Something tells me American Horror Story is going to try to drag in as many horror story cliches into the show as possible, throughout however long it tends to stick around. I don’t necessarily mean “cliche” in a negative sense, though; there are a whole slew of familiar, frightening premises that are very successful in continuing to creep the bejeezus out of you. “Home Invasion” takes on a couple of these themes, while slowly giving us more insight into this freaky house the Harmons moved into.
The first theme that stuck out to me was that of Hitchcock’s Psycho. It wasn’t the theme of a creepy Norman-Bates-like person, but instead the late ’60s setting and, most obviously, the chilling music that played when poor Maria got smacked off the head and then, later, stabbed to death. I haven’t gone and researched it, but I’d bet dollars to donuts that it’s the same “SCREE! SCREE! SCREE!” music from Psycho, along with a few others.
What is it about the house that attracts sickos? Is it just extremely poor luck, or will we find something out later, like it was built upon an ancient burial ground?
The other theme that came into play was that of a home invasion, of course. And, with that, the theme of a band of lunatics who are hell bent on proving their undying love of something evil. You could also tack onto this the idea of the good guys ultimately prevailing, due to the bad guys being idiots. One thing that wasn’t clear to me at the end of the episode, though, was what happened to the blood from upstairs, when Bianca got axed in the gut by Tate? She actually took a couple of heavy whacks to the torso and was able to escape down the street like that, unseen by everyone in the house? That whole thing seemed really odd to me, even though Tate joined Constance and Moira to talk about the clean up. I guess there was enough time from when the Harmons ran away for help … ?
The last bit of “horror” I would say is Ben’s pregnant ex-“girlfriend.” Having to deal with that situation — and with someone as incredible unstable as she is — is a nightmare to behold. And it’s a nightmare for her, too, as the one person she was hoping to count on up and left her in the hospital, when he said he’d stay!
So what is it about these “people” around the Harmons’ home? Are they ghosts? Demons? I mean, Constance can see them. They can interact with things and people. Yet they clearly know about that house, who or what’s in it, and what plan they have for the Harmons. Constance, by the way, said she has/had several children — where are they?
I’m very glad that, after all that went on so far in that house, at least Vivien is all for moving out. So what will be keeping them there? We’ll learn more about that next week, as well as why the place was being called the “Murder House.”
Clacked by Keith McDuffee 
on Oct 12, 2011 @ 23:00 EST5EDT
