American Horror Story: The Complete First Season – Blu-ray Review

Beware the Rubber Man! A masterfully crafted and cleverly plotted series, American Horror Story delivers plenty of solid twists, turns, scares, and jolts episode after episode to keep you watching. It’s rare to find a horror-based series on TV that doesn’t revolve around vampires or zombies, which makes American Horror Story unique in a multitude of ways.

You see, there’s this house. And it has sort of a compelling and dark history about it. And its history likes to cause problems for those who move in, like the Harmons. What they thought would be a reprieve from the drama they left behind soon becomes far more sinister and chaotic than anything they ever imagined.

What makes the series so intriguing are the levels of terror that have existed within the house over the decades. Just the sheer shocking and macabre nature of many of the events that are explored in Murder House’s – as it is affectionately named – past add to the depth and dimension of each episode and event.

What surprised me – and not a lot does anymore – was the amount of raw sexuality, violence, gore, and language used in the series. Creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk really push the envelope with the content, and it helps bring the series alive with an energy that you can feel throughout.

Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton, Taissa Farmiga, Evan Peters, Denis O’Hare, Zachary Quinto, Morris Chestnut, and Emmy Winner Jessica Lange are superb and really make the entire world of the show come alive in a believable and frightening manner. Their performances along with the rest of the cast draw you into the series and make you care about the characters, even those that are despicable and slightly off-center (and there are plenty of those to go around here!).

The Blu-ray bonus features are fantastic and insightful. They include:

Behind the Fright: The Making of American Horror Story

A very enjoyable behind-the-scenes look at the making of the series with interviews from the cast, co-creator Brad Falchuk and the creative team.

Overture to Horror: Creating the Title Sequence

Those disturbing images. That crazy “music”? Find out everything you ever wanted to know about one the most memorable title sequences on TV.

Out of the Shadows: Meet the House Guests

So many dead. So many interesting stories. Some great interviews with the actors who portray some of the ghosts who inhabit Murder House.

The Murder House : Presented by Eternal Darkness Tours

Self-explanatory from the title, but a lot of fun.

From it’s jarring opening credit sequence to the final moments of the season finale, American Horror Story will have you hooked and begging for more. With its great storytelling, compelling characters, and a uniqueness that makes it stand out from other shows, I cannot recommend this series enough! It’s fantastic!!!

American Horror Story: The Complete First Season is available NOW in DVD and Blu-ray!

Make sure to check out the new season of American Horror Story: Asylum, which premieres Thursday, October 18, 2012 only on FX.

What was your favorite part of American Horror Story? Leave a comment and let us know!

As a little bonus, here are some photos taken from the launch event of the American Horror Story season 1 Bluray. The event took place at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. We even went on a tour to see the house the house where season 1 takes place.