Murder House (American Horror Story episode)
"Murder House" | |
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American Horror Story episode | |
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 3 |
Directed by | Bradley Buecker |
Written by | Jennifer Salt |
Featured music |
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Production code | 1ATS02 |
Original air date | October 19, 2011 |
Running time | 42 minutes |
Guest appearances | |
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"Murder House" is the
In the episode, Ben (Dylan McDermott) is paid a visit by an upset Hayden (Kate Mara), who demands he tell his wife the truth. Vivien (Connie Britton) learns about the house's former residents: a crazed surgeon, Charles Montgomery (Matt Ross), and wife, Nora (Lily Rabe), who provided illegal abortions in their basement, until their bitter marriage mysteriously ended.[1] Kate Mara guest stars as Hayden McClaine.
Plot
Flashing back to 1983, Hugo Langdon, the husband of Constance, begins making unwanted sexual remarks/advances to a young Moira who's fixing up a bed in the room. She keeps on turning him down in order to keep her job. Hugo throws her on the bed and
The Harmons'
Moira continues to
Hayden arrives, announces that she is keeping the baby and moving nearby, and wants Ben to continue their affair.
Vivien goes on a bus tour of
Ben encounters Larry, who asks for money. When Ben returns home he blacks out again, and wakes up in the same spot in the yard. As he begins to dig, Constance encourages him to stay with the house and to build something over that spot.
Hayden arrives at the house to speak with Vivien, but Ben manages to calm her down and they share a kiss. She recommends they both go to a restaurant to get something to eat. When he walks Hayden out, she is killed by Larry who bludgeons her with a shovel Ben used earlier. He buries her in the hole Ben had dug, where Moira is also buried. Ben builds a gazebo over the spot, and Constance taunts Moira, telling her that now she is stuck in the house forever.
Production
The episode was written by co-executive producer Jennifer Salt, and directed by editor Bradley Buecker.[2]
Reception
Rotten Tomatoes reports a 67% approval rating, based on 6 reviews.[3] Matt Fowler, in his review for IGN, gave the episode an overall score of 7.5, stating that, ""Murder House" took a bit of a step backwards from the forward momentum we got in "Home Invasion", but it still offered up some wickedly puzzling frights and gave us all a new past atrocity to mull over."[4] Emily VanDerWerff from The A.V. Club gave the episode a D+ grade, and said that American Horror Story is "a terrible, messed-up television show. And yet by doing virtually everything horribly, it becomes preposterously entertaining."[5]
In its original American broadcast, the third episode of American Horror Story was seen by an estimated 2.58 million household viewers and gained a 1.5 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to
References
- ^ "American Horror Story recap: The Murder House Rules". Entertainment Weekly. October 20, 2011.
- Internet Movie Database.
- ^ "Murder House – American Horror Story: Murder House, Episode 3". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ Fowler, Matt (October 19, 2011). "American Horror Story: "Murder House" Review". IGN.
- ^ VanDerWerff, Emily (October 20, 2011). "Murder House". The A.V. Club.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (October 20, 2011). "Wednesday Cable Ratings:'Storage Wars' Tops Night, 'American Horror Story' Rises; 'South Park' Falls + 'Psych,' 'Pretty Little Liars' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 22, 2011.
External links
- "Murder House" at IMDb
- "Murder House" at TV Guide.com