American Horror Story

Wow.  That's all I can say about this television series.  Wow.  I have just finished watching the second season of American Horror Story which is set in an asylum and I'm rearing to watch Season 1 and Season 2 all over again.  There is something deeply disturbing about the show.  It's hard to predict.  It connects storylines in very twisted way.  It plays with the horror tropes, mixing things that you don't expect to see mixed, and it isn't afraid to do terrible things to its characters.  Not at all.

I'm still reeling from the amazing television marathon I got to enjoy this weekend and I'm overjoyed at the news that there will be a third one.

One of the most amazing parts of it is how it can take characters who would otherwise be deeply unlikeable (i.e. Sister Jude) and make you really feel for them by the end of it.  All of the characters feel fully realised even when they're villains.  The actors are exceptionally good, switching between emotions in a realistic and sometimes quite sudden manner.  The cinematography has a number of gosh-wow moments.  The sets are fantastic.

I think this is what the World of Darkness was meant to be.  This is what the core books have suggested.  Hell, it might even be a bit Kult.  Reality is screwed.  So many people have been screwed up, their minds twisted, their consciences askew, so that even escape isn't what you think it is.  Salvation can be close at hand yet so far away.  People are pulled by urges, temptations, and it's a rare soul who manages to rise above it and do what's right for the right reasons.  Yet still the characters grow, and unlike in the Walking Dead where they tend to grow worse for wear, here they often grow into better people.  Which might not save them, but still, it keeps you caring and caring is hooked.

In truth, I have played in one game like this and it was pretty hard-core.  The Storyteller was prone to switching games, though, so we never got through more than a few sessions.  It was a shame because even though it was hard, it was compelling.

So yeah, if you like horror, go and watch these two television seasons: Murder House and Asylum.  Later there'll be one called Coven.  They're each entirely different storylines and seem to delve into different sorts of mythologies.  It's very good, though.  I can't recommend it highly enough.