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Review: American Horror Story “Halloween Pt. 1” (“trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat”)

Review: American Horror Story, Season 1, Ep. 4 “Halloween, Pt. 1”

Air Date: Wednesday, October 26, 2011 10PM E/P on FX.

Rating: ★★★★★

Anyone can say an episode put them on the edge of their seat, but for it to actually happen is another story altogether. I think I still have the lines of my seat embedded in the back of my legs where I sat so far forward, unmoving, hanging on every syllable of dialogue to make sure I didn’t miss a thing. “Halloween, Pt. 1” thrusts American Horror Story into a new dimension of outré and I am relishing every peculiar moment of it!

You aren’t sure who or what is real anymore. We begin in the year 2010 meeting our two most recent tenants of the house, Chad (guest star Zachary Quinto) and his lover Patrick (Teddy Sears). The once thought murder-suicide of the beloved gay couple turns out to be murder-murder when Pat walks in and finds the latex man with his hands full of dead Chad.  The latex man keeps popping up throughout the episode and it’s really creepy! It’s apparent he is another victim of the house but who is this masked intruder? I have a theory on that…but will save it for later.

Present day – Vivien (Connie Britton), Ben (Dylan McDermott), and the realtor, Marcy (Christine Estabrook), discuss how to liven up the image of the house for potential buyers by hiring “fluffers” to come in and add some stylish zing. I first laugh my ass off at Marcy calling them “fluffers” because I don’t think that’s what they are called. I think they’re called stagers. There is another meaning to “fluffer” but I’ll leave that out of this review. *wink, wink* Of course, the “fluffers” are none other than Chad and Patrick. I think if you die in the house, you can come back somehow – like Moira (Frances Conroy).

Ben (Dylan McDermott) is fed up with Larry (Denis O'Hare) asking for the $1,000 so he kicks Larry's trick-or-treat basket to the curb!

Chad still really wants his perfect Halloween but it seems he won’t get it now either. I love how Quinto sells his character with flamboyant flare, inflections on words, and his grandiose way of outing his cheating boyfriend! It seems Pat and Ben has something in common – they can’t seem to keep their libidos in check. Quinto is amazing as a scorned Queen who just wants his party to be the talk of the town and now with Vivien in her “Rite-Aid witch outfit,” he’ll be the laughing stock. I love what he says about Ben’s outfit, “But never fear, Count Chocula’s here to really add some class.” With Ben and Vivien looking less than fab for the party, Chad is throwing the best undead hissy fit, ever! However, what I find most interesting are his final words before the Harmons kick them out, “It’s not your house. We know it, you know it, and the house knows it.”

Constance (Jessica Lange) is dealing with Adelaide’s (Jamie Brewer) Halloween costume choice – she wants to be a pretty girl. I love how the writers make Constance brutally honest about her feelings. Adelaide is a woman in her thirties with Down’s syndrome and her appearance isn’t as attractive as the trampy looking pirates who are out trick-or-treating. It’s terribly sad when Adelaide tries to keep up with the other kids in her costume; the mask is obviously too large and obstructs her view as she runs out into the street where she’s involved in a hit-and-run accident. The pain in Constance’s eyes as she tries to drag Adelaide’s limp body to the house makes my heart ache. It must be true about dying in or around the house as Constance becomes fiercely insistent Adelaide reach the lawn before she dies, but it may be too late.

I must say Moira’s visit to see her mother is truly heart wrenching. After she (literally) pulls the plug on her elderly mother’s ventilator, her mother’s ghost asks her to come with her as an inconsolably sobbing Moira tells her she can’t go. She died in the house and I think anyone who dies there is there forever…trapped.

Evan Peters as Tate

Tate (Evan Peters) tells Violet (Taissa Farmiga) a disturbing story about the former owners, Dr. Charles Montgomery (Matt Ross) and his wife Nora (Lily Rabe). Charles built the house and also provided some backdoor services for young women who had unwanted pregnancies.  But when a call comes telling Nora, “An eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth,” it results in the grim kidnapping and murder of her own child. I think babies are a key factor in American Horror Story. Charles and Nora had a child and Nora still wants one – Vivien’s unborn child; Constance has had many children – some living, some not yet still lingering; Ben’s mistress Hayden (Kate Mara) being pregnant; even our gay couple wanted to have a child. Could having babies help the dead return to the plane of the living – a sort of reincarnation by a form of osmosis? Charles did have a sort of “Frankenstein” complex about him, even trying to reassemble his own child again (gruesome); could his child be an actual 20th century Frankenstein? My theory on the identity of the latex man – I believe it’s Charles. We never learned what truly happened to him and Nora so it’s plausible he still considers himself the man of the house and is trying to enact his own brand of fiendish justice.

Observations:

–          I’m very intrigued with the new character Luke (guest star Morris Chestnut). He’s the security guy hired by the Harmon family and I feel like something is blooming between him and Vivien.

–          Leave it to the gay “fluffers” to pose the two skeletons in the front yard in a compromising position. Hilarious!

I find myself so engrossed in each episode, I am truly sad when it ends. I’m dying (no pun intended) to see part two of this Halloween episode. I want to know how Constance will cope with Adelaide’s death (and if there truly is no hope for her return). Will Vivien stay true to her word – one more lie and it’s over between her and Ben? What was on the sonogram at the emergency room that made the nurse faint so dramatically? Maybe Vivien is more than eight weeks along?

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Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.

Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.