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"American Horror Story: Asylum" review by Suzanne
Premieres Wednesday, 10 pm October 17 on FX

I was putting off watching the DVD that FX sent me for this show because last season was so creepy and scary. I can't watch it at night because I'll have nightmares for sure! I was very disappointed when I first heard that there would be a new cast and location, but it's the kind of show where you can't expect it to be normal or predictable. I will miss the actors from last season, I'm sure, especially Dylan McDermott.

This year's AHS takes place in an insane asylum run by nuns. You may recognize some familiar faces. The show is as good as every episode is a shocker. You don't want to miss it! It's always a great horror show and doesn't disappoint. It's always weird and twisted, too, with lots of kinky stuff.

There's a lot of great actors in this, including some you may recognize from last season, like Jessica Lange, Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson and Zachary Quinto. There's new faces James Cromwell, Evan Peters, Lily Rabe, Lizzie Brouchere, Joseph Fiennes and more, including guest-starring roles from Mark Consuelos and Chloe Sevigny.

They've really upped the ante on this show. It's got way more action and horror than the first season. It's sometimes hard to watch because it's so intense and horrifying. In the first episode, we meet the inhabitants of the asylum, and the crazy people who run it. An evil (and secretly lustful) nun, Sister Jude, (Lange) runs it, but she is not the most evil creature there. There's a doctor who likes to experiment on the inmates (Cromwell), an ambitious monsignor (Fiennes) who runs it, and others. Almost everyone is awful, but there are plenty to be sorry for, especially Peters' character Kitt Walker, who is visited by aliens and then blamed for being a serial killer. Most of the show takes place in the 60's, but part of it takes place today, too. Sevigny plays a slutty inmate. Paulson plays a lesbian reporter trying to get a story who ends up in the asylum herself.  Clea Duvall plays Wendy, her live-in teacher girlfriend. Quinto plays a psychiatrist that visits. Unlike his role as Tate in last year's show, Peters' Kitt seems to be an innocent victim. Bouchere plays another inmate, Grace, who helps him out. Rabe plays a young nun who seems to already be corrupted by the doctor and the head nun. There's also some kind of monster living in the woods that feeds on human flesh, and a teen possessed by something.

Quinto shows up in the second episode. He and Sister Jude are at odds. There's a great exorcism, and we get to learn more about Sister Jude's horrible past. Just remember that no one is quite like they seem, and they don't act like you might expect. Both of the first episodes have a lot of caning or whipping, as well as other beatings, electro-shock therapy, and more.

I'm sure it must have been very difficult to write a second season of this show. In the first season, we didn't know what to expect, but now we have expectations, so they have to amp everything up, and sometimes it's a little too over-the-top and almost silly.

There's lots of humor, but don't look for much fun or lightness. In last year's series, almost every died at the end, so that probably gives you an idea of what kind of show it is.  Also, don't look for accuracy. The people don't speak like it's 1964 (This is not Mad Men).  But check it out.  If you like horror, you won't be sorry! Just make sure to leave the night light on.

UPDATE: FX sent me a few more episodes, but honestly, I had to stop watching the show. It's just too dark and gross. I don't like seeing people get tortured, body parts cut off, etc. It's not that it's scary to me, it's just not pleasant. I started to watch the third episode and just couldn't take it. I'm glad I didn't, since I read that one of the characters gets her legs cut off!

MORE INFO:

American Horror Story: Asylum" Premieres October 17
We have many new teasers for FX’s spookiest original miniseries, AMERICAN HORROR STORY: ASYLUM, which premieres this October only on FX.
:30 Asylum #1 American Horror Story: Welcome to the Asylum -Meet the residents. Get Committed, Wednesday, October 17 at 10P only on FX. Videos
:30 Asylum #2 American Horror Story: Inside the Asylum Description: What goes on behind the walls of the Asylum? Watch for clues. Videos
:10 Stitches -Your gown is ready… Videos
:15 Save Us - It’s Our Version of A Hug. Videos
The Woods -There’s Nothing Enchanted About This Forest.. Video
:15 Spiraling -This season will make your head spin. Video
:15 Fork -Hungry For More Horror? American Horror Story: Asylum. Get Committed this October, only on FX. Video
:10 White Rose -Roses are white, the violence is new, and here is the latest hint for you… Video
:20 Special Delivery -She’s dropping more than just hints…Video
:20 Blue Coat -Don’t try to escape. You’re being watched. Video
:15 Hydrobath -Are you ready for the birth of the new horror? The Asylum is open. Video
:15 Ascend -Whatever you do… Don’t. Look. Down. Video
:10 Hellevator -Going down? Video
10 Veiled -You May Not Want To Lift This Veil. Video
:15 Slipping -Souls Aren’t The Only Things We Bare. Video
:10 Bandages -Feeling Down? We can lift your spirits. American Horror Story: Asylum. Video
:15 Taste -Our Doctors Always Know Best. American Horror Story: Asylum.Video
:15 White Rave -In The Asylum, It’s A Different Kind Of Party. American Horror Story: Asylum. Video
:15 Red Rave -Be Careful What You Pass Along. American Horror Story: Asylum. Video 
:10 Glass Prison -Once you’ve committed… There’s no way out. American HorrorStory: Asylum. Video
Insanity -The Asylum Is Open For Business. Check Your Sanity At The Door. Video
Atheist -At Briarcliff Manor, Even The Horror Goes Insane. Video
:10 Face -Look Fear In The Eye. Video
:15 The Door -Scream All You Want. Don’t Worry, No One Will Hear. Video
:15 Spinning -Because Sadness Is A Temporary Condition. Video
:10 Exam -Relax … This Won’t Hurt A Bit. Video
Go “Inside The Asylum” -Brace yourself for a whole new horror and learn the method behind the madness of American Horror Story: Asylum. Video
The Asylum Doors Are Open -Commit yourself to the first five minutes of American Horror Story: Asylum. Only we can make insanity look this sexy. Video
:10 Awakening -Keep Your Eyes Closed. Doctor’s Orders. American Horror Story: Asylum. Video
Photos

Set in 1964, American Horror Story: Asylum takes us into a Church-run haven for the criminally insane, ruled with an iron fist by Sister Jude (Jessica Lange), a nun with a troubled past.  Inside this locked down facility, danger lurks around every corner.  From Nazis and serial killers, to mutants and aliens, no one is safe inside these walls. Starring Jessica Lange as “Sister Jude”, Sarah Paulson as “Lana Winters”, James Cromwell as “Dr. Arthur Arden,” Evan Peters as “Kit Walker,” Lily Rabe as “Sister Mary Eunice,” Lizzie Brocheré as “Grace,” Zachary Quinto as “Dr. Oliver Thredson,” and Joseph Fiennes as “Monsignor Timothy Howard.” Guest stars for the miniseries will include Frances Conroy, Chloe Sevigny, Adam Levine and Mark Consuelos.

The first installation of American Horror Story: Asylum, shot in Los Angeles, was written by Tim Minear and directed by Bradley Buecker. Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Dante Di Loreto are Executive Producer of the series. American Horror Story: Asylum is producted by Twentieth Century Fox Television.

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Page updated 11/10/12