Something wicked this way comes - 10 films to watch alongside American Horror Story: Coven

In case you forgotten, American Horror Story: Coven premieres tonight. Finally a show that really leaves you in agonizing pain of wanting more and wishing it was Wednesday just to see the new episode. Here is the list of movies that may keep you busy in the meantime. (inspired by this awesome list of 5 movies with witches by Jess)

5 biggest and most shocking omissions among Emmy acting nominees this year

In less than two hours time 65th Emmy ceremony will begin. Unfortunately, just as with the Oscars, the actual winners are rarely the best ones among the nominees and the ones who actually deserve the award. I don't suspect it will change tonight, but they have a shot at awarding the best performance in TV since Ian McShane's turn as Al Swearengen in Deadwood - I'm talking of course about Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston. They did award him 3 times already and as much as I'm not a fan of giving the same person the same award year after year, Cranston is simply that good.

There is a house in New Orleans...Are you ready for American Horror Story: Coven?

It's almost that time of the year again - when we have something creepy and messed up to enjoy each Wednesday - Ryan Murphy's wonderfully spooky, brilliant show American Horror Story, which third season, entitled Coven, premieres on October 9th.

Previous two seasons, Murder House and Asylum were met with positive reactions and the latter with incredible acclaim - it is nominated in 17 categories at this year's Emmy Awards. As entertaining as the show is, it has it's problems, but with some fantastic stories rooted in New Orleans' history and terrific additions to the cast, Coven has a shot at being the best season yet.

American Horror Story: Asylum - 2x13 Madness Ends (season 2 finale)

Madness Ends marks the conclusion to American Horror Story season 2. Very cinematic and at times moving finale was infinitely better than the one we got last year. We began as Johnny, modern day Bloody Face and Lana and Thredson's son walks around the Asylum where his parents met. We also got another look at the opening of the season when two unlucky newlyweds met Bloody Face.

Through the entire finale we were going back at forth to modern times when elderly and now very famous Lana Winters is being interviewed. We saw parts of her documentary that exposed the abuse in Briarcliff. One of Lana's best memories was fabricated - Atonement style - when she said she rescued Sister Jude from the Asylum. We also see how much the things in Briarcliff deteriorated when the patients were basically left alone as there wasn't enough staff to take care of them.

Saturday TV Special - AHS: Asylum 2x10 The Name Game / 2x11 Spilt Milk / 2x12 Continuum

My threshold for crazy is pretty high up. It takes chicken drumstick fellatio or telepathic sex with Nicole Kidman's ripped stockings in her panties area to disturb me. But damn if Ryan Murphy didn't come close to those levels in the last three episodes of American Horror Story. But what's even more astonishing is that for the first time in the history of the series he made an episode that was such a baffling mess, I understood maybe 50% of it. But before we get to dissect Continuum, let's start with The Name Game.

Saturday TV Special - AHS: Asylum 2x08 Unholy Night / 2x09 The Coat Hanger

What would Christmas look like in the asylum? Well, we know it now, thanks to episode 8 of season 2 of American Horror Story. The episode starts with a prologue featuring brilliant Ian McShane as a demented killer - Lee - dressed up like Santa Claus. During one Christmas Eve he massacred 18 people and it results in him ending up in Asylum. But now, when sister Jude is no longer in charge and Sister Mary Eunice aka the Devil calls the shots, he will have the opportunity to determine who was naughty and who was nice yet again. Mary Eunice also gets to decorate the Christmas Tree. Now how would Satan decorate the Christmas Tree? With all sorts of disturbing stuff found in the Asylum, of course.

Saturday TV Special: AHS: Asylum - 2x06 The Origins of Monstrosity / 2x07 Dark Cousin

In the last two weeks in American Horror Story we had another series of delightful gore filled scenes and fucked up occurrences. Lana is now the unluckiest character on TV, while people are coming up with new theories each week what could happen to Dr Arden for justice to be served. Being eaten alive by raspers? Getting his dick cut off? Being forced to watch Honey Boo Boo?

Saturday TV Special - American Horror Story: Asylum - 2x03, 2x04, 2x05.

Nor'easter, I am Anne Frank part 1, I am Anne Frank part 2

In the last three weeks on American Horror Story: Asylum we had a lot of craziness - in fact, it seems like with each episode Ryan Murphy is raising the bar of messed up shit - just when you thought things can't possible go worse for the characters, they do. In episode 2x03, which aired just as hurricane Sandy was hitting on Halloween, big storm hit Briarcliff. The very same night it was a movie night in Asylum and Shelley, Lana, Kit and Grace tried to escape.Of course, they failed. And Shelley got the worse of it.

The episode was very good from start to finish - we got to see a glimpse of possessed sister Mary Eunice, who killed a patient with scissors and tried to seduce Dr Arden. Mad and distraught after innocent sister Mary acted like a "whore," Arden wrecked a statue of sister Mary. As all of this was going on, Sister Jude fell of the wagon and got drunk, overwhelmed by everything that was happening in the Asylum. Then, completely drunk she introduced the movie in one of the finest scenes Jessica Lange has given us in the show yet.

Saturday TV Special: American Horror Story 2x02 Tricks or Treats

This week's episode changed the game a little bit - we didn't get aliens - we did however get an exorcism scene. We also discovered Sister Jude's secret, met a new doctor who seems to be a worthy opponent for sister Jude, got a quick glimpse at Bloody Face in the 60's and were shown a scene that is hopefully a red herring. Let's get specific:

Saturday TV Special: American Horror Story: Asylum - 2x01 Welcome to Briarcliff

One thing to know about Ryan Murphy, the creator of American Horror Story, is that he has an unusual gift of screwing up his own series. His series Nip/Tuck which was great in the beginning seasons turned into such an unwatchable mess it was actually painful to witness. I'm not talking about the level of awfulness True Blood 5 is presenting - something even worse. Fortunately, he didn't reach that point with American Horror Story yet and I hope he never will.

You're all Going to Die in There. Looking back at American Horror Story, season 1.

Before we get committed to the scary Asylum on October 17th, let's take a little look back at the first season of American Horror Story. In the world where there are literally no good horror films lately, unless you forget The Cabin in the Woods, American Horror Story is chilling, imaginative, engaging and creepy. The series, awarded with impressive amount of Emmy nominations - 17 to be exact - debuted last year on F/X.

The first season tells the story of Harmon family - dad, a shrink who cheated on his wife with his student, mom, still struggling to forgive dad for his betrayal and teenage daughter Violet, who loves dark, creepy things, cuts herself and is your typical angst ridden teen. They move into beautiful, big house that is kinda a main character of the season of its own - in each episode, in the opening sequence, we get to see one of the many murders that happened in the house. Starting in 20's of previous century and ending in modern day the carnage includes murderers, ghosts, mysterious Rubber Man, creepy Infantata who hides in the basement, wives serving justice to their cheating husbands, twisted doctors, deformed children and promiscuous maids.

Bag of Bones

25/100 (234 min, 2011)
Plot: Novelist Mike Noonan, a recent widower, holes himself up in Maine to unblock his writer's block. Unexplainable things begin to happen to him at the cabin and he's convinced that his dead wife is trying to communicate with him.
Director: Mick Garris
Writers: Stephen King (novel), Matt Venne (screenplay)
Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Melissa George and Annabeth Gish

Bag of Yawns

Good Lord, what a bad movie. What makes matters worse is that it's actually a two parter - TV production, so it contains a lot of prolonged and unnecessary scenes, which would not happen if it was a feature film. I can say that this is, without a doubt, the worst movie based on the novel written by Stephen King from the ones I've seen. I do not know how it holds up as adaptation, since I'm not familiar with the book, but from what I gathered - it does poorly in comparison.

The story is far from being original - of course, the protagonist is a writer. I'm beginning to think that writers, right after dumb college chicks, are the most unfortunate group in horror movies. As every writer who lost his wife - along with inspiration - Mike Noonan looks for consolation at the bottom of whiskey bottle. But he finds nightmares and ghosts instead. It gets even more cliche as we move towards the sweet promise of the ending.

Saturday TV Special: American Horror Story

Plot: Cheating husband, resentful wife and their teenage daughter move to a new house. But the house has secrets - last owners died, there is a kinky latex suit in the attic, the neighbors are strange, the wallpaper covers creepy paintings and the basement...don't even get me started on the basement.
Structure: The story takes place in haunted house and in the beginning of each episode we see one of the horrible things that happened there. Then there is creepy opening sequence and after that - let the scary begin! 
Verdict: I'm so happy.Horror is my favorite genre and I love TV series - and apart from "Twin Peaks" which isn't even a horror series nothing on TV scared me. Until I saw first two episodes of American Horror Story. It's certainly the best new show and I haven't waited for next episode that badly since "Lost" was on air. Scary, edgy, unique and interesting "American Horror Story" is horror at its finest. I'm not often scared - but if I watch the show in full daylight and still have to switch off full screen and turn down the volume, then you know it's surious.