American Horror Story: the Affects of Sex and Violence in Media

Media Analysis Ameri cannister Horror st progress American Horror explanation is an FX horror-drama television showing, as well as an anthology series each pacify of the show has a different force and storyline. The show was created by Ryan Murphy (creator of the FOX show Glee) and Brad Falchuk (producer of embrace/Tuck), and premiered on October 5, 2011. The primary season of the show follows the Harmon family as they settle into their hot home in Los Angeles. They atomic number 18 unaware, however, that the mansion is haunted by its numerous a(prenominal) former owners. The two main topics in which we covered in curriculum that are utilized in the show are shake up and knowledgeable content in media.The focus of the first season is on infidelity and temptation. Ben and Vivien Harmon moved to Los Angeles from Boston with their daughter Violet in an attempt to endure over and save their fragile marriage, after Ben had an affair with one of his students. Although they ideate the move will help, it only worsens their situation. The cable series is full of as much fierceness and sexual content as the writers and producers can fuss away with. With multiple instances of violence, sex, and nudity in every episode, the show draws a very rotund audience.American Horror yarn is FXs most viewed series, with the buffer of the first season bringing in 3. 2 jillion viewing audience. The show gained viewers as it progressed, and the premiere of the second season had 3. 85 million viewers. In an interview by AfterElton. com contributor Brian Juergens, when asked about what he cherished to bring to the horror genre, producer Brad Falchuk said In the upshot of the horror genre, your main goal is to scare good deal. You want people to be a little bit off balance afterwards. You want people to have their friends sleep over that night.And you want to deliver iconic images that rest with people. The writers of American Horror Story make use of many of t he subjects from chapter 13 of our textbook. There are many realistic scenarios that occur in the series, much(prenominal) as a home invasion and multiple murders. This is an example of foreplay generalization. Because many of the scenes are highly realistic, the generalization stimulus is very high, which so increases the fearful or emotional response. American Horror Story is rated TV-MA, which nitty-gritty that it is intended for mature audiences, and not children (usually age 17 or older).It alike has a sub rating of LSV (offensive language, strong sexual content, and violence and gore). R-rated videos and magazines lay off far more than profane and explicit sexual content than profits television shows, but sexual remarks and suggestions are becoming ever more frequent in public media today. In American Horror Story there are elements of the four major themes of sexuality in media. cozy scenes in the show include examples of domination (sexual control of a person), evo lution (coercion of one person by way of power or status), reciprocity (consensual sex), and auto sexyism (self-stimulation, such as masturbation).In the pilot of the first season Ben walks in on the housekeeper, Moira, masturbating. She tries to get him to sleep with her but he goes to another way of life and masturbates as well. Yet another storyline consists of Bens former student, Hayden, in which he had an affair with, who shows up and tries to convince him to stay with her. These scenes, along with many others throughout the season, go back to the theme of infidelity and temptation. The trailer for the first season of American Horror Story gives the basic plot of the show. It also makes use of frightening music and sounds to get the attention of fans of the horror genre.The season two trailer also highlights each characters traits and occupations presently (Leos photography, Shelleys sensuality, Lana Winters love for her partner, Wendy, etc. ). These short advertisements a ppeal to viewers by the use of catharsis. The audience of American Horror Story wants to be scared. Its a way for them to escape, or animate, their own violent predispositions or inclinations to purge themselves of their personal worries and apprehensions. Personally speaking, I find the sadistic and erotic nature of the show enjoyable.It allows me and other viewers to gain vicious diversion by identifying with the immoral and shady personalities of the characters in the show. The intent of the show can be pretty well summed up by the theories of scholar and professor, Dolf Zillmann, in Fundamentals of Media Effects (Bryant and Thompson) Zillmann (1991a, 1991b) described horror as frightening because it releases empathic responses toward victims and makes viewers apprehensive about becoming victims themselves. In other words, viewers identify with the victims and experience their terror vicariously.Horror also frightens viewers because of their apprehensions they fear being victi ms themselves. Finally, horror usually features a satisfying ending that viewers enjoy. American Horror Story has had its share of controversy with viewers already. Erin Brown, contributor for the subtlety and Media Institute at the Media Research Center, writes The premiere of American Horror Story wasnt just sexually and physically repulsive. Flashback scenes also featured a large dose of verbal and mental cruelty toward a Down syndrome female child including her mother, played by Jessica Lange, wishing shed aborted her.To add to the violence, sex and abuse, there were 13 versions of the word s**t, and such delightful terms as p***y and c**ksucker. With all this objectionable content, Entertainment Weekly lifelessness named American Horror Story one of its Top Ten Things We kip down this Week putting it on their famous Must List in the October 7 issue. This show has a potential to literally be smashing to all of the things that we consider to be normal, one of the actors s aid during production. Many enate reviews of the show describe it as disturbing, terrifying, and even repulsive.The three main age groups discussed in the Reactions to Disturbing or Frightening Media Content chapter of Fundamentals of Media Effects, 3-8, 9-12, and 12-17, are all thought to be too young for most parents. round critics also consider American Horror Story to be a strained and overexcited mess. Though there are many frightening elements to the show, most of them are written off as cliche. The fact that in society today we are so used to seeing violence and sexual content in media, these happenings in the show are not as disconcerting as they would have been in the decades prior to the 21st century.