A Guide To American Horror Story

I have a secret that not many people know, I love a good gorefest. You may be surprised, but I've always been into horror as a genre. When I was a teenager I used to love the books of Stephen King, Graham Masterton, and Dennis Wheatley. The book The Shining by Stephen King is a favourite even now, and the film with Jack Nicholson is still scary even though it was made all those years ago. The sight of Jack Nicholson with an axe growling "Here's Johnny!" still give me the shivers even today. This film though plays heavy on the psychological terror and isn't as gory as some, like the 'banned' films I grew up on in the 80's. Working in a video rental shop I saw my fair share of horror films for free. Films such as The Beast Within, The Exorcist and horror classics such as Hellraiser and A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Fast forward 30 years and Netflix. Ever since I had Netflix I have been glued to a series called American Horror Story. Ok, if you haven't heard about this series where have you been? Seriously. Shortlist magazine, called it one of the scariest shows on Netflix, and I disagree. It is THE scariest show on Netflix not one of them!





Real life people are woven into American Horror Story. Marie Laveau was a voodoo priestess from the series Coven who actually lived in New Orleans 

American Horror Story is an American anthology TV series, each season is like a self-contained miniseries with many of the same actors but a different story each time. With seasons called Murder House, Asylum, and Freak Show, this show is in your face horror, not for the squeamish that's for sure! Murder House and Coven are my favourite series.

Murder House is the first season of American Horror Story or AHS to its fans. It's creepy and scary and brought AHS to the notice of people everywhere and got me hooked. It centers on the Harmon family, Ben who is married to Vivien and their daughter Violet, who move from Boston after Vivien has a miscarriage and Ben has an affair. They move into a restored mansion, unaware that the house is haunted by the ghosts of its former residents and their victims.


My favourite season though is Coven, about witches and voodoo in New Orleans. Coven follows a coven of Salem descendants who reside within Miss Robichaux's Academy in New Orleans. When I visited New Orleans in March I had to do the voodoo tour and see where Marie Laveau a voodoo priestess lived in New Orleans. This is where the AHS writers are very clever. They weave real life stories into the horror.

Marie Laveau is heavily featured in Coven, her character is played by Anglea Bassett in the series. This person who actually lived in New Orleans in the 1800's was a very intelligent woman, a hairdresser to the rich of New Orleans, and she gained her power from listening to women gossip and using this information. She had a gift for showmanship and was also a Catholic surprisingly. She was granted permission to complete her voodoo rituals behind St Louis cathedral, and would remove curses, read minds and be a spiritual guide. A lot of filming for Coven was actually done in New Orleans too, so if you are a fan of the series I highly recommend visiting if you are in the area and doing a voodoo tour.

To me, though, the best thing about AHS is the acting. So many of the cast have been nominated for awards with Jessica Lange winning numerous Emmy and Golden Globes, as well as Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson, and Lady Gaga (yes she is also in the series). Many of the same actors come back season after season, playing new but equally as frightening characters.

So if you are a fan of horror, and you haven't already seen it, catch AHS now. A new series Roanoke has just started showing on the FoX channel and you can catch the first four series on Netflix. If you are new to the phenomenon that is American Horror Story check out this guide to American Horror Story brought to you by My Voucher Codes.




20 comments

  1. i love American Horror Stories - haven't started watching the new series yet though

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    1. No, I haven't either but I can't wait to catch it when it's on Netflix.

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  2. I love American Horror Story - I did find the new style of the new series a bit of a shock but it is definitely growing on me. x

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  3. I like mysteries and thriller but not a fan of horror at all. I just can't do that to myself. But glad you are enjoying american horror story

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    1. Not everyone likes horror I have to admit, but plenty of people do.

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  4. I don't like horror movies, but my husband does, I will tell him about American Horror Story. I think it's interesting there are real life people and stories, I like that.

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  5. I don't watch a lot of TV but this sounds like something I'd enjoy! I love a bit of horror, and more so when it's based on true stories :)

    Jess xo | The Indigo Hours

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  6. This is such a good post! But I am off for horror movies for now ever since my husband goes on a trip every now and then and I am all alone in the house!

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  7. This has my name and the mister all over it. I watched a programme a few days ago about the zodiac killer x

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  8. I've heard such great things about this but anything with horror in the title definitely puts me off! I'm a massive wos!

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  9. Interesting read I have just started watching the series again.

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  10. Yep, it is the scariest series, one to watch behind a pillow most of the time.

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  11. Do you know, when I was a kid I read all the Stephen King books, and plenty of other horror books. Now I'm a complete wet lettuce and can't bear them. My husband suggested this to me, and I couldn't face it :(

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    1. Since I had my son I'm more of a scaredy cat lol.

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