COMM 380:  Media Criticism

Since its series premiere in 2011, American Horror Story has worked to bring horror and drama together with its captivating plots and intriguing stories. Unlike most primetime shows in which the new seasons are a continuation of the overall story, each new season of American Horror Story is the birth of a new take on a subgenre within the horror category. For example, the first season of American Horror Story involved ghosts, while the second focused on demonic possession and insanity. There have been two more seasons since the start of the series, the later fourth season is currently be broadcasted on television. For the purpose of this review, I will focus on season two, which is entitled, “Asylum.” Each episode opens with a small flashback, or piece that fits into the season’s story. These flashbacks work well as they lead the viewer to wonder how the footage connects with the rest of the story, without giving away crucial information about the plot.

 

AHS: Asylum originally aired in 2012 and is set in the 1960s at a mental institution called Briarcliff. The season opens with journalist Lana who was sent to Briarcliff because she is a lesbian (which was taboo at the time of the setting.) Throughout the season, Lana is seen trying to escape and prove her sanity. Briarcliff is run by members of the Catholic Church, such as nuns and a monsignor. However, as the story unfolds, it is shown that the officials in Briarcliff are corrupt and far from godly. This critique will discuss the major components of Asylum and it will explain their connection to society and the general media. The major components of Asylum are religion and psycho-social attachment issues. After explaining the major components, I will then address media strategies that the creators of this series use to market the show to potential, previous, and current viewers. Finally, I will address the media representation of religion and psychological disorders, before stating my concluding remarks.

 

Religion is the most apparent trait of Asylum. Since officials from the Catholic Church help operate the mad house, they have a great deal of influence over the way that the patients are treated and “medicated.” In one of the earlier episodes, a teenaged boy is brought into the facility with symptoms of demonic possession. In what seems like a reference to The Exorcist, the boy is restrained while the staff members attempt an unsuccessful removal of the demon who captured the boy’s soul. The exorcism happened against the judgment of Dr. Threadsend, a psychologist who was sent to help a patient named Kit who had been charged with gruesome murders. Threadsend thought that the boy only needed medical treatment. The viewers don’t have long to ponder the correctness of Threadsend’s claim because the teen soon drops dead, as the devil inside him enters the body of an unsuspecting sister who was witnessing the exorcism.

 

Threadsend’s contradictory belief about the best treatment for the teen creates an allusion to the science and religion arguments that try to explain the convoluted world in which we dwell. I believe that the decision to have Threadsend’s suggestion prove to be correct, shows that society is moving away from the religious confines of the olden days. While the scientific and medical practices featured in this season are rarely conducted in reality, they point to the grave need to be aware of surroundings and to pay attention to reality.

 

There are a lot of evil things that are done throughout the season, as one can expect from the title of the series. Two of the milder forms of evil are backstabbing and secrecy. When someone gives their life to be a part of a specific religion, they are expected to behave as trustworthy individuals who are pure and clean from sin and other ungodly habits. However, much of the plot centers around the constant betrayal that happens between the season’s characters. For example, Threadsend tricks Lana into believing that he is rescuing her when he breaks her out of Briarcliff. Much to her surprise, Threadsend is actually showing her his twisted and diabolical lair where he killed and skinned multiple women. Threadsend becomes even more sinister in the eyes of the viewer because, prior to “rescuing” Lana, he had been covering Kit’s case and while framing Kit the entire time.

 

After Threadsend brings Lana to his home, he kidnaps her and shows her the lifeless body of her girlfriend. In a couple introductions from earlier episodes in the season, a masked man named Bloody Face is shown killing women and anyone else who stood in his way. Once Threadsend covers his face with a mask made out of the skin of his victims, it becomes clear that he is the man behind the horrid crimes.

 

Threadsend is not a shy person, as he felt comfortable enough with Lana to share his reasoning for torturing innocent women and making them victims of his deranged behaviors. Threadsend tells Lana that he was sent to an orphanage at a young age and that he never got the joy of having “skin to skin” contact with his biological mother. I think the use of “skin to skin” is brilliant because it helps viewers connect Threadsend’s actions with something that happened in his past. It is common knowledge that the first couple years of life are very important to a child’s development. According to University Synagogue, “The first five years of life are formative…It is important to have that guide or caregiver who can take one through developmental milestones, nurture, love, educate and discipline – sometimes all at once” (Grajewski, 2011, n.p.) Not having a mother to love and raise him, led to unfortunate consequences for Threadsend in his future.

 

One of the saddening and disturbing details about Threadsend is that he chooses to make women his main targets. This shows that his mind has created a negative internal link between women and himself. Threadsend most likely feels that he cannot trust a woman to support him so he tries to protect himself from his deluded perception of threat by taking the women’s lives. According to the findings of Guerrero, Threadsend seems to have been an avoidant child who is grown into a fearful-avoidant adult. According to Guerrero,“When understimulated, they learn how to cope without social interaction. Because their caregivers are not able to fulfill their needs, they develop negative models of others” (Guerrero, Anderson, Afifi, 2014, p. 205).

 

Media has a unique way of dispersing information to the general public. Unlike word-of-mouth, the media is able to reach millions of people because of the technology that it uses. While print and radio are very descriptive when giving explanations, television often tends to hyper-dramatize situations to try to get the attention of more viewers.

 

I believe that shows such as American Horror Society, which feature endless violence, are doing so because they know the times have changed for television. Gone are the days when viewers will be shocked and drawn in by seeing someone die on television. According to Ralph E. Hanson, the mean world syndrome is a theory that states that constantly viewing violence in the media “facilitates the victim mentality” in viewers (2014).

 

When AHS first began airing in 2011, there were many people who were skeptic about the sensors and the reaction that it would receive from the audience because of the high level of violence, profanity, and sexuality that it includes. One of the people who was concerned about the show was a featured actress from the first season. “I can’t believe they can air that on television” said actress Alexandra Breckenridge (Brown, 2011).

 

American Horror Story is chock full of surprises and heart-lurching scares that can make even the most muscular body builder shiver. While the story seems to have countless twists, it doesn’t become any more difficult to follow and comprehend. The major components of religion and attachment issues are just branches on the global tree of social problems. These issues seem to present themselves in our world as small problem, often without the consideration for their drastic complications. To really appreciate American Horror Story is to appreciate true craftsmanship in the form of screenwriting and character development. It is very easy to immerse oneself in the plot because of the little, yet crucial details that are revealed as more episodes are viewed.

 

One of the things that I will always appreciate about AHS (so long as it doesn’t change) is the use of new themes for each of the seasons. I believe this is a great marketing strategy that is proven to be successful in the media’s bloated atmosphere. The themes make each season feel like a well thought out movie that keeps you writhing for more. While other shows are struggling to maintain audience retention, AHS finds solace in knowing that its viewers will get more than they bargained for in the American stories of horror.

 

Rating: B+ or 4 stars

 

References

Brown, Erin R. (2011). Graphic Violence, Abuse and Sex: ‘Horror Story’ is Right.

Retrieved November 11, 2014, from http://newsbusters.org/blogs/erin-r-brown/2011/10/06/graphic-violence-abuse-and-sex-horror-right

 

Grajewski, Lisa. (2011). The Formative Years. Orange County: Jewish Life.

Retrieved October 28, 2014, from http://www.ocjewishlife.com/site/the-formative-years/

 

Guerrero, Anderson, Afifi. (2014). Close Encounters: Communication in Relationships. Fourth Edition. Sage Publications.

 

Hanson, Ralph E. (2014). Mass Communication: Living in a Media World. Fourth Edition. Sage Publications.