The upcoming new FX series American Horror Story has been described as a "psychosexual thriller", with a big promise of one of the biggest gorefest filled with sex, depravity, adult-themed horror, and a genuinely creepy black figure as its mascot. The Daily Zombies takes a sneak peek at the series this Undead Monday.

Classic scary moments in modern day horror pop culture are truly few and far in between. Not including bona fide disturbing films from sub-genres like survival horror, pseudo-snuff films, and those intricately engineered-to-disturb Japanese films, the age-old genre of supernatural horror has been stale as of late. Hollywood has gone from remaking innovative Asia horror films to a mass of "found footage" films in their effort to emulate the success of the economically effective "Paranormal Activity."

Meanwhile, on the small screen, things are even way south with the last notable horror moment coming from the late nineties with the likes of X-Files and Millennium. That said, truly classic horror moments on TV go as far back as 1990 when we witnessed the miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's It, as well as David Lynch's epic TV series, Twin Peaks.

With the upcoming FX new series American Horror Story promising genuinely creepy moments in its first thirteen-episode freshman season, we remained both skeptical and intrigued. While there is no doubt that a great amount of our skepticism lies with the fact that the series are created by Glee co-creators/executive producers Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, we are pretty much conditioned to resist regular cheap thrill shock treatment from Hollywood. However, based on what we have seen thus far from the trailers, the show seemed to embodied the right amount of creepiness and kinkiness in its effort to concoct the right balance of adult-themed horror as a "psycho-sexual thriller". Apart from that, co-creator Ryan Murphy has gone on the record to described the series as a "feel-bad show" as opposed to Glee being the "feel-good show."

For now, to a show boldly entitled (or unfortunately burdened with the namesake, depending on your point of view) as "American Horror Story," we might be in for yet another self-important campy drama trapped in an identity crisis, or we might be on the verge of another creepy classic the likes of Twin Peaks.

Premiering on next Wednesday (October 5th), American Horror Story stars Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton, and Jessica Lange in her first regular TV role.



Here's the official synopsis from the series:

American Horror Story revolves around the Harmons, a family of three who moved from Boston to Los Angeles as a means to reconcile past anguish. The all-star cast features Dylan McDermott as “Ben Harmon,” a psychiatrist; Connie Britton as “Vivien Harmon,” Ben’s wife; Taissa Farmiga as “Violet,” the Harmon’s teenage daughter; Jessica Lange in her first-ever regular series TV role as “Constance,” the Harmon’s neighbor; Evan Peters plays “Tate Langdon,” one of Ben’s patients; and Denis O’Hare as “Larry Harvey.” Guest stars for the series include Frances Conroy as the Harmon’s housekeeper; Alexandra Breckenridge as the Harmon’s housekeeper; and Jamie Brewer as Constance’s daughter.

The pilot episode of American Horror Story, shot in Los Angeles, was written by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, and it was directed by Murphy. In addition to Murphy and Falchuk, Dante Di Loreto will also serve as Executive Producer of the series. American Horror Story is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television.

And a more telling one, courtesy of NPR:

It tells the story of the Harmon family: Vivien (Connie Britton) and Ben (Dylan McDermott) and their teenage daughter Violet (Taissa Farmiga). They've got plenty of family problems, but their newest one is that they have moved into a straight-up haunted house. And it's not pleasantly haunted by friendly ghosts that look like Casper, either. It's haunted by demon-y looking things, and it may possibly cause you to hallucinate, and it has a history of not just spooking but downright ... well, devouring the people who live in it.

The promotional campaign of the show has been massive, and we are particularly attracted to the promotional posters with the aforementioned genuinely creepy black figure. Here are some of the posters and wallpapers from the show.





Another major aspects of the promotional campaign would be the video promotions. FX has released several so-called clues in the form of video clips that will supposedly help the audience in figuring out the mystery. If the mystery of the show can be solved by watching these clips, you probably shouldn't be watching anyway. That said, these clips are rather well-produced (particularly the first one with cello) and fit in to the creepy theme of the show. We have embedded all ten clips right after the jump for your viewing pleasure.

American Horror Story on FX - Clue #1: Cello

What is American Horror Story's story?
This mind-bending clue introduces you to two unique series characters and their rather unusual relationship in this sneak-peek clip.


American Horror Story on FX - Clue #2: Baby

The next clue in the series exposes you to a baby or is it a doll? Is the meaning in the familiar tune?


American Horror Story on FX - Clue #3: Couples

The next clue in the series explores a moment of lust and illicit passion.


American Horror Story on FX - Clue #4: Coffin


American Horror Story on FX - Clue #5: Lying Down


American Horror Story on FX - Clue #6: Fire


American Horror Story on FX - Clue #7: Stairs


American Horror Story on FX - Clue #8: Melt


American Horror Story on FX - Clue #9: Red Cello


American Horror Story on FX - Clue #10: Rubber Bump


And here are some of the TV spots of the show.