“American Horror Story” is one of the most popular television series to date. For better or worse people are indulging in this series of intense tragedy, scandal, incest and rape — with graphic violence at the core of it all — and they’re loving it. Now, I’ll admit that I love a good horror movie every once in a while, and haunted houses make for a rush of adrenaline and thrill I can’t deny craving when Halloween rolls around. But maybe, just maybe, our society has taken things a bit too far in the perpetuation of such shocking fictional portrayals of horror in “American Horror Story” and other shows of a similar nature.
Horror movies are supposed to instill fear and tension in people — that’s the fun of them. They give people a chance to face fear dead-on, in a safe way. We can watch movies filled with slaughter, fatal twists and our worst nightmares from the security of our living room couches. We can tap into the primitive need to survive, feeling the characters’ sheer desperation for ourselves, but the fact that we’re not actually threatened in the back of our minds, allowing us to have fun with the adrenaline and societal taboos with minimal consequences.
But as the years have gone by, cinematic technology has advanced and dramatically enhanced the visual effects of movies. Writers, producers and other contributors have grown more daring, competitive, edgy and comfortable with unveiling evermore graphic images and scenes. We’re no longer getting our kicks from things like the “Psycho” shower scene, where cinematographers used the chocolate syrup that flavors your sundaes as blood because the actual film was black and white. Plus we never saw the knife penetrate the woman’s skin. We’ve made strides and reached a level that has pushed even me, a horror movie fanatic and lover of the classics, to turn off the TV. Maybe I’m just being too sensitive, and maybe I can push myself to watch such sickening acts as graphic, violent and degrading rape scenes of young girls with the desensitized stare I saw in my best friend’s eyes as we watched “American Horror.” But maybe I don’t want to.
My best friend’s intense love for AHS — the way she has seen every single episode on a laptop with headphones, alone and deep in the dark seclusion of her private bedroom where she can hide her obsession from her parents and siblings, confiding in me the thrill and excitement she feels when she watches the show — has reached an extreme that I question.
Now, I’m not saying for sure that she can’t handle what is shown on AHS nor am I saying that anybody else who watches it can’t handle it. What I am saying is that “American Horror Story” is dark. Quite possibly one of the darkest shows I’ve ever seen — shockingly so. While watching it, I could feel myself slip deeper and deeper into this dark state of mind filled with scandalous treachery, violence and gore, pain, suffering and torture of innocent lives — things more horrific than I could ever imagine on my own. It was difficult for me later to pull myself out of that darkness. I felt hollow and soulless, and I only watched four episodes. Thinking about it, I honestly can’t imagine how I’d feel after committing to the entire series. I can’t be the only one affected this way.
I’m not suggesting we ban horror movies, or shows, or video games. I’m merely questioning their value. I don’t know for certain if indulging in horror enhances the likelihood of destructive thoughts and behavior in people. I don’t know if the increased number of mass shootings correlates at all with the increased popularity and availability of horror movies, television shows and video games, along with the newfound freedom for creators to include potentially traumatizing content. I’m not going to sit here and advocate for an increased level of media censoring. People can watch what they want. But I do think that the level of graphic, morally questionable twistedness I witnessed in AHS was something of a horrific nature I’ve never experienced. It’s kind of unnerving that such a show, along with others of similar levels of gruesome depth, could be as popular as they are, and gaining momentum.