My new favourite thing can change
daily. One day it might be a new flavour of crisps, the next it could
be anything from a new pair of boots, a book or...a different flavour
of crisps. However, an obsession that has plagued me for the last
four weeks is American Horror Story; Coven.
We're about a third of the way through the third series of the anthology series and if American Horror Story is news to you then get involved now. You can easily binge-watch the last four episodes of Coven on a slow Monday night, or during the day when you're supposed to be sourcing freelance projects...
“But will I need to watch the first two series?”
No, you won't need to, but you will probably want to. As an anthology series, American Horror Story explores a different story each season, allowing your favourite characters to be loved, loathed and lynched only for the actors to be recast and return as shiny new protagonists in the following series.
After chain-watching the first two series a few months back, I awaited the return of the show with excitement but also with apprehension; could American Horror Story withstand the expectation bestowed upon it by the success of its previous series?
In a word, yes.
American Horror Story loses none of it's shock factor, or style, and successfully combines gruesome images of torture and violence with quick witted dialogue, gorgeously composed shots and moving monologues.
The series begins with a collection of the most horrific, stomach-churning scenes I've ever seen, so I'd hold off on grabbing the family-sized bar of Dairy Milk until the first ad break is over with. We begin in New Orleans in the 18th century, at the home of Delphine LaLaurie; a real historical figure (those of you who have ever spent a cheery evening Wikipedia-ing their way through the 'most prolific serial killers' will know what's coming). Played by Kathy Bates, Delphine makes Annie Wilkes look like Mary Berry. We see her smearing the blood of her slaves across her face in a quest for youth and beauty, which seems relatively cuddly after watching her chain up a slave who has been seduced by her daughter and shove a bulls head onto his screaming, pleading face.
Flash forward to present day, three hundred years after the Salem witch trials. The witches who remain are few and far between and in order to avoid impending extinction, a school to teach protection and assimilation to young witches has opened in New Orleans; Miss Rabicheaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies- think Hogwarts decorated by The White Company.
We're introduced to the school through the eyes of Zoe, who unlike Harry Potter didn't learn of her magical powers through an owl-delivered handwritten note, but is given the news when her boyfriend starts bleeding from every orifice the second he puts his penis into her vagina. That's her power. Nifty.
Coinciding with Zoe's arrival at the school is the return of the Supreme, Fiona. No, the Supreme isn't a pizza; think more Grand High Witch, with less of Angelica Huston's pruney face from the Witches adaptation and more sexy stockings, shiny blow-dries and Chanel.
We find out that Fiona is the mother of Cordelia, the headmistress of Miss Rabicheaux's; Fiona favours a more assimilaionist approach to educating the girls, where Fiona is a little more “I'm a witch, bitch, and I'll do whatever I like.”
And, in the interest of avoiding spoilers, that's the jist of it. For those of you thinking that American Horror Story still sounds like the latest teen pop-drama, don't get it twisted.
Firstly, I challenge any female watching not to punch their fists in the air and shout “fuck yeah!” at various intervals. After regularly seeing witches/women who decide not to marry or have children portrayed either as the 'baddies' who are eventually burnt, drowned or beheaded, or as young attractive women who use their power to get a date or one up on the girl that's mean to them at school, it's refreshing to see witches who are a bit more woman than witch; flawed, frightened and angry.
The cast is undoubtedly female led and with the exception of Cordelia's husband and the weirdly-fanciable Kyle, the men that do crop up either meet a very sticky end, echoing the rape and revenge movies of the seventies, or need to be rescued by the women; subverting the narrative of the traditional fairytale.
Speaking of the ladies, let's talk about my new girl crush, Jessica Lange. Whilst I realise the term girl crush is usually applied to whoever is, like, so hot right now; Miranda Kerr, Millie Mackintosh, Olivia Palermo, whoever, for me there is currently no other woman more worthy of our affections than Jessica Lange.
Her portrayal of the vampish Fiona adds some much needed glamour to American Horror Story's third series and regularly leaves me sitting open-mouthed, in mismatched pyjamas and two-day old top knot, covered in cheese-puff dust, exhaling in awe “She is so fucking cool.”
The movie-star entrance given to Lange; the black Louboutin stepping of the car, the shot of her umbrella-obscured face, makes it near impossible to resist digging out my old issues of Shout magazine to research spells and begin peeling apples in order to reveal the initials of my crush all to be declared SUPREME WITCH.
Now don't get me wrong, although I sound like I'm ready to burn my bra at the stake, it's not all about the girls. In fact, executive producer Tim Minear says that “while there is a strong feminist theme that runs throughout the Coven, there are themes of race and themes of oppression.” He goes on to say that the series will focus on the idea of “minority groups going after each other and doing the work of the larger culture.”
Given the opening scenes of Coven's first episode, the theme of race might seem pretty obvious, but often the most overt theme of a show can be overlooked in favour of the underlying. The audacity of the scenes should hammer home to viewers that American Horror Story really is what it says on the tin; it's the horror stories that already exist within the history of America. In its second series American Horror Story dealt with the treatment of homosexuality, and also the mentally ill, within the asylums of the sixties; this series it's the treatment of minorities, in particular racial minorities.
At times it's hard to believe that scenes showing slaves with their eyes and mouths sewn shut come from the same mind that unleashed Glee into the world, however, whether doused in blood or sound-tracked by show tunes, Murphy's scripts really 'get' minorities. At least, to my white, straight mind they do.
I'm really excited to see where this series is going to go. With Broadway superstar Patty Lupone soon to join the cast, Coven is set to attract a wider audience and I'm intrigued to see how it will be perceived.
As for the plot of the show, my big three questions are-
1. Is Zoe going to get a more useful power than killing men with her vagina?
2. Who will be the new Supreme? Will it be me?
3. When the fuck is Delphine LaLaurie going to be chained up and have a pigs head shoved onto her?
As always, let me know if you're watching and what you think; we can be Coven buds!
We're about a third of the way through the third series of the anthology series and if American Horror Story is news to you then get involved now. You can easily binge-watch the last four episodes of Coven on a slow Monday night, or during the day when you're supposed to be sourcing freelance projects...
“But will I need to watch the first two series?”
No, you won't need to, but you will probably want to. As an anthology series, American Horror Story explores a different story each season, allowing your favourite characters to be loved, loathed and lynched only for the actors to be recast and return as shiny new protagonists in the following series.
After chain-watching the first two series a few months back, I awaited the return of the show with excitement but also with apprehension; could American Horror Story withstand the expectation bestowed upon it by the success of its previous series?
In a word, yes.
American Horror Story loses none of it's shock factor, or style, and successfully combines gruesome images of torture and violence with quick witted dialogue, gorgeously composed shots and moving monologues.
The series begins with a collection of the most horrific, stomach-churning scenes I've ever seen, so I'd hold off on grabbing the family-sized bar of Dairy Milk until the first ad break is over with. We begin in New Orleans in the 18th century, at the home of Delphine LaLaurie; a real historical figure (those of you who have ever spent a cheery evening Wikipedia-ing their way through the 'most prolific serial killers' will know what's coming). Played by Kathy Bates, Delphine makes Annie Wilkes look like Mary Berry. We see her smearing the blood of her slaves across her face in a quest for youth and beauty, which seems relatively cuddly after watching her chain up a slave who has been seduced by her daughter and shove a bulls head onto his screaming, pleading face.
Flash forward to present day, three hundred years after the Salem witch trials. The witches who remain are few and far between and in order to avoid impending extinction, a school to teach protection and assimilation to young witches has opened in New Orleans; Miss Rabicheaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies- think Hogwarts decorated by The White Company.
We're introduced to the school through the eyes of Zoe, who unlike Harry Potter didn't learn of her magical powers through an owl-delivered handwritten note, but is given the news when her boyfriend starts bleeding from every orifice the second he puts his penis into her vagina. That's her power. Nifty.
Coinciding with Zoe's arrival at the school is the return of the Supreme, Fiona. No, the Supreme isn't a pizza; think more Grand High Witch, with less of Angelica Huston's pruney face from the Witches adaptation and more sexy stockings, shiny blow-dries and Chanel.
We find out that Fiona is the mother of Cordelia, the headmistress of Miss Rabicheaux's; Fiona favours a more assimilaionist approach to educating the girls, where Fiona is a little more “I'm a witch, bitch, and I'll do whatever I like.”
And, in the interest of avoiding spoilers, that's the jist of it. For those of you thinking that American Horror Story still sounds like the latest teen pop-drama, don't get it twisted.
Firstly, I challenge any female watching not to punch their fists in the air and shout “fuck yeah!” at various intervals. After regularly seeing witches/women who decide not to marry or have children portrayed either as the 'baddies' who are eventually burnt, drowned or beheaded, or as young attractive women who use their power to get a date or one up on the girl that's mean to them at school, it's refreshing to see witches who are a bit more woman than witch; flawed, frightened and angry.
The cast is undoubtedly female led and with the exception of Cordelia's husband and the weirdly-fanciable Kyle, the men that do crop up either meet a very sticky end, echoing the rape and revenge movies of the seventies, or need to be rescued by the women; subverting the narrative of the traditional fairytale.
Speaking of the ladies, let's talk about my new girl crush, Jessica Lange. Whilst I realise the term girl crush is usually applied to whoever is, like, so hot right now; Miranda Kerr, Millie Mackintosh, Olivia Palermo, whoever, for me there is currently no other woman more worthy of our affections than Jessica Lange.
Her portrayal of the vampish Fiona adds some much needed glamour to American Horror Story's third series and regularly leaves me sitting open-mouthed, in mismatched pyjamas and two-day old top knot, covered in cheese-puff dust, exhaling in awe “She is so fucking cool.”
The movie-star entrance given to Lange; the black Louboutin stepping of the car, the shot of her umbrella-obscured face, makes it near impossible to resist digging out my old issues of Shout magazine to research spells and begin peeling apples in order to reveal the initials of my crush all to be declared SUPREME WITCH.
Now don't get me wrong, although I sound like I'm ready to burn my bra at the stake, it's not all about the girls. In fact, executive producer Tim Minear says that “while there is a strong feminist theme that runs throughout the Coven, there are themes of race and themes of oppression.” He goes on to say that the series will focus on the idea of “minority groups going after each other and doing the work of the larger culture.”
Given the opening scenes of Coven's first episode, the theme of race might seem pretty obvious, but often the most overt theme of a show can be overlooked in favour of the underlying. The audacity of the scenes should hammer home to viewers that American Horror Story really is what it says on the tin; it's the horror stories that already exist within the history of America. In its second series American Horror Story dealt with the treatment of homosexuality, and also the mentally ill, within the asylums of the sixties; this series it's the treatment of minorities, in particular racial minorities.
At times it's hard to believe that scenes showing slaves with their eyes and mouths sewn shut come from the same mind that unleashed Glee into the world, however, whether doused in blood or sound-tracked by show tunes, Murphy's scripts really 'get' minorities. At least, to my white, straight mind they do.
I'm really excited to see where this series is going to go. With Broadway superstar Patty Lupone soon to join the cast, Coven is set to attract a wider audience and I'm intrigued to see how it will be perceived.
As for the plot of the show, my big three questions are-
1. Is Zoe going to get a more useful power than killing men with her vagina?
2. Who will be the new Supreme? Will it be me?
3. When the fuck is Delphine LaLaurie going to be chained up and have a pigs head shoved onto her?
As always, let me know if you're watching and what you think; we can be Coven buds!
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