one day. Keep in my mind, Vivien’s doesn’t recognize Nora’s face, so Vivien assumes Nora is another potential buyer for the house. Vivien shows off the house for Nora on a mini tour, and Nora is not happy about the modernized upgrades in her precious home.

But an emotional Nora recalls memories from her past as a mother, after Vivien announces her pregnancy. Vivien microwaves two cups of water for tea, but when she turns around, Nora disappears. Towards the end, Vivien is sleeping, and Nora quietly sneaks in her room. Nora tries to touch a sleeping Vivien’s stomach, but Vivien turns at the last second.

“If you lie to me again, we’re threw.”

That’s Vivien’s stern warning to Ben after Ben tells the truth about the Harmon’s dire financial situation. But Vivien’s not the only one, who’s sick and tired of shenanigans in the new house, because Ben FINALLY reaches a boiling point with Moira after the mysterious case of the missing tape recorder.

Ben fires Moira on the spot, because he’s tired of Moira’s tempting sexual advances, but Vivien wants both sides of the story before a final decision on Moira’s future as The Harmon’s maid. Ben pleads his case to Vivien: Moira is trying seduce him for another affair, but Ben is trying to fight off and ignore Moira. But Vivien isn’t 100% sold on Ben’s side of the story. After a visit from a detective (more on that later), it’s revealed men and women see different versions of Moira. Men see an attractive and irresistible young woman (Alexandra Breckenridge) with a skimpy and revealing wardrobe. Women? They see a withered old woman (Frances Conroy) with a frumpy maid’s outfit.


Anyway, Vivien bites her bottom lip to agree with Ben, but Moira throws a fit, when Vivien tries to fire her. Moira promises a lawsuit for Ben’s attack (Ben grabbed Moira’s shoulders), if Ben and Vivien fire her. Vivien wants to leave the house without a lawsuit, so she agrees to Moira’s terms (extended lunches with no questions asked, extended breaks, etc.).

Unfortunately, Moira’s blackmailing scandal takes a backseat to a bigger problem: Hayden’s return. Ben abandoned Hayden at the clinic to support Vivien and Violet after the break-in. Well, Hayden’s not too happy about Ben’s willing choice to comfort his family, so Hayden returns to force Ben into a corner with no escape route. Ben tries to dodge Hayden, but Ben forgets to show up to a crucial meeting with Hayden at a local Norms. A furious Hayden tries to expose Ben for his lies, but a nervous Ben agrees to an immediate meeting with Hayden. Hayden calms down, and together, Ben and Hayden leave the house for a talk.

But a surprise visit from Larry Harvey complicates Ben’s plans for a peaceful talk. Ben and Hayden take a few steps outside, and BAM! Larry Harvey smacks Hayden in the face with a shovel . Ben tries to stop him, but Harvey uses the shovel to kill Hayden. Harvey killed Hayden as a favor to Ben, because Harvey believes death is the only solution to stop Hayden’s plans for destroying Ben’s marriage and his family. Oh, and Harvey still needs the $1,000 loan.

With no realistic escape options, Ben works with Harvey to cover up Hayden’s death. Harvey digs the hole to bury Hayden’s body next to Moira’s remains in the backyard, and Ben uses a suggestion from Constance to complete the full proof plan: Ben builds a gazebo over the grave for Hayden and Moira.

Wow. Jaw-dropping stuff. Constance kills two birds with one stone. The gazebo helps Ben with his problem, and Constance earns another point in the never ending feud with Moira (with her remains buried under the gazebo, Moira is stuck at the house). Hayden’s death? A complete shocker, and the set up was perfect. A calm Hayden and Ben are walking out of the house together, and Larry clocks Hayden with the shovel before she has a chance to react.

For now, you get the impression Ben is in the clear. Hayden is gone, the situation with Moira is on ice, and during the closing moments of this episode, Ben and an oblivious Vivien share two tall glasses of iced tea. But it’s American Horror Story, and we’re only three episodes into this season, so ANYTHING can happen to change Ben’s seemingly quiet lifestyle.

Oh, and a detective investigating (Ben uses doctor/patient confidentiality as a shield)  an attempted suicide for one of Ben’s patients (Sally Freeman) returns his missing tape recorder. But there’s a disturbing plea from Freeman during a session. She threatened suicide, but Ben was stuck in one of his blackout phases, so he doesn’t remember the incident. Also, Ben collapsed in the doctor’s office with Vivien, and Ben (unknowingly) experienced another blackout in the backyard. Of course, Ben points the finger at a bitter and vindictive Moira for poisoning his coffee (tests reveal a foreign substance in Ben’s blood work). Moira’s response to the accusation? “Prove it.”

Murder House is another satisfying episode for American Horror Story’s first season. For now, Ben is safe, but he’s skating on thin ice with Larry. And you have to wonder what’s going to happen with Vivien after the strange false alarm? Long story short, the doctor dismissed Vivien’s spot of blood in her pants, as a harmless and normal discharge. BUT the bleeding stopped, when Vivien entered the house?

They introduced some new characters in this episode, and you have to believe in Nora having a major impact on The Harmon’s life. She’s another dead face with connections to the house’s past, and if I’m using the ending as a sign for things to come, Nora is targeting Vivien and her baby.

Rating: 7/10

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American Horror Story- Murder House- Episode 2- Home Invasion

**This review contains spoilers**

Synopsis: In 1968, The Harmon’s home is used as a dormitory for young women. Maria (Rosa Salazar) is a nursing student. The rowdy group of women in the dormitory invite Maria to a concert for The Doors, but Maria is a dedicated bookworm, so she refuses the invitation for a quiet night of studying with another nursing student named Gladys (Celia Finklestein).  Franklin shows up on the doorstep for help. Franklin flashes his bloody forehead through the peephole, so Maria opens the door. But Franklin reveals  his true colors, when he attacks Maria and Gladys.

Vivien (Connie Britton) and Ben (Dylan McDermott) find some peace in their lives after Vivien’s announcement, but Hayden (Kate Mara) disrupts the happiness in Ben’s life with one phone call, because Hayden announces her pregnancy during the call. Ben can’t take the chance of upsetting and betraying Vivien again, so Larry Harvey (Denis O’Hare) comes up with a simple solution for his troubles: Ben has to lie about the trip to Boston to save his marriage and his family. Ben takes Larry’s advice with a story about a patient, who tried to commit suicide, and Ben uses the fake story as a cover to meet Hayden in Boston.

To add to his growing list of problems, Ben treats another troubled patient named Bianca, and Bianca shows an unnatural obsession with the house and the murders. Constance (Jessica Lange) is looking for revenge with Addie’s (Jamie Brewer) help, but Vivien reaches out to Constance for help and advice for the baby after a few warning signs for another miscarriage.

Violet’s (Taissa Farmiga) relationship with Tate (Evan Peters) is at a standstill after the bizarre incident in the basement. A petrified and disfigured Leah (Shelby Young) confides in Violet, but Vivien and Violet run into some trouble one night, when three intruders invade the house…..

Review: Fear motivates Vivien and Ben to make some uncharacteristic choices. Ben listens to Larry Harvey, because he’s terrified at the thought of Hayden ruining his new life. And Vivien is willing to burry the hatchet with Constance for the time being, because she NEEDS advice and help.

Hayden? Yeah, she’s a clingy nutcase. There’s a scene with Ben and Hayden, and they’re at Hayden’s apartment to discuss options about the pregnancy together. Ben pulls out his phone every other minute to check on any updates from Vivien or Violet. Hayden catches Ben looking at his phone before a pizza arrives, and she flips out over Ben’s lack of consideration and neglect.  Ben refuses to hand over the phone, but Hayden bursts into tears, and she hugs Ben to end the scene.

Remember Franklin, Maria, and Gladys? Well, on that night in 1968, Franklin posed as a victim to enter the house. Franklin forced Maria to wear a nurse’s outfit with both of her hands and feet tied behind her back. Franklin had some nasty encounters with nurses as a child, and as a man, Franklin uses Gladys and Maria for revenge. Franklin murders Maria with a knife, and Gladys suffers a brutal demise after Franklin uses the upstairs bathtub to drown her.

The intruders? They’re a group of three, who reenact famous murders. Violet and Vivien will fill the roles of Maria and Gladys, and Bianca is a member of the group. That’s right. Bianca used the cover of a patient to study the layout of the house, but the group runs into some trouble, when Tate shows up.

Bianca eats a homemade cupcake (the cupcake was a peace offering for Violet, but she refused to eat it) from Constance during the preparation process. Unbeknownst to Bianca, Constance’s cupcake contains two secret ingredients: A laxative and Addie’s spit. Bianca is suffering from stomach problems and uncontrollable vomiting, so Tate takes advantage of Bianca’s mistake. Tate murders Bianca, Vivien escapes her captor, and Tate convinces Violet to lure her captor into the basement. Tate, with help from the supernatural forces in the basement, murders the remaining intruders.

During the fiasco, Addie tries to warn Constance about the intruders, but Constance scolded Addie for interrupting her romantic night. To punish Addie, Constance locks Addie in a closet surrounded by mirrors, because Constance knows Addie can’t stand the sight of her own reflection.

After a text message about the break-in, Ben rushes home to check on Vivien and Violet. But there’s one big problem with Ben’s sudden departure: He left Hayden at the abortion clinic by herself. Ben and Hayden agreed to an abortion, but Ben abandoned Hayden at the clinic without a good-bye.

But it’s not over yet. Towards the end, Tate, Constance, and Moira are standing together in the basement with the intruder’s corpses. Constance directs traffic, and together, Tate and Moira split the responsibilities (bleach and chopping) for clean up duty.

Ben is stuck in a tough spot, because Violet resents Ben for abandoning the family during the intrusion. Hayden is in Boston, and to end the episode, a flustered Vivien issues a demand to Ben: They’re selling the house, no questions asked.

Another good cliffhanger to end the show. Murder House pulls the plug at the right moment, because Ben doesn’t have a chance to respond to Vivien’s demand for selling the house. Also, we learned more about Moira, Constance, and Tate here. Clearly, all three of them are working together, and Constance is the leader, but why? What are they planning?

And call me crazy, but I’m not the only one, who noticed the Carrie connection here, right? The deranged and overbearing mother (Constance) locking her daughter (Addie) in a closet for punishment? Yeah, it’s almost impossible to ignore the similarities for Constance’s methods of tough love.

Home Invasion is a solid follow up to the pilot. Murder House continues to build the dark mystique surrounding the Harmon’s home with flashbacks of grisly murders from the past. Violet is still a brat, who’s holding a grudge against both of her parents, but after the break-in, Violet shows a softer side to Vivien. On the flip side, Ben is in Violet’s dog house for leaving the family.

Vivien trusting Constance was a nice surprise, and you can say the same thing about Ben trusting Larry. Ben has to keep the Hayden situation a secret from Vivien and Violet, and Larry offers a shoulder to lean on. Vivien needs advice from an older woman, and a perky Constance is more than willing to help. But Larry and Constance are two shady characters with troubled pasts, so in the long run, you have to consider the possibility for taking a big risk with two untrustworthy sources of comfort.

The follow up ends with another good cliffhanger, and after a series of strange and near death experiences, you have to believe Ben is seriously considering Vivien’s demand, right? The basement is a death trap, and for some strange reason, Tate falls into a home field advantage comfort zone with the supernatural and evil forces in the basement. Also, watching Constance channel her inner Margaret White (i.e. the closet scene with Addie) provides a surreal moment for any Stephen King fan. And Ben should reconsider his new strategy to treat patients at the house after Tate and Bianca….. 

Rating: 6/10


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American Horror Story- Murder House- Episode 1- Pilot

**This review contains spoilers**

Yeah, I know. I've been talking about TV reviews for a while, but they're here now! This is my first go around with TV reviews, and I'm still tinkering with the style I want to use, so I won't do minor spoiler reviews for this season. There's a chance I'll do minor spoiler reviews in the future for other TV series, and I hope you enjoy this review series for one of my favorite shows on television. Let's get to it.  

Synopsis: In 1978, a young Adelaide warns two rambunctious twins about the dangers of trespassing in an old abandoned house. The twins are looking for some fun with their baseball bats, so they ignore Adelaide’s warnings, and together they enter the house for a day of vandalism and mischief.

In the basement, the twins find an assortment of fetuses and preserved human body parts in jars. Suddenly, one of the twins (Troy) disappears, and the twins suffer a gruesome death at the hands of a mysterious and evil force.

In the modern world, Dr. Ben Harmon (Dylan McDermott), a psychiatrist, is looking for a second chance from his wife, Vivien (Connie Britton). One day, Vivien caught Ben in the act during an affair with one of his students. Vivien mistook Ben and his lover, Hayden McClaine (Kate Mara) for a pair of intruders, and a distraught Vivien stabs Ben with a kitchen knife. And Vivien is stuck in a gut wrenching emotional slump, because she’s trying to recover from a miscarriage.

Reluctantly, Vivien accepts Ben’s apologies, and she accepts Ben’s plans to start over. To erase all the bad memories, Ben, Vivien, and their daughter, Violet (Taissa Farmiga) move from Boston to Los Angeles. The old abandoned house is their now home, and the Harmon’s receive an awkward welcome from their next door neighbor Constance Langdon (Jessica Lange), and her daughter, Adelaide (Jamie Brewer).

Ben treats his patients at the house, but a series of strange disturbances and intrusions disrupt Ben’s plans for a fresh start. Apparently, Marcy’s (Christine Estabrook), the realtor, story about a murder-suicide was just the tip of the iceberg. Adelaide (or “Addie”) issues a foreboding warning to Vivien about the dangers of the house, and Ben learns more about the house’s dark history after a one on one chat with Larry Harvey (Denis O’Hare), a burn victim, who’s suffering from a severe case of brain cancer.

Violet tries to balance her issues with depression, her troubles at school, and a relationship with one of Ben’s patients. Tate (Evan Peters) and Violet develop a bond, but Ben doesn’t like the idea of his daughter dating one of his patients.  To add to Violet’s list of problems, she’s stuck in an unwanted feud at school with a bully named Leah (Shelby Young), the ring leader for a clique of pretentious snobs.

Moira O’Hara (Frances Conroy) is a local maid, who worked in the house for years, and she offers her services as a housekeeper. Vivien accepts Moira’s offer, but Moira brings more trouble into the Harmon’s complex situation. Unbeknownst to Vivien, Ben is trying to avoid and ignore Moira’s alter ego as a persistent seductress. To make matters worse, the Harmon’s shot at a second chance takes another bizarre turn during an impromptu investigation in the attic……

Review: Vivien and Ben are normal…..when you compare them to the rest of  the cast. Yes, Vivien is trying to move on and put her life together again after Ben’s infidelity, and Ben is trying to fight his urges for Moira (more on that later). Violet? She’s a foul-mouthed rebel. Tate is a disturbed child, who fantasies about murdering the good people in his life, and Moira is the kooky maid, who won’t stop until Ben succumbs to her requests for sexual pleasure.

Constance and Addie are the nosy neighbors. Constance is the failed actress (because she refused to show nudity on the screen), who offers perky (and unwanted) advice, and Addie constantly warns Vivien about her impending demise.

First impressions are crucial, and there’s no way around it. American Horror Story: Murder House? The pilot takes the no holds barred approach to shocking the audience. Language (“s*** and p****), violence, gore, partial nudity, a sex scene, a scene where Ben feels the need to “relieve” himself after an encounter with Moira, everything. American Horror Story: Murder House’s toes touch the boundary line, and you’ll see a few jaw-dropping moments in the pilot.

Need an example? Well, after a fight with Leah, Tate comes up with a solution to help Violet. Tate convinces Violet to lure Leah into the basement of her house for a free sample of crack cocaine. In the basement, Leah is attacked by Tate and a ghoulish woman with fangs. Leah runs away with a scarred face, and a petrified Violet scolds Tate for taking things too far.

Some will use a “too tacky” or “too hokey” tag to describe Tate’s attack. Me? I’ll remember it as a highlight moment in the pilot episode. The flickering lights, Tate’s demented cackling, the grotesque ghoulish woman. It’s a freaky series of events, and during this scene, you‘ll see another (the twin’s demise at the beginning) example for the house’s evil powers.

And there’s a nice cliffhanger to end the episode. Vivien takes a step on the path to forgiveness with Ben, and Vivien announces her pregnancy with a taste for Indian food (Vivien has a thing for Indian food, when she’s pregnant). Ben is overjoyed, because the baby provides a chance for a fresh start…but Ben and Violet are missing the answer to one crucial question: Is Ben the father?

Remember the attic? Well, during the investigation, The Harmon’s discovered a latex bondage suit on a mannequin. One night, Ben (in a sleeping walking phase) wanders into the kitchen. Oddly enough, Constance pops up a few seconds after Ben’s arrival. Meanwhile, a stranger in the latex suit and Vivien have sex upstairs without any questions, because Vivien believes the stranger (the suit comes with a mask) is Ben. The stranger disappears, Ben returns to the bedroom, and the married couple with newfound hope to end the night with an “I love you.”

So many questions. What’s wrong with Ben? Who is the stranger? Why is he targeting Vivien? Is Ben the father of the new baby? After the ending, I had to see the next episode, because the cliffhanger is just perfect.

American Horror Story: Murder House packs a powerful punch in the pilot, with enough tantalizing unanswered questions to pique your interest for a follow up episode. Will Violet trust Tate again? Will Ben rethink his new plan to treat patients at his house? Is Larry Harvey an ally or is he a deranged and delusional man? Long story short, Larry Harvey lived in the house years ago, and Larry burned his entire family to death under the influence of a mysterious evil force in the house. Now, Larry urges Ben to leave the house, so she can save his family from a horrible, gruesome death.

To add to that, you KNOW Constance and Addie are hiding something, and there’s a chance they’re working with the supernatural and evil forces in the house. Also, it’s clear Moira will do anything to break and lure Ben into another affair. And Ben has to overcome a tough hurdle, because Moira’s appearance changes for Ben. In front of women, Moira is an old, withered woman (Frances Conroy), but Ben sees a young and attractive version  (Alexandra Breckenridge) of Moira.

They never come out and say it in the pilot, but you have to believe Moira possesses the power to seduce and control men with her young appearance. On the flip side, the trick doesn’t work on women. That’s why Vivien’s decision to hire Moira shocked Ben (i.e. trusting Ben after the affair), because Vivien can’t see what Ben sees.

American Horror Story: Murder House’s pilot gives die hard horror fans hope for a bold show that’s not afraid to push the limits. Others will see a show that tries too hard to be extreme, or something that’s too hokey, and you’ll hear some “I can’t take this show seriously” complaints. It’ll take some time to adjust to the schizophrenic style of pacing and storytelling, but Murder House’s pilot is a wicked treat, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.

Rating: 8/10

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