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2010's, American Horror Story, American Horror Story: Asylum, Chloë Sevigny, Evan Peters, Frances Conroy, James Cromwell, Jessica Lange, Joseph Fiennes, Lily Rabe, Lizzie Brocheré, Sarah Paulson, Zachary Quinto
The second installment of American Horror Story comes courtesy of Asylum. With the twisted success of Murder House and the returning of many of the cast, Asylum promises to be scarier and more disturbing. Revolving around the events of a mental institution in 1964 and the attitudes towards mental health at that time( as well as murder, deceit, religion and possession), Asylum is on taboo breaking form from the get go and unravels with fiendish delight and a whole lot of twisted horror to match. Be warned, spoilers will follow in my review.
Briarcliff Manor is a mental asylum in 1964 Massachusetts to house the criminally insane. It is run by the ambitious Monsignor Timothy Howard(Joseph Fiennes) and is maintained by the vicious Sister Jude(Jessica Lange) and childlike novice Sister Mary Eunice(Lily Rabe). The sinister Dr. Arthur Arden(James Cromwell) treats the patients but is secretly conducting illegal experiments on many of them for his twisted medical research. Into this disturbing atmosphere comes Lana Winters(Sarah Paulson), a secretly lesbian journalist is trying to find a scoop on the place and expose the cruel procedures that the patients endure at the hands of the staff. Also, a young man by the name of Kit Walker(Evan Peters) has been admitted to the facility after he is accused of butchering his wife and many other women. He is suspected of being the renowned killer Bloody Face, although Kit protests his innocence and says that a strange life form has kidnapped his wife and how she is still alive. Lana gets more than she bargained for when she trespasses into the secrets of the asylum and the cunning Sister Jude craftily has her admitted as a patient at the brutal asylum. Traumatized and brutalised, Lana has her world turned upside down as she realises the power that Sister Jude and Dr Arden possess. Other patients in the facility include the mysterious Grace Bertrand(Lizzie Brocheré), a young girl accused of murdering her family and Shelley(Chloë Sevigny), a troubled nymphomaniac who often tries to tempt the evil Dr Arden. Lana has to adjust to her surroundings and attempt to escape the asylum before it is too late, with the at first reluctant help of Kit and Grace. Elsewhere, strange creatures lurk in the woods out of sight but always hungry. Dr. Oliver Thredson(Zachary Quinto), a new psychiatrist arrives and begins to question the gruesome treatment of patients. A young boy is possessed and after an intense exorcism, the demon inside of him transfers itself into Sister Mary Eunice. This causes her personality to alter drastically as she transforms from timid girl to sly and manipulative woman. We get flashes to the present where a morbid couple visit the rundown Asylum and get much more than they had intended to in grisly fashion. There’s even an appearance from the Angel of Death(Frances Conroy) who appears to those who want to die and bestows them with a death kiss. And to top that off, each of the main characters has deep dark secrets that begin to slither out into the light.
The most prominent aspect of inducing terror is the setting, full of long, unending corridors and laboratories for sickening experiments. The visual style of harsh contrasts between light and dark, as well as jittery cuts, builds up tension and establishes this season as a creepy force of nature that won’t let go. The house in the first season may have been terrifying, but in Asylum they up the ante in terms of creepy environments.The disturbing title sequence will no doubt send shivers down the spine with its mix of gruesome experiments, stormy weather and ambiguous religious icons to the strains of the eerie theme song. Asylum exploits the deep fear of being locked away and not being believed with Lana as the embodiment of the audience’s concern. The 60’s setting allows Asylum to delve into taboos and social issues of the time, such as lesbianism, abuse of power and prejudice. It may be just a show, but Asylum does show in sometimes graphic detail how misunderstood and intolerant people were about mental health back then and how far we have come today. Religion and hypocrisy surrounding it comes under the spotlight in even more uncomfortable terms as the clash between faith and passion arises within the many members of staff as events spiral out of control .Once again American Horror Story isn’t afraid to push boundaries and make for disturbing viewing. It is almost certain that you won’t be sleeping soundly after viewing Asylum.
With members of the first season cast returning as well as newcomers, Asylum more than delivers on the acting front and adds another jolt of terror into an already scary brew of chills and carnage. Sarah Paulson makes for a relatable central heroine in Lana, with her melding of brutalised fear and burgeoning strength, as her yearning for escape increases and she tries anything to free herself from confinement. Jessica Lange once again steals the show, this time as the cruel and vicious Sister Jude. Yet rather than make her a one-dimensional monster, Lange fleshes out the character to show her vulnerability and regret for her past actions. Initially a boozy lounge singer, she became a nun after her involvement in a hit and run accident. Through her vows, she tries to atone for her crimes but realises she can’t run from her past forever. Lange runs the gamut of emotions from A to Z and delivers very impressive work. Lily Rabe comes a close second with her bewitching and challenging role as the novice Sister Mary Eunice. At first she is a sweet-faced and caring girl who wants to impress Sister Jude, but after her possession she morphs into something very different as her innocence is poisoned with the taint of evil. A sly, sexually provocative and twisted woman, she now delights in tormenting those around her as she slips out of her innocent nun’s habit and into the personification of the Devil. Rabe carefully shows this transformation with subtle assurance that is very unsettling to watch. Evan Peters is fearful and confused as the accused Kit, whose story of abduction starts to play a big part as the season goes on. James Cromwell is evil personified as the sinister and imposing Dr. Arden, whose experiments get out of control as his mental state crumbles and his treacherous past comes back to bite him. Joseph Fiennes makes for a self-righteous and beatific presence as the Monsignor in over his head, while Zachary Quinto subtly contributes care yet a bristling menace to his role as the new psychiatrist. Lizzie Brocheré and Chloë Sevigny are also effective as two of the inmates at the asylum;Brocheré adding mystery and whispery uncertainty and Sevigny with her mix of sexuality and fear. Frances Conroy is impressively ethereal and wise as the Angel of Death, who makes many appearances towards the end of the season.
Unpredictable and filled with many twists along the way, Asylum is a provocative and terrifying entry into the American Horror Story canon.
Al said:
I enjoyed these. Although I haven’t finished watching the third season yet
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vinnieh said:
Thanks Al, I have yet to watch the third season. Hopefully I will see it soon.
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Al said:
I need to finish that one before I start to watch the fourth one
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vinnieh said:
What’s the third season like so far?
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Al said:
I’ve liked it. It has more of the first season cast in it along with Kathy Bates. It is extremely racist as parts of it are set in the old West
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for the heads up Al.
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Al said:
You’re welcome 🙂
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sati said:
Oh this is still my favorite season, Lily Rabe was just outstanding as was the cast, the villain was so menacing and Paulson and her character were incredible. A shame that Coven and Freakshow pretty much rely only on strong cast and don’t have the same sense of dread first two seasons had
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for the comment Sati, it’s probably my favourite season so far. And as you say Rabe was amazing as Sister Mary Eunice.
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sidekickreviews said:
Great review! Asylum is a creepy setting and Lily Rabe’s performance really stood out. I hope to catch up on Coven some time.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, definitely a creepy setting. I still need to catch up on Coven to.
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Dionysus Amber said:
I must say: you write amazingly well written reviews.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for the kind comment, it means a lot.
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Zoë said:
Great work here! I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this season 🙂 Glad to see you did, too!
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vinnieh said:
Thanks Zoe, it was such a creepy and well-performed season with a lot of twists and turns. When I get round to Coven, I’ll let you know my thoughts on it.
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Zoë said:
I wish Quinto had been in Coven 😦 😦 😦 I missed him!
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vinnieh said:
He was really good in Asylum. I’m excited to see how Angela Bassett and Kathy Bates fit into the show.
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Abbi said:
As much as I enjoyed Asylum it was for me the least memorable out of the three seasons I have seen. I do think they come up with brilliant themes though. I agree that the fear of being locked up and not believed is a powerful one.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for the comment Abbi, really appreciate it.
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emmakwall said:
Can’t wait to watch this! Apparently it’s a lot better than the first series, which I enjoyed anyway!
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vinnieh said:
Hope you get round to see this, Asylum is a great entry to the series.
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nuwansenfilmsen said:
This was an excellent season. Loved it! And an equally excellent analysis here.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, such a dark, twisted and memorable season. And I loved it.
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Mel @ The Creative Fox Den said:
Another great review! I liked this season too. It had a lot going on. Never a dull moment.
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vinnieh said:
From aliens, torture, religious hypocrisy, lust and a fabulous musical number, this season sure packed a lot in.
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Mel @ The Creative Fox Den said:
And zombies! And possession! It really had EVERYTHING.
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vinnieh said:
Definitely, a bag jam packed with sadistic horrors and fiendish glee.
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Mel @ The Creative Fox Den said:
Yep. I loved it!
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vinnieh said:
It was a great season to be sure. Evan Peters was really good.
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Mel @ The Creative Fox Den said:
I agree.
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vinnieh said:
Then again so was the whole cast. Evan Peters always gets the attention of the ladies in the audience I’ve noticed.
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Mel @ The Creative Fox Den said:
Yeah he’s pretty cute. I liked Sarah Paulson too and Jessica Lange was amazing as usual.
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vinnieh said:
Jessica Lange is just amazingly talented in whatever she’s in.
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Mel @ The Creative Fox Den said:
She really is
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Excellent review once again Vinnie! Horror movies centered around insane asylums have always scared me the most, not that it ever prevented me from watching them. Like it’s predecessor, Asylum put a whole new spin on the genre. I like what you said about it also tackling some of the issues of the day.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for commenting Kim. I’m signing off to watch some more of Coven. Will speak to you soon.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
If you read this have a good weekend Vinnie!
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vinnieh said:
I will have a great weekend, appreciate your well wishes.
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HusbandAndHusband said:
Another great season! The Angel of Death was my favorite!! It was such an eerie season with brilliant acting skills. I wish they ended the season explaining the alian thing a bit better. It was a sort of cliff hanger. I could appreciate what they were doing, mixing religion and E.T.s but they should have taken it a little further with explanation. We can only hope they will make a new season, connecting the ETs.
Another weird fact, my parents live a few miles away from the asylum. It’s an old courthouse in Santa Ana, Ca. Some of our friends met Adam Levine because they snuck over there during filming. (Aaron and I used to live down the street from the courthouse—old coincidence considering we now live a few blocks away from Murder House).
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vinnieh said:
Was definitely eerie, with Mary Eunice really becoming a haunting presence as she was possessed by the devil. I must say that I’m not surprised you’re fans of the show seeing as you seem to be connected to a lot of it in some way.
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HusbandAndHusband said:
I can’t wait to see your post on Freak Show. I’m curious to hear what you think.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, hopefully over the next few months I can get around to viewing it.
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HusbandAndHusband said:
Aaron and I will probably be watching it the same time as you.
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vinnieh said:
The main praise I’ve heard from Freak Show is of Finn Wittrock.
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HusbandAndHusband said:
Yup! He is amazing.
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vinnieh said:
A friend of mine told me the same thing, though I’m sure some of it was because she has a crush on him.
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HusbandAndHusband said:
Yeah and the poor guy was like exploited any chance they could get. It was like hot girls in a 90s slasher film.
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vinnieh said:
I can see why she might have a crush then if his clothes are hardly ever on. A bit like Evan Peters in the first few seasons when his ass was always out.
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HusbandAndHusband said:
Exactly! I was just about to explain one of the scenes were he was shirtless for no reason, but its kind of a spoiler alert. Actually, it’s a big one.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for taking the time to not spoil anything.
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HusbandAndHusband said:
; )
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vinnieh said:
I must sign off for the night. It’s been really great discussing AHS.
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HusbandAndHusband said:
It has. Sleep tight!
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