If you know me, you know I absolutely hate horror movies. I have zero tolerance for anything remotely scary. I can't even watch the trailers in the theaters or on TV. The briefest image is enough to keep me up nights.
Why, then oh why, am I obsessed with FX's "American Horror Story"? I can't even bear to watch the creepy opening credit sequence with the scary looking babies.
It could be because of Dylan McDermott (drool. Can you believe the guy is 50? Jeez). Or maybe I just have a thing for Ryan Murphy shows (I unabashedly love "Glee," and while I couldn't particularly get into "Nip/Tuck," I find the entire concept of the show fascinating). Or maybe it's the 'what-the-hell-is-going-on' aspect of the show that keeps drawing me in. I mean, we have the mystery Rubber Man who may have impregnated Vivian with the Devil. Ben sees Moira as a young nympho, while everyone else in the house sees her as old and decrepit. We never know which character is dead. And the guest stars. Everyone from Zachary Quinto to Eric Stonestreet to the fat chick who banged Thomas Haden Church in Sideways.
And Jessica Lange. Oh, God. Jessica Lange. I'm not her biggest fan (it pains me to think that she won an Oscar for her role in Tootsie, and then another undeserved statue for Blue Sky), but God damn if she isn't the best thing on the show. As the Southern belle neighbor Constance, she brings wit and humor and overall pizazz. Her and her daughter, Adelaide, who is afflicted with Down's Syndrome, are my favorite characters.
But this week's episode set the bar high, and did something quite strange. For weeks, we've been following Tate, one of Ben's patients. He's an extremely troubled and disturbed young man, and there have been clues that he has committed a heinous crime. Well, last night, we find out what that was: a horrific, Columbine-like school shooting, which was depicted in such terrifying detail that I cannot close my eyes without seeing the scene. Tate was then murdered (rather violently) by police after they raided his house and he threatened them with a gun. You want to hate Tate. He did an unspeakable thing, and doesn't seem to exhibit much remorse for his actions. But then he goes and profoundly professes his love for Violet, Ben's own troubled teenage daughter, and you can't feel anything but sympathy for him.
It's a moral dilemma I've been dealing with. Damn you, "American Horror Story," for being so good.
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