American Horror Story - Season 1 DVD

Content: Ryan Murphy is always good for a surprise. After his bitterly nasty look at the world of plastic surgery in Nip/Tuck, he created a much lighter subject matter with the musical series Glee, aimed primarily at a teenage demographic. However, he immediately proved that the Eat Pray Love director can do things differently with his next series creation. The first season of American Horror Story is in essence a classic haunted house story, but Murphy has made through a mixture of horror, psychological thriller, drama, black humor and all sorts of bizarre ideas to something very unique, which is currently in this form on TV is really unique.

Most successful is the concept of the series to tell a self-contained story with different protagonists in each season. Although some of the actors will appear again in the following seasons, but then in completely different roles. This prevents the stories from being dragged out too cramped, or fans from being fobbed off without a decent resolution in the event of an unexpected cancellation. The first season centers on the Harmons, who are trying to keep their family from falling apart in a new home. For ever since Vivien (Connie Britton) caught her husband, psychiatrist Ben (Dylan McDermott), having sex with his patient Hayden (Kate Mara), trust in their marriage has been shattered. But for the sake of their daughter together, Violet (Taissa Farmiga), Vivien is willing to fight for a future together in a new place. But whether the house with its bloody past is suitable for it, she must soon question. Because not only the strange neighbor Constance Langdon (Jessica Lange) awakens extremely bad feelings in Vivien. When she becomes pregnant again only a short time after moving in, strange and frightening events begin to pile up. Soon the Harmons realize that they are caught in the middle of an American Horror Story and that now their marriage is the least of what's at stake...

A killer dressed entirely in black rubber, an elderly lady of the house (Frances Conroy) who appears to Father Ben as a lasciviously seductive young woman (Alexandra Breckenridge), a mysterious stranger with a burnt face (Denis O'Hare), the neighbor's son (Evan Peters) with psychopathic tendencies, mysterious apparitions, creepy noises and the history of the house that is revealed more and more with each episode - all these are some of the extremely successful elements from which the story of the first season of American Horror Story is knitted. In the first few episodes, the series still seems a little too strained for whimsy. But once it finds its tone and pace, it's hard not to root for this intense creepy tale.

Excellent camerawork, atmospheric set design, a great performance by the sound designers, and slightly disturbing opening credits support the very special mood that emanates from this series. Also, the successful mix of bitterly wicked humour, family drama, classic creepy horror and some scenes that are refreshingly drastically knitted against the usual conventions of the current TV landscape give the events in the haunted house a very intense appeal. In the twelve episodes in which the self-contained story is told, the tension screw is tightened slowly, but very effectively. The climax seems to be reached already in episode 11. But even if the final episode comes along a bit more leisurely, that doesn't mean that it doesn't still have the one or other good shock effect to offer and is enormously important for the overall effect of the first season.

Despite the rather low episode count and the fact that the season doesn't end with a cliffhanger and virtually works towards the finale from the first scene on, there are some small lengths here and there and rather unnecessary seeming subplots. But when the credits of the last episode runs, a very positive overall impression prevails and a coherent picture in itself, which makes great desire for the next story, which will tell us the creators of this successful horror series. Absolutely worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The series shines with its atmospheric decor and excellent camera work. Both come across very well on the DVD. This is thanks to the good picture sharpness, the very good colouring and the successful matching of contrasts and black levels. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is also convincing. The rather directionally mixed dialogues are contrasted by some well-done sound effects, which make for a successful use of the surround channels and thus for an overall very atmospheric soundscape. Good!

Extras: The box set for the first season has some good extras to offer. Starting things off on the first DVD is an audio commentary by series creator Ryan Murphy on the pilot episode. An interesting commentary and really worth listening to for fans of the series. But if you prefer video extras, you'll get your money's worth on the fourth disc. The centerpiece here is the nearly 24-minute making of, which goes into the making of the first season and the unusual concept of the series in interviews with the creators and actors. In addition, there is a tour of the murder house (about 6 minutes), but its implementation is a bit unusual. A good featurette on the making of the title sequence (approx. 9 mins) and interviews with the actors playing the house ghosts (approx. 14 mins) round off the DVD box's bonus offerings. Good!

Conclusion: American Horror Story is a highly original series that blends horror, drama, wicked humor, erotica, and all manner of whimsy into an atmospheric whole. The concept of the series telling a self-contained story with different characters and locations each season proves to be an extremely successful move right from the first year. This way, the story isn't artificially dragged out and is able to slowly but surely tighten the suspense screw until the finale. Engagingly filmed and superbly acted, this first season proves to be a real asset to the horror genre. The technically well implemented and with decent extras equipped box can therefore all who like it weird, scary and bloody, warmly recommended. Recommended

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp