Often it is hard for sequels to live up to the legend that is the original and while American Horror Story has churned out top quality content after top quality content, it’s impossible to beat the debut series – Murder House.
There is no other word than ‘breathtaking’ when describing the performances of Taissa Farmiga, Connie Britton, Denis O’Hare, and Jessica Lange in the first instalment of the FX franchise.
The series is currently wrapping up it’s sixth rendition, with the seventh series on the way and even talk of the eighth season ongoing.
Ryan Murphy’s show underscored the Murder House in the most recent series, with its ghostly abode and pig-masked murderers, so it seems like a good time to look back at the original – and best – series.
Five years later and a stack of Emmy awards, we give you five reasons the first series of American Horror Story is still the best!
We didn't know it was an anthology
As we watched Ben’s world crumble around him, we didn’t yet know that this would all later on tie in to other stories in the franchise – we didn’t even know there was going to be a second series!
The plot twists
We discover that several of the characters are already dead and are ghosts, haunting the house, but there are a couple of people we mightn’t have expected to be ghosts… *coughs* Violet! Ahem, excuse me.
The introduction of Jessica Lange
The central actor for the next few series, Lange was superb in her debut role as the ringmaster (ten points if you see what I did there) of all things messed up in American Horror Story.
Every one was a star in their own right
Even the minor actors were brilliant – think about Constance’s daughter Addie (Jamie Brewer), think the disfigured Larry Harvey (Dennis O’Hare), think the sympathetic and seductive maid Moira (Frances Conroy) . The actors all gave us some emotional attachment to their characters.
The gim- er, "Rubber Man"
What an interesting villain. Tate’s “Rubber Man” was a heinous character, perhaps one of the most despicable since the great Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers. I won’t spoil it for you but Tate recycles a bondage suit (which belonged to the previous owners of the house) that Ben throws out and terrorises his family.