Forerunners & Legacy
Horror television series have come and gone over the years. Alfred Hitchcock Presents ran from 1955 to 1965 and showed a free standing story every week. The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone were of similar tone and also ran during the same time. Freddy Krueger even got his own stab (pun intended) at horror anthology with Freddy’s Nightmares in 1985 and Tales from the Crypt ran from 1989 to 1996.
Horror fans are now spoilt for their viewing pleasure. As noted earlier, The Walking Dead began the year before American Horror Story and has spawned a spin off Fear the Walking Dead. Penny Dreadful is set in Victorian England and focuses on classic monsters. The story of Norman Bates before Marion Crane is the focus of Bates Motel starring Vera Farminga as the imposing and unstable matriarch Norma.
Television horror is in rude health in this day and age; and with American Horror Story’s hybridisation of the anthology series offering a new story and a new theme each season, it looks like it is set to continue to be a strong part of the genre.
Did we miss any key influences on American Horror Story? What do you think of the latest season? Let us know in comments or on social media.