Matters' guide to the series: American Horror Story: Murder House

foreword

American Horror Story: Murder House (formerly American Horror Story: Murder House ) is a 12-episode series produced by Twentieth Century Fox and released in 2011. Although the title states "horror" and the content is related to "ghosts", the core consciousness of the drama is focused on the theme of "lie", and the plot unfolds layer by layer according to the input of "betrayal".

Lies are always repeated and repeated.

"Murder House" (or "Haunted House") is a single-family house with special power. All souls who die in this space can retain their actual existence. This performance can be said to be a curse, or a A cage that perpetuates fate. For the viewer, this closed spatial narrative structure has a strong conscious focusing effect, making the core proposition of "lie" and the reflection and projection of "betrayal" constantly intertwined in the plot, forming a ripple effect.

"Murder House" (the episode abbreviation) stacks diachronic structures and streams of consciousness into a ridiculous drama of human nature. The "murder house" originated in 1922 and has experienced many owners, most of which have been replaced after bloody killings.

The main characters in "Murder House" all have the characteristics of "lie" and "betrayal" behavior. Whether they are active or passive, their personalities show a complaining attitude towards the real world. On another level, the driving force behind the "lie" is the stimulation of desire and the relationship that cannot be firmly established by a sense of trust.

"Lie" is the narrative axis in "Murder House". It mixes reality and fiction, life and death, and truth and falsehood, so that "Murder House" presents multiple interpretation connotations, giving viewers rich thinking and Reflection makes the drama free from the sensory stimulation of bloody pursuit of bloody pictures, or indulges in the pleasure of killing for a short time, and becomes a performance that loses the meaning and value of the script.

Taking a closer look at the plot, rationalizing one's actions and deceiving others through "excuses" is the habit of the main characters in the play. However, once there is an excuse, it will keep multiplying the reasons for self-blindness, losing rational judgment and forgetting moral conscience. Of course, excuses are not the same as lies, but the ambiguous relationship between the two often confuses people. Often, the idea of excuses to maintain the legitimacy of behavioral awareness will eventually evolve into a fact that has to be disguised with greater illusions. At this time, the excuse will appear as a "lie" and fall into addiction-like symptoms.

However, "Murder House" provides opportunities for characters to introspect, some people will stand up to resist in the prison of "lie" consciousness, and some people are willing to become slaves of the "lie" trap. This shows that human nature has the right to choose. Even if fate cannot be changed, goodwill still has the opportunity to get rid of the degenerate existence, face up to the responsibilities in the real world, gain positive meaning in the identity of self-worth, and end regret and pain.

Betrayal, take root from my own desires.

　　Why do you need to "lie"? Because the "temptation" cannot be resisted. However, the moment of accepting the temptation is the beginning of the "betrayal". Why can't the temptation be resisted, because people all have selfish desires, whether it is to develop the physical sex in the form, or to have the right to control the form, they are all filled with the attitude of "dissatisfaction".

Therefore, when the betrayal is still a secret, the disguise of a lie is required. Once the secret is revealed, revenge begins. Therefore, "betrayal" is the source of lies and the fruit of lies, and plays a huge role in the performance of the main characters in the play.

It is worth noting that "betrayal" and "lie" are mutually dialectical elements. When it comes to the choice in the face of selfish desires and the result of the so-called revenge, it is only at the last moment of the plot that one can understand that "Murder House" is diachronic and diachronic. In the interpretation process of stream of consciousness, there is a hidden light, waiting for the viewer to experience it.

Interestingly, in front of the dawn of cultivation, "Murder House" sculpts the mission that the darkness will last forever. It is a mockery of the real world and a helpless interpretation of social phenomena.

Narrative Strategy and Commercialization

　　The most distinctive feature of "Murder House" is the ingenious arrangement of narrative strategies. Through the continuous transformation of time and space, the emergence of the truth is slowly explained, forcing the viewer to enter into the hint of "as it is", forcing the reader to deepen the impression, from the "passive" attitude of accepting the narrative arrangement to the "active" participant who follows the clues and plays the plot. . This viewing mode enriches the monotonous connotation of drama and enhances the performance of dramatic tension. It can even be said to be the key to opening the door to the viewer's introspection.

For the violent killing and bloody scenes in "Murder House", it seems to be an unavoidable demand for commercial effect, because the drama consciousness is not easy to be easily seen by the public, and tempting picture traps and taboo topics must be set up first, so that the public can devote themselves to it. Among them, there is an opportunity to convey the essence of dramatic consciousness. Therefore, in the course of the plot, there will be abrupt plots of "killing for the sake of killing", as well as the placement of symbols full of "sex" to highlight human desires.

In the final analysis, the plot is mixed with too many elements, which distracts the viewer's attention and weakens the existence and connection of the main characters, which is quite a pity. It can only be said that the pursuit of commercial effects will inevitably lead to artistic sacrifice. How to achieve the best distribution in the struggle between the two is the director's skill. If you are interested, you can ponder carefully here, and you should get a lot of gains.

Epilogue

To sum up, the "horror" that "Murder House" wants to present is actually the consequences of human beings' unwillingness to face the "real" fear, and use "lies" to cover up their faults, or to avoid responsibility, so that the The reality of "betrayal" has become an irreparable spiritual breach. Therefore, the feeling after watching "Murder House" is not the residual horror of the killing and bloody images, or the secret admiration for the ghosts and all kinds of scheming, but to capture the fragile reaction of human nature and the mutual goodwill and malice in the heart. The entangled struggle produces a sad mood, and the most evocative fragments of "Murder House" are mostly focused here.