AMERICAN HORROR STORY: ASYLUM Blu-ray Review
American Horror Story: Asylum is one of the most blood curdling TV series aside from The Walking Dead. The first season was terrifying enough, but Ryan Murphy continues to amp up the scares with this second season of American Horror Story. The second season is now available on Blu-ray, and features some great special features to keep you on the edge of your seat.
American Horror Story is an anthology unlike any other I’ve watched. The show reinvents itself every season, despite having some of the same cast members. Even if a cast member returns for the new season they play a totally different character. From an actor’s perspective this must be a lot of fun. Asylum features Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Lily Rabe, Zachary Quinto, James Cromwell, Chloe Sevigny, and Joseph Fiennes.
In some ways this many horror elements in one season could be a little convoluted, but Asylum somehow works just fine. In addition to the great characters and story there are so many wonderful elements that impact the tone and mood of the series.
American Horror Story: Asylum flows between1964 and the present day and revolve around the goings on at Briarcliff Manor. During the 60’s the manor is run by Sister Jude (Lange), Dr Arthur Arden (James Cromwell) who is performing grotesque experiments on patients, Monsignor Howard (Joseph Fiennes), Sister Mary Eunice (Lily Rabe), and Dr. Oliver Thredson (Zachary Quinto)..
Audiences will find themselves rooting for the patients. The patients are made up by journalist Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson) who intends on exposing Briarcliff but ends up being institutionalized for Lesbianism; accused serial killer Kit Walker (Evan Peters) who claims he was abducted by aliens; parent-killing Grace Bertrand (Lizzie Brocheré) who is Kit’s love interest. Chloë Sevigny cameos as a nymphomaniac named Shelley who becomes one of Arden’s disturbing experiments.
American Horror Story: Asylum may have a gigantic cast, but the storylines remain cohesive. The first season was a slow burn, but Asylum starts off with a bang. Voyeurism and sexuality play a major part of this season. Lana’s Lesbianism, chronic masturbation, mommy issues, and more elements are interlaced into the storyline.
Each season is tied together by the “Haunted House”. The first season was truly a haunted house, and in Asylum the house is Briarcliff Manor, a mental hospital with tons of horrific secrets. The scripting and characters are fantastic, this season features serial killers, aliens, Nazi doctors and a nun whose body has been taken over by the devil. Each episode is like a torture chamber for your brain, but boy is it worth it.
The Blu-ray features an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1 which makes the scenes come alive on your home theater. Dark colors and monochromatic tones are common, but the video quality maintains at high levels. The music and ominous sound effects are a major factor to the scares of Asylum, so this lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is fantastic.
Disc One
No special features are offered on this Blu-ray disc.
Disc Two
Deleted Scenes
Disc Three
Deleted Scenes (1080p; 4:00)
The Orderly Featurette
What Is American Horror Story: Asylum?
Welcome to Briarcliff Manor
The Creatures
American Horror Story: Asylum is a must-watch for fans of the horror genre. Remember that this is a completely different story than the first season, so you don’t have to watch each season in order to get maximum enjoyment. Read all of our Asylum recaps here. Buy American Horror Story: Asylum on Blu-ray here.
The Author
