THE HORROR OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE:

THE REPRESENTATIONS OF RAPE IN AMERICAN HORROR STORY

by

Trevor Myrick

A Senior Honors Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The University of Utah In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the

Honors Degree in Bachelor of Arts

In College of Fine Arts Department of Art & Art History

Approved:

______Dr. Lela Graybill Brian Snapp Faculty Supervisor Chair, Dept. Art & Art History

______Dr. Paul Monty Paret Dr. Sylvia D. Torti Department Honors Advisor Dean, Honors College

May 2014

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ABSTRACT

This thesis looks at the representation of rape in American Horror Story, considering its formal and narrative construction alongside critical responses, drawing attention to both innovative and stereotypical aspects of its function within the series. While the series generally revels in representing explicitly violent and abject topics through fantasy and the employment of various horror elements, it also incorporates representations of rape with remarkable frequency. In its first three seasons, the series integrated rape narratives a whopping eleven times within 38 episodes, with each new episode of American Horror

Story thus having a nearly 29% chance of representing rape or sexual assault in some way. The pervasiveness of rape in American Horror Story is undeniable, yet little to no critical discourse examines its continual use and subsequent impact on conversations surrounding rape culture. While other popular and current television series’ singular inclusions of rape narratives—such as Downton Abbey, Scandal, Mad Men, etc.—have been widely discussed by critics and fans alike, the representation of rape in American

Horror Story remains largely unnoted. Through an analysis of the formal qualities of the exemplary rape scene of Madison Montgomery (Emma Roberts) in the first episode of season 3, “Bitchcraft,” this thesis demonstrates how scenes of sexual violence against women in American Horror Story are visually implicit while remaining impactful and unsettling, situating critical responses of this scene and American Horror Story in general within broad postfeminist discourses surrounding representations of rape.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT ii

INTRODUCTION 1

THE FORMS OF VIOLENCE IN AMERICAN HORROR STORY 3

IMPLIED VIOLENCE IN “BITCHCRAFT” 8

EXPLICIT ASPECTS OF “BITCHCRAFT” 14

THE CRITICAL RESPONSE 18

CONCLUSION 28

NOTES 30

TELEOGRAPHY 35

1

INTRODUCTION

Capitalizing on a void of the horror genre in the television market, Ryan Murphy and

Brad Falchuk created American Horror Story in 2011, a show that is thriving and helping to sustain what some are calling the “Golden Age of Horror” on television.1 When thinking about American Horror Story, several aspects of the show may come to mind: its critical and popular success, it being an anthology of various horror topics, the continually award-winning cast, etc., but one of the most important and highly apparent aspects of the show is its frequent use of visually explicit violence to aid its narrative, a common characteristic of the horror genre.2 Because American Horror Story airs on a cable network (FX), the creators have been able to incorporate scenes of shootings, dismemberments, stabbings, surgical experimentation on innocent and unwilling people, suicide, countless murders, and various supernatural and horror elements that are all considerably more visually explicit than those featured on shows that air on local networks. These jarring and largely uncensored elements demonstrate how American

Horror Story revels in pushing the boundaries of violent representations.

Given its employment of such violent and uneasy topics, it should come as no surprise that American Horror Story has also incorporated narratives of rape and sexual violence multiple times throughout its televised run on cable. Critical discourse surrounding the use of rape as a narrative tool on television series frequently argues that rape is a lazy plot tool and simply utilized to make characters more complex or sympathetic.3 Search “rape on television” through Google, and several thousand articles discussing, debating, and reporting on the prevalence of rape on television are instantly

2 available. Some have argued against its use entirely, pressuring writers to hone in on their creativity to come up with better, more intricate ways to provide their characters with added complexity and overall depth.4 These writers find its continued use resulting in a trend of less than dynamic or unique characters. However, many others are not as quick to condemn the representation of rape on television, citing the importance of shedding light on the real and pervasive issues with which our society is faced.5 These critics do not condone the representation of rape, rather, they simply recognize its potential to inform audiences—hopefully inspiring continued discussions and greater understanding of rape in our culture—while warning against the possibility of alienating viewers through insensitive portrayals.6

This thesis looks at the representation of rape in American Horror Story, considering its formal and narrative construction alongside critical responses, drawing attention to both innovative and stereotypical aspects of its function within the series.

First, I will situate the representation of rape in American Horror Story alongside other forms of violence, demonstrating the ways in which it both conforms to and diverges from the series exploration of extreme themes through the genre of horror. Next, I will analyze an exemplary case of sexual violence against women in the series—the rape of

Madison Montgomery in the first episode of season 3, “Bitchcraft”—arguing that violence in this scene functions as visually implicit while remaining impactful and unsettling. Finally, I will situate critical responses to American Horror Story in general and “Bitchcraft” in particular within broad postfeminist discourses surrounding the representation of rape.

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THE FORMS OF VIOLENCE IN AMERICAN HORROR STORY

Before co-creating American Horror Story, Ryan Murphy was no stranger to serialized television, having spawned several previous successful series: Popular (1999-2001),

Nip/Tuck (2003-2010), and Glee (2009- ). While each of these series explored highly controversial topics—such as the inclusion of positive, gay teenage characters on Glee and overt and deviant sexuality on Nip/Tuck—Murphy wanted to take these subjects one step further and explore them in the arena of the horror genre. Speaking about his inspiration for American Horror Story, Murphy said in an interview with Julia Roberts,

“American Horror Story came about because I was like, ‘I can’t write any more nice speeches for these Glee kids about love and tolerance and togetherness. I’ll kill myself.’

So then I was like, ‘I’m going to write a show about anal sex and mass murders.’”7 And that is exactly what Murphy and Falchuk did. In the subsequently named first season,

American Horror Story: Murder House, Murphy and his creative team succeeded in incorporating deviant topics and various elements of horror: BDSM, same-sex relationships, anal sex, adultery, abortion, murder, self-mutilation, suicide, ghosts, monsters, sexual assault, and rape, to name a few.

The success of the pilot episode of American Horror Story came as a shock to some, due to an initial marketing campaign heavily saturated with BDSM imagery. This kind of sexual exploration and deviance, coupled with its apparent pull at horrific and violent storytelling, could have proven to be a flop when trying to connect with an

American audience and culture that is typically void of such topics on television.

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Interestingly, though, it may be exactly because of the violence, sexual deviance, and it premiering during the “Golden Age of Horror” on television that American Horror Story was able to reach such an expansive audience for a cable series.8

American Horror Story’s first season follows the Harmon family, Vivien (Connie

Britton), Ben (Dylan McDermott), and Violet (Taissa Farmiga), as they try and navigate the sexual horror that exists within their new home. The season progresses through the circuitous route of a non-linear plot, with each episode incorporating flashbacks and time jumps. While the intricate plotting surely aided in the show’s success, it was the show’s fascination with violence and deviant topics that made it stand apart, securing its place in the horror genre. The Harmons face home invasions, stalkers, unwanted guests, ghosts, demons, and other various horrific hurdles that scare, disgust, and shock audiences, in what has become an expectation of the horror genre.

As a cable television series, American Horror Story is allowed to depict violence with more freedom than network television, a liberty that the show has taken great advantage of. During the first season alone, the series portrays the throats of children being ripped out (1.01 “Pilot”), a gunshot to the eye (1.03 “Murder House”), a school shooting, resulting in the death of 15 students—ten of which happen off-screen (1.06

“Piggy Piggy”), the stabbing and dismemberment of an ex-lover (1.09 “Spooky Little

Girl”), the immolation of a man (1.10 “Smoldering Children”), and that is only the tip of what can only be described as the violent iceberg.

The violence portrayed in season two, American Horror Story: Asylum, and season three, American Horror Story: Coven, is similar, if not more radical, than that of the first season. These seasons saw limits pushed even further with limbs being torn from

5 a person’s body (2.01 “Welcome to Briarcliff”), an exorcism (2.02 “Tricks and Treats”), the mercy killing of a tortured victim (2.06 “Origins of Monstrosity”), a man pushing his wrists down on a meat slicer (2.07 “Dark Cousin”), a crucifixion of a Monsignor (2.09

“The Coat Hanger”), death during sex, by way of an aneurism (3.01 “Bitchcraft”), throat slicing (3.02 “Boy Parts”), burning at the stake (3.01 “Bitchcraft,” 3.04 “Burn, Witch.

Burn!,” and 3.13 “The Seven Wonders”), a massacre of several men by axe (3.11

“Protect the Coven”), and a variety of other particularly violent scenes. Expanding on the deviant topics of the first season, these two seasons featured topics focused on abandonment, homosexual aversion therapy, self-administered abortions, human experimentation, social ostracism, nymphomania, and severe racism. American Horror

Story: Coven, in particular, went so far as to venture into the particularly taboo, with plot points centering on bestiality and incest (3.03 “The Replacements”).

Rape and sexual assault figure prominently among the violent themes of

American Horror Story. During the first episode an unknown man—who is later revealed to be Tate—rapes Vivien in a rubber suit, as she assumes it is her husband Ben trying to be kinky (1.01 “Pilot”). Throughout the rest of the season, we learn that Moira (Frances

Conroy) was killed by Constance (Jessica Lange) after Constance’s husband tried to rape her (1.03 “Murder House”), and Tate forcibly sodomized Patrick (Teddy Sears) when disguised as the Rubber Man (1.04 “Halloween [Part 1]”).

Rape remains ubiquitous throughout both the second and third seasons of the series. In American Horror Story: Asylum, Lana (Sarah Paulson) is forced to touch another man sexually by Dr. Thredson (Zachary Quinto) during aversion therapy (2.04 “I

Am Anne Frank [Part 1]”), Dr. Thredson then rapes Lana in his basement (2.07 “Dark

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Cousin”), Leigh Emerson (Ian McShane) attempts to rape Sister Jude (Jessica Lange)

(2.08 “Unholy Night”), and Sister Mary (Lily Rabe) rapes Monsignor Howard (Joseph

Fiennes) (2.10 “The Name Game”). In American Horror Story: Coven, a group of fraternity brothers gang rape Madison (Emma Roberts) and Zoe (Taissa Farmiga) rapes one of Madison's surviving gang rapists to death (301 “Bitchcraft”), Kyle’s (Evan Peters) mother (Mare Winningham) sexually abuses him (3.03 “The Replacements”), and Luke’s

(Alexander Dreymon) mother (Patti LuPone) forces him to strip and use an enema with

Clorox (3.08 “The Sacred Taking”).

While the violent content of rape scenes in American Horror Story seems to follow somewhat logically from the general pattern of extreme storylines in the series as a whole, the mode of representation with which that content is presented stands apart.

Most forms of violence in American Horror Story are presented explicitly, leaving little to the viewer’s imagination. An example of this mode of presentation can be found in the school-shooting scene of “Piggy Piggy” (1.06), where Tate Langdon (Evan Peters) shoots and kills five students, while leaving a faculty member paralyzed, the actions of which culminate in Tate’s own death at the hands of several police officers.

The school-shooting scene begins with the five students and faculty member in the library, when they hear a set of gunshots out in the hall. There is no music playing, only diegetic noise of their hushed voices and feet shuffling, as they clamor to hide from the then mystery gunman. Most of the camera shots are close-ups of the students in each of their hiding places, focusing on each of their faces and reactions to the gunshots. There are several times when the barrel of gun is seen pointing at the student’s faces, right before they are killed. One-by-one, the gunman finds the students, shooting each of them

7 as he continues his search. One of the last gruesome deaths is that of a male who confronts and attempts to command the gunman to stop. During this confrontation is the first time that the camera shows Tate’s face, unveiling him as the gunman. Prior to this, every shot of Tate is focused on his lower half, as he slowly walks around the library, killing each person in his path. Tate then shoots the last male. The impact of the bullet throws him onto the table behind him, as a cut then switches to a camera shot underneath the table, which focuses on the shudder of the man’s legs. Tate then slowly walks to the table, flips it, and proceeds to shoot the remaining girl as she asks, “Why?” The remainder of the scene takes place back at Tate’s house. The police arrive, searching for

Tate, and when they confront him upstairs, Tate motions towards a gun hidden beneath his pillow. In response to his aggressive action, the police open fire on Tate, shooting him numerous times. Although there are quite a handful of rapid cuts during this portion of the scene, the camera never shies away from displaying the countless bullets as they enter his body. As Tate flies backwards, lands on his bed, and then slides off, we see blood smear across his bed and watch as it begins to seep from his chests wounds. The last shot focuses on Tate’s face, and the audience is left to watch him slowly succumb to his wounds and die.

It is precisely the formal qualities of this scene that make it graphic and extremely explicit.9 This kind of representation of violence is a staple and natural commonplace on

American Horror Story. Yet when scenes involve representations of rape and the overall exploration of sexual violence against women, explicit visuals are more commonly replaced with visuals that generate a sense of implied violence. In scenes depicting rape or other kinds of sexual violence, the audience is given a lens that supplies minimal

8 visual representation, which merely suggests the sexual violence that ensues—much of the horror exists within the composition and subject matter of the scenes. “Implicit” can be traced back to a Middle French word for something that is entangled. In that sense, these scenes of sexual violence are composed in a style that makes the content less visually distinct and more entrapped by its formal qualities.

IMPLIED VIOLENCE IN “BITCHCRAFT”

The first episode of American Horror Story: Coven, “Bitchcraft” (3.01), provides an exemplary case of sexual violence being represented in a visually implicit manner. In this scene, the character Madison Montgomery is gang raped by a group of fraternity brothers at a party. Through an analysis of the sound, lighting, character placement, and camera shots, angles, and movements, I will demonstrate how violence in “Bitchcraft” functions as visually implicit while remaining impactful and unsettling.

Attention to the use of sound in “Bitchcraft” offers the first instance of implied violence. Throughout Madison’s rape, the use of sound is very minimalistic in nature, which lends to an implicit reading of the scene. The scene begins in total silence, only to be broken by a series of loud and breathy pants from the first man that is raping Madison.

This diegetic noise is soon greeted by a non-diegetic ringing that lasts momentarily, until the scene cuts to black and all sound is eliminated. This first set of audio spans only four seconds in this rapidly paced 1:51 scene. Five seconds into the scene, a non-diegetic thumping begins, and it continues until the fraternity men are interrupted and flee the party. During the rape, the scene is composed of groans, grunts, and pants from the

9 fraternity brothers committing the rape, and periodic moans and whimpers from Madison.

The bed can be heard creaking at random intervals, coinciding with various thrusts from the men. When the scene cuts to Zoe, searching for Madison, the diegetic noises do not carry into these shots, but the non-diegetic thumping does. After the fraternity brothers are discovered and flee, the ringing at the beginning of the scene fades in again, while

Zoe enters and tries to console Madison on the bed.

Instead of loud and jarring non-diegetic sounds or cheering and bantering conversation from the fraternity brothers participating in the gang rape together, the scene heavily relies on the minimalistic sounds described above to compose something more realistic and personal from the perspective of Madison. Now, I am not saying more chaotic conversation and bantering from the fraternity brothers would not have been realistic, but I will suggest that it would not have provided the audience a more intimate and serious viewing experience from Madison’s perspective. Beginning and ending with the ringing noise exemplifies Madison’s plunge into incoherency—catalyzed by the date rape drug that was slipped into her drink—the reverberations of the crime committed against her, and the beginning of her return to a coherent state. The placement of various moments where audio is eliminated entirely is a way in which the audience experiences

Madison slipping in and out of conscientiousness. Simply put, the configuration of the audio hones in on a few key noises from the fraternity brothers and Madison, with limited non-diegetic sound, which keeps the scene focused. Rather than allowing the viewer to spiral into a jumble of loud noises, which would likely be glossed over in an effort to simplify one’s attention during this fast paced scene, it forces the audience to hone in on a few key grunts of pleasure from the men and moans of pain and discomfort from

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Madison. Arguably, this structure for the audio, while it is not substantial, is more memorable.

Like the audio, most of the lighting during the gang rape scene is minor in nature, creating a heavily shadowed effect, with many characters continually shrouded in darkness. The scene begins with a stark black shot that lasts for a brief second before cutting to an extreme close-up of the first rapist’s face. He is heavily shadowed, with the only source of light coming from the left side of the frame. The viewer can hardly make out a few particular features of this man: his right eye, teeth, smile, and oily skin. As the scene progresses, more light is utilized, especially in wider shots of the entire room of fraternity brothers, but the amount of light is nowhere near what would be considered sufficient. The men are still shadowed, making it hard for the viewer to identify any single person or even gauge how many fraternity brothers are present. When Madison is in frame, more light is used to show her face, coming from above, since she is positioned on her back. This light is less harsh and cooler in tone. After the fraternity brothers flee the room, more light seeps into the room. Madison can be seen in her entirety. The scene ends with Madison in shadowed lighting like it began, but it is not nearly as harsh. The street lamps are the only source of lighting, as she flips the fraternity bus, killing most of the men inside.

Even with the minimal use of light, the stylization of the lighting develops a visually dark scene, representing the depraved and overall evil nature of the gang rape.

As described above, the fraternity brothers are predominately shadowed throughout the scene. This heavily shadowed effect, coupled with extreme close ups of the men’s faces, creates a rather repugnant result. Our focus is drawn to the positivity and pleasure the

11 men are extracting from their collective criminal act of rape, while highlighting their uncleanliness. This construction is a way in which discomfort and disgust is generated.

Surely anyone with minimal concern for hygiene crawls in abhorrence over the men’s imposed filthy complexions. While the silhouetted configuration of the men operates to make them appear villainous and generally evil, the above lighting of Madison, paired with a black blanket placed behind her, creates an effect of suspension. It is as if Madison is falling in darkness. Instead of imposing a vile impression upon her, like that of the men, she appears helpless and lost in a void. The eventual proliferation of light, upon the flight of the fraternity brothers, lifts the veil, uncovering the raw nature of the crime that was committed. No longer is the lighting stylized; it is plainly standard, a light that hides nothing and divulges only truth.

In terms of the character placement, like the audio, the scene is visually constructed in a way that provides the viewer with Madison’s unique perspective. Before the scene even begins, it is important to note that the typical viewer is more apt to relate to Madison, since the show follows her and Zoe up to the point of her rape. The only interaction the audience has with the fraternity brothers before the gang rape is a single scene that takes place in a bus right before the party. When the scene begins, the first visual is an extreme close up of a man’s grinning mouth. There is then a quick, blurry shot of his eye, before going back to his mouth. The scene then cuts to black, only to quickly cut to two consecutive images of fraternity brothers drinking alcohol from lower side angles. The focus is then shifted back to the man in the first shot, with a blurry shot of his mouth thrashing up and down the frame of the camera. The first time we see

Madison is from a side angle, with a close up of her face. Her face spans the entire width

12 of the frame and lies horizontally. Once the camera returns to the extreme close up of the man’s face as he rapes Madison, it is immediately recognizable to be from Madison’s point of view. The audience is staring up the length of the man’s face as he thrashes up and down just like Madison. Throughout the remainder of the scene, there are various shots from the side of the bed where Madison is being raped. These of course are not from Madison’s perspective, but they do not lend to the fraternity brother’s perspective either. The viewer is placed outside of the group, facing them directly, and watching the gang rape occur from a removed stance and side of the room where the fraternity brothers are absent. There is even a shot where the camera swings up vertically, swooping over the fraternity brothers when they are interrupted and confronted. This method of experiencing the rape from Madison’s perspective is not comprised of detailed visual violence, but it is considerably explicit and will be explored later in this paper.

I have already commented on the fast paced nature of this scene, but now, when talking about the shots, angles, and movement of the scene, I find it important to elaborate on this fact. The entire scene is composed of 64 individual shots, edited together to produce a 1:51 of footage. Just how fast paced is this exactly? Well, if the entire 50-minute episode were cut this rapidly, it would total approximately 1600 cuts.

This is four and a half times the average 90-minute film, which typically has 600-700 cuts.10 Thus, it is safe to say that this scene is certainly above the average pace of most films and the rest of the episode, for that matter.

The increased pacing of the scene and the continually blurry camera shots make it difficult to focus on any specific images, which I would argue makes it visually suggestive rather than explicit with the violence they are relaying. More often than not,

13 each shot is less than a second in length. The longest shots are those in which Zoe and

Kyle—the only fraternity brother not participating in the gang rape—are searching for

Madison and the shots that take place directly after the rape is disrupted. Any shots that depict the actual rape flash by so quickly, that it is as if the images fuse into one. All the thrashing and grinding of the fraternity brothers and Madison, muddled by the blurriness of the camera, make it near impossible to make out many details, if any. For example, 13 seconds into the scene, there is a period that spans three seconds where four shots are edited together with such haste that two men’s faces are imposed upon each other in a way that makes them appear to be one man. This rapid pacing is utilized to impart a general sense of the sexual violence that is occurring. While the single shots may be visually explicit in their own way (i.e., the shot of the man bending over Madison, with his pants down), they are replaced so abruptly that it is hard for the audience to focus their viewing, let alone remember many specifics about the crime. It would be a miscalculation from the editing crew responsible for this episode if that were precisely intended. One would imagine longer, focused shots would be used to sustain the visually detailed nature of this unambiguously explicit crime.11 That way, the audience would not be lost in the blur of images; instead, they would be confronted directly with the gang rape, unable to escape.

When talking about the camera angles and movement of the scene, it is important to note that they compliment each other in a way to formulate a jarring and uneasy tone.

The scene is predominantly comprised of extreme close ups of mouths, eyes, and faces, creating a jumble of body parts in succession of each other. Although the camera does not move frequently—quite frankly, the fast paced construction does not allow much time for

14 movement—when it does move, it is shaky, as if a hand-held camera is being used. This unsteady movement conveys a feeling of instability. For example, when Zoe enters the room, the camera angle tilts and shakes to the side, zooming in closely to her face in order to capture the shock inspired from the horror unfolding. This wobbly shift, combined with the unnatural angle, promotes a negative and unsettled tone. These stylized camera angles and movement are a way in which the horror is captured, without the scene having to rely on straightforward, violent imagery.

The formal means with which rape is represented in “Bitchcraft” is exemplary of

American Horror Story’s approach to sexual violence throughout the series. The use of extreme close-ups, blurred images, lack of focus and lighting, thumping non-diegetic sound, and the audiences’ assumed perspective with that of the woman being raped have all become stylized tropes of implicitly representing rape in American Horror Story.

EXPLICIT ASPECTS OF “BITCHCRAFT”

When comparing the school-shooting scene in “Piggy Piggy” (1.06) with the gang rape of

Madison, it is clear that the latter is considerably less explicitly violent, formally. Unlike the portion of the scene where the police officers shoot Tate, killing him in a grand display of blood splatter and physical trauma, the gang rape of Madison fails to include the use of blood. The pacing of the school-shooting scene is also considerably slower than the gang rape, leaving viewers to focus on the violent death of the each student, and finally Tate, for a greater period of time. These prolonged shots force the viewer to acknowledge what is occurring, while the remarkably brief flashes of the gang rape allow

15 only a limited understanding—simply due to the physical limitations of perceiving such rapidly paced visuals. While the school-shooting scene candidly displays the deaths of several students and graphically showcases Tate’s demise with a plethora of gunshot wounds, the deaths that do occur following the gang rape occur off-screen. Off-screen deaths are not the norm in American Horror Story, a show where previous violent deaths seemingly beget new exciting murders, suicides, and death matches without second thought.

Although the gang rape scene in “Bitchcraft” implies rather than describes its central violence, the visceral and emotional impact of the scene on the viewer remains quite strong, due to its portrayal of the victim’s point of view. The groaning and moaning sounds, in tune with non-diegetic thumping, all described previously, are methods to provide the viewer with Madison’s direct point of view. The blurriness, momentary silences, and cuts to complete blackness, all indicate Madison falling in and out of consciousness, an aspect that the audience experiences with her. The camera shots that suggest the viewer is peering through Madison’s eyes are another way her specific perspective is established for the audience. The mere fact that this scene establishes

Madison’s point of view effectively and repeatedly through various methods (sound, transitions, camera shots, movement, etc.) only serves to heighten its explicit disposition.

As Sarah Projanksy explains, “representing her view, may be the most explicit way to incorporate a woman’s perspective on rape.”12

Another unsettling aspect of “Bitchcraft’s” representation of rape is the way in which the rapists are transformed into monsters--a staple of the horror genre. As Noël

Carroll explains in his book, The Philosophy of Horror or Paradoxes of the Heart, the

16 horror genre is distinguishable from terror or mystery by the presence of monsters that inspire an emotional response from the viewer that aligns closely with the character experiencing the horror. These monster are described as “not only lethal but—and this is of utmost significance—also disgusting,” abnormal and inhuman.13 The composition and stylized filming of many scenes in “Bitchcraft,” coupled with strategic character makeup, can inspire a reading of many characters as exactly what the horror genre requires: monsters. For example, the fraternity brothers are not repulsive upfront, but once they begin committing the act of terror and sexual violation against Madison, they live up to their imposed stereotype, unveiling themselves as true monsters. Once they begin gang- raping Madison, their makeup is inarguably disgusting, compounded by the sweat and general hygiene issues. These are the same disgusting and unclean characteristics that are so often associated with monsters. Each fraternity brother also wears the same shirt, stripping every one of them of their own individuality as humans. The room they rape

Madison becomes a kind of horrific nesting area; it is dark, filthy, and filled with alcohol, all of which work to associate them with a hoard of monsters.

Carroll explains, “emotionally, these violations of nature are so fulsome and revolting that they frequently produce in characters the conviction that mere physical contact with them can be lethal.”14 Rape and sexual assault are these violations of nature, producing the revolting quality that causes the characters to expect harm. Carroll discusses an aversion to making contact with the monsters, which can be seen veiled in

Madison’s initial response to the main rapist’s attempt to gain her attention. Her dialogue goes so far as to call him her “slave,” reducing him to an entity that does not have the right to even converse with her, let alone attempt to touch or interact with her in any

17 physical sense.

Rape is unnatural and a taboo act that is not accepted by our culture. Despite the mixed message conveyed by society’s frequent blaming of victims, our culture does not condone the act in and of itself. Rapists, when convicted, are still punishable by law and held accountable for an action that is deemed a crime. Because of this unnatural and

“impure” action, the act of rape turns the fraternity brothers into monsters. All one has to do is look at our culture and the adoption of the term “monster” in general. We extend calling individuals “monsters” not because they are some inhuman creatures, but because they commit an act that it is taboo and inhuman. As Carroll points out, “such monsters are in a certain sense challenges to the foundations of a culture’s way of thinking.”15

In this sense, perceiving the fraternity brothers as monsters, lends another level of explicit violence to the representations of rape to which they are associated. Their general level of disgust inspires physical agitation among the audience. Viewers may shudder and feel both uncomfortable and unclean, among other generally negative emotions. The violence is further experienced through the threat of the existence of these fraternity brothers as plausible threats to the general public as rapists. In true horror fashion, the audience looks away and avoids contact with such monsters, because they are impure.

The scene is further explicit because of its rapid-fire nature of editing and splicing of shots together. In Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film,

Carol Clover expertly explains how Psycho, a staple in the horror genre, was largely studied because of the level of shock it inspired from very little explicit violence. I would argue that, like the shower scene in Pyscho, the horror of the gang rape scene in

“Bitchcraft” “resides less in the actual images than in their summary implication.”16 As I

18 explained when discussing the camera shots, angles, and movement, the editing speed is so fast that it is near impossible to focus on any one image. When placed together, though, the scene yields something more shocking and uncomfortable, due to its level of inherently implied violence. The increased speed and fast cuts and cues also work to blend the fraternity brothers together, making them seem less human and even more monstrous. Rather than relying on special effects or CGI, one could argue that American

Horror Story took a page from Psycho’s book.17

THE CRITICAL RESPONSE

Not long after American Horror Story: Coven premiered, articles in response to its first episode, “Bitchcraft” began to appear. Of the 16 articles that I surveyed, the lack of attention paid to the gang rape scene was astonishing. Eight (50%) failed to mention the rape at all.18 The next four (25%) either made light of the rape in a way that can be interpreted as comical and/or briefly mentioned it in only one sentence.19 Three reviews

(18.75%) discussed the rape in one paragraph.20And only one article (6.25%) explored the legitimacy of representing rape and its potential impact on rape culture.21 This visually implicit scene failed to inspire much critique, but this is not always the case for other forms of graphically explicit violence on American Horror Story.

In Rape on Prime Time: Television, Masculinity, and Sexual Violence, author Lisa

Cuklanz was one of the first to analyze depictions of rape and sexual assault on television, arguing for their importance.22 She explained that the significance of these narratives stems from their ability to change or simply challenge current societal

19 understandings of such prevalent issues. In her book, Cuklanz analyzed primetime news coverage of rape along with fictionalized film, television, and print stories of the 1980s.

Through her extensive analysis of over a hundred episodes of fictionalized forms from the 1980s to the early 1990s, Cuklanz was able to show that rape narratives had evolved from focusing on stories of violent stranger rape to more statistically accurate depictions of acquaintance rape, which began to focus on the women’s point of view. Cuklanz argued that this shift in rape narratives helped to influence the way rape was understood by the general public. Although many of these depictions inspired a shift in popular culture’s understanding of rape by the 1990s, these fictionalized narratives of rape still remained imperfect from a feminist perspective and largely problematic in terms of their overall message.

In Watching Rape: Film and Television in Postfeminist Culture, Sarah Projansky looks at rape in film and television and then analyzes them in terms of the “five interrelated categories of postfeminist discourses.” 23 In her third chapter, “Film and

Television Narratives at the Intersection of Rape and Postfeminism,” she specifically scrutinizes the connections of these postfeminist discourses to rape narratives in film and television. The first category she discusses is linear postfeminism, which is to be understood as chronologically succeeding feminism. This category assumes that society is beyond the need for feminism, and thus it no longer exists. The second category is backlash postfeminism, which contains discourses that consider feminism as a bad thing, responsible for destroying a nostalgic, ideal past where feminism was not necessary. The third category is equality and choice postfeminism, which Projansky describes as consisting of “narratives about feminism’s ‘success’ in achieving gender ‘equity’ and

20 having given women ‘choice,’ particularly in regard to labor and family.”24 Projansky further explains that equality and choice postfeminism discourses propose that women now have a greater access to equality and therefore do not need feminism anymore. The fourth category Projansky discusses is (hetero)sex-positive postfeminism, which deems feminism as anti-sex and describes itself as more positive towards sex, while still incorporating the strive for independence and individuality of feminism. The final postfeminist discourse centers on the idea that men can now be feminists, since feminism was successful, and the discourse in our popular press more often than not makes them better feminists than women.

Projansky points out the failure of fictionalized film and television forms to incorporate feminist definitions of rape, and she argues that the shift in fictionalized representations of rape, described by Cuklanz, succeeded in contributing “to a cultural concept of postfeminism in a multitude of ways that collectively suggest there is no need for continued feminist activism, even against rape.”25 Projansky offeres in-depth analysis of various rape narratives in film and television, and explains how each of these representations of rape feed the postfeminist discourses that she defines in her book.

These postfeminist discourses, which primarily call for an end of feminism or argue against its current benefit, ultimately result in destructive representations of rape that can be largely read as antifeminist. All visual representations of rape are thus positioned as further examples of violence against women, due to the discourses that negatively perceive feminism—backlash postfeminism and chronological postfeminism—and in rape narratives where men experience sexual assault, the men become idealized

21 postfeminists who are better feminists than women, because they can finally be both masculine and feminine.

Two recent examples of “evolved” rape narratives in television can be found in the popular shows Scandal (2012 - present, ABC) and Downton Abbey (2010 - present,

BBC). During the seventh episode of the third season of Scandal, Jerry Grant (Barry

Bostwick) rapes his daughter-in-law, Mellie (Bellamy Young), resulting in her pregnancy and birth of her only child. Although this rape narrative is overtly dramatic, it does depict a more accurate representation of rape by someone other than a stranger. After the episode aired, there was considerable response from both fans and critics, with many criticizing the use of rape to make Mellie a more sympathetic and likeable character, and some claiming that it had done exactly that.26 Many went so far as to assert that Mellie’s rape plotline was illogical and implausible in regard to her prior actions.27

In the third episode of the fourth series of Downton Abbey, a visiting valet, Mr.

Green (Nigel Harman), rapes the head housemaid, Anna May Bates (Joanna Froggatt), during a house party. Because Mr. Green is an acquaintance of Anna, Downton Abbey also succeeds in representing a more accurate portrayal of rape, but the overall narrative of the show shifts its focus from Anna’s experience and recovery to how her husband reacts to the assault. This shift in focus was heavily criticized, and numerous critics and fans of the series explored its problematic nature in response articles.28 While Downton

Abbey and Scandal are just two depictions of rape across the medium of television, I highlight them because they are on-going television series that have aired alongside

American Horror Story and, most importantly, because of the critical response their rape plotlines received.

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While shows like Scandal and Downtown Abbey kicked up a firestorm of critical reaction with their isolated rape plotlines, American Horror Story, which ran simultaneous to these shows and integrated rape narratives a whopping eleven times throughout its 38 aired episodes, received little to no attention focused on this matter. In its first three seasons, each new episode of American Horror Story had a nearly 29% chance of representing rape or sexual assault in some way, yet critics were unconcerned.

Instead of lending American Horror Story the same level of criticality for its own problematic representations of rape, critics and bloggers tended to focus on other aspects of the show that they seemingly found to be more shocking and exciting: casting news, campy dialogue, and monster mysteries.29 One such “monster mystery,” that of the so- called “Rubber-Man” who has sex with Vivian in season 1 by making her believe that he is her husband, was in fact a rape plotline, though never discussed as such. When the identity of Rubber Man was finally disclosed during the eighth episode of American

Horror Story: Murder House, Tim Stack of Entertainment Weekly wrote an enthusiastic article that explored the revelation. In the article, Stack announced, “The man in the rubber fetish suit is…Tate (Evan Peters)! Yes the ghostly son of Jessica Lange’s

Constance and the boyfriend of Violet (Taissa Farmiga) is the fella who impregnated

Violet’s mom, Vivien (Connie Britton), with twins.”30 What is truly horrifying about this article is Stack reports that Tate impregnated Vivien, when in all actuality, he raped

Vivien, resulting in her pregnancy. This episode went so far as to remind viewers of the rape, through an extensive flashback sequence, yet Stack’s word choice would lead a reader unfamiliar to the show to believe that Tate and Vivien had consensual intercourse.

This is just one of many articles that fail to examine the rape narratives in American

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Horror Story.

Even when the representations of rape in American Horror Story were discussed, they were usually only mentioned in passing, devoid of criticality and discerning analysis. For example, in “Which Witch Won This Week’s American Horror Story?”

Madeleine Davies began a weekly ranking of each character in American Horror Story:

Coven by how evil and wretched they are presented to be. When ranking Madison

Montgomery (Emma Roberts), after the premiere episode in which she was gang raped by a group of fraternity brothers, Davies’ only mention of her rape was the following brief statement: “It was terrible and disgusting and honestly made me question why I even watch this show. Fortunately (and I use the word lightly), she gets her revenge by using her powers to murder the entire frat. You win some, you lose some?”31

Interestingly, this article was published by Jezebel, an online “blog aimed at women’s interests,” which happened to publish an extensive article by Dodai Stewart, entitled

“Making Sense of the Rape Scene on Scandal,” just one month following Davies’ article.32 In her piece, Stewart focused on examining several reactions to the rape of

Mellie on Scandal, highlighting the extensive discourse that erupted after the episode aired. It did not merely mention Mellie’s rape in passing, like Davies’ article and most of the reviews for the American Horror Story: Coven premiere.

When it comes to American Horror Story, why is there such a gap in criticality or concern over its continual use of rape narratives? I cannot help but wonder if this lack of attention—which I consider to be just as deserving, if not more than Scandal and

Downton Abbey—is due to American Horror Story being boxed into the horror genre.33

Do people expect sexual violence in stride with violence in general? Is it more acceptable

24 to include representations of rape and sexual violence when associated with murder and the abject? Is our society unable to adopt a critical lens or use for any television series that does not fit the same formula as these heralded dramas? Does American Horror

Story simply lack an extensive following like these other shows? Or are the scenes of rape and sexual assault filmed in such a stylized way that inhibits the viewers and critics from realizing the full impact of their equally shocking and jarring messages?

An essential visual analysis of the gang rape scene in American Horror Story:

Coven requires an understanding of how the scene functions narratively and what it purports about the characters involved and the topic of rape in general. Much of the visual imagery surrounding the characters during the scene works to fortify the stereotype that all men in fraternities are rapists. Other than the various moments leading up to the gang rape where the fraternity brothers shout “K.O.G! K.O.G!” there are several instances when their Greek letters on their shirts are placed in the center of the frame.

This attention works to constantly remind the viewer that these are fraternity brothers that are committing a gang rape as a collective group. Their Greek letters are made even more apparent when one realizes that Kyle—the only fraternity brother who does not participate in the gang rape—is wearing a long sleeve shirt under his fraternity polo, visually differentiating him from his villainous fraternity brothers. Strengthening this well-established stereotype is problematic because it creates an “I knew it” mentality amongst the viewers. It also wrongly suggests that men who live together without women are more prone to be rapists.34

Rape is used as a problematic narrative device to develop Madison Montgomery, and it works to position her as a latent feminist. When first speaking about the third

25 season of American Horror Story, Ryan Murphy explained that it was going to be “really about female power.”35 Ryan Murphy certainly followed his word, but the way in which he achieves imparting power in the character of Madison Montgomery is truly troublesome. Madison is initially presented in a strong light, commanding her sexuality and being the sassy “mean girl” of the group of young witches in the coven. At one point, she even flips gender norms by calling one of her eventual rapists her “slave.” All of this commanding behavior aside, Madison is never given any true power to wield or flex as she sees fit. In short, up to the point of her rape, Madison seems all talk.

It is only after Madison is gang raped that she gains legitimate power and control.

This acquisition of her power and control is witnessed during the finals few moments of the scene. As the bus is driving away, Madison walks into focus on the right side of the frame. She is emotionally ravaged and crying when the camera finally finishes focusing.

The camera then steadily swings around the back of Madison, honing in on the bus as

Madison flips it in an act of revenge and application of her newfound power. As the bus tumbles down the road, the camera slowly swings back around the same side of Madison, stopping where it began. Madison is no longer crying, she is now in complete control of her emotions. Although the entire scene is formulated in a way that presents the moment of rape as a nefarious and disgusting act, it is paradoxically made into a positive event, because it is how Madison gains her power and control as a female character. Madison’s rape propels her into action with her power and control, suggesting that the characteristics and qualities needed to be a commander were always there, and that they were plainly hidden or dormant. This reading of Madison imparts a sense of latent feminism upon her as a character.

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In general, this type of sexual violence is so prevalent, and arguably overused in entertainment, that is begs the question of whether or not it is actually needed or called for. I do not have an answer for this question, nor do I think there is any one answer. I am more concerned with the fact that these scenes are additionally complicated because they provide society with yet more visual representation of sexual violence towards women.

With more representations, the chances of the crime becoming increasingly normalized escalate. For example, not even a day went by, after “Bitchcraft” aired, before gifs were created featuring the gang rape. Many of these gifs can be read as highly comical, downplaying the serious nature of the scene, with inclusion of “frowny-face” emoticons when referencing Madison’s rape. As another example, several people took to twitter to relay their opinions regarding the gang rape scene.36 Many published positive statements about Madison’s rape, feeding a society that supports rape.37 In my eyes, this reveals that there is a lack of understanding when it comes to the full, serious impact of rape, especially amongst the youth that are creating these gifs and tweeting such statements.

When comparing the representations of rape in American Horror Story to those on other television series, it is apparent just how complicated it can be. The gang rape of

Madison has been read by many as a lazy plot point, used to elicit sympathy from audience members towards a character that was presented in the beginning as cold and nasty. This is similar to the readings of Joan Holloway (Mad Men), Tara Thorton (True

Blood), and Mellie Grant (Scandal), each of which were raped in what can only be understood as an attempt to develop their character or make them less callous and more sympathetic.38 And recently on Downton Abbey, the maid Anna was raped to apparently make both her and the plot more complex. Madison’s rape seemed to instill her with

27 power and control, provide a narrative opportunity to kill Kyle—so he could be resurrected as a Frankenstein-esque character—and make her seem more compassionate and human, if only for a second. As Jaclyn Friedman explains in her article, “Rape on

TV—More Than Just a Plot Twist,” “On Scandal, the rape flashback woven into a

Mellie-centric episode seems to have been used to make bitter, conniving Mellie more sympathetic (and that was definitely the show’s avid fans’ response on Twitter). But rape doesn't make people better. It doesn't give its victims new personalities. And there are a hundred other ways to give a one-note character nuance.”39 Simply put, when looking at

American Horror Story’s track record, it seems to heavily rely on raping or sexual assaulting its characters to develop plot or characters. One cannot help but wonder if the writers could have achieved the three major results of Madison’s gang rape without raping her in the first place.

When looking at another rape scene in American Horror Story, where Vivien is raped by the Rubber Man, it is even more evident how complicated the show’s employment of rape narratives are. Emily Nussbaum, in her article, “Queer Eyes, Full

Heart,” explains that the scene functions as both “misogynistic and feminist” at the same time.40 While Vivien is ultimately raped, providing audiences with the show’s first depiction of violence against women, the dialogue that takes place before the event positions Vivien with some power and sexual agency. At the sight of the black gimp suit, which she believes is being worn by Ben, Vivien responds, “You really want to go for round two? C’mon, I can be kinky.” This kind of acceptance of sexual deviance is seen as

“perfect for exploring taboo themes about feminine strength and vulnerability.”41 The question of who raped her also becomes a focal point for most of the season, rather than

28 simply remaining as an unfortunate violent action that happened to her in just one episode. Although this specific rape narrative was given more attention, most of the acts of rape or sexual assault on the show happen and then go unnoticed or regarded ever again (i.e., Moira’s rape, Kyle’s sexual assault, Madison’s rape, etc.).

CONCLUSION

Although American Horror Story revels in shock and awe, the way rape is explored and portrayed is highly problematic. Rape is presented in a positive way, an event that propels a character to take charge over her own power and control. It feeds stereotypes that remain pervasive throughout our culture (i.e. all fraternity brothers are rapists). Critics and viewers should discuss all of these issues, in the same way that they discussed the rape of both Anna on Downton Abbey and Millie on Scandal. The continual use of rape narratives, their visually implicit formal qualities, and lack of essential thought by

Murphy and Falchuk certainly do not encourage new discourse, though.

An alternative approach to representing rape may be found in the television series

Veronica Mars (2004-2007), a show that garnered a similar cult following to that of

American Horror Story. The use of rape in its narrative is more complex and realistic than what is consistently portrayed in American Horror Story. Rather than happening in one episode, never to be discussed again, or being used to make Veronica Mars a complex or sympathetic character, her rape is realistically depicted as an awful event that undeniably happened to her. The series allows the narrative to span more than an episode, as it becomes one of the main unsolved problems throughout the series. The struggle of

29 finding out who raped Veronica Mars is a mystery that she does not get answers to until the end of the second season. Even though the mystery spans 44 episodes, her rape is not the main focus of the show or any episode in particular. Instead, the audience is provided an example of the long-term effects of rape: periodic nightmares, she gets an STI, and she ultimately becomes wary of men and their intentions. As Arielle Duhaime-Ross explains in an article for The Atlantic, “For fans an haters alike, Veronica Mars remains the only

American television series that successfully depicts the long-term effects of this type of sexual violence.”42 Rather than following in the steps of Veronica Mars, by employing a similar and realistic long-term portrayal of rape and its repercussions, after Madison is gang raped in American Horror Story: Coven, the occurrence is never mentioned again.

Rape is not a topic that Murphy or Falchuk give much thought. It is just a mode in which they can use to plant a seed within the plot to complicate matters. It is manifested as both a figurative seed—one that inspires action in another character, à la Zoe developing a connection to Madison and a need for her constant approval—and as a literal seed—one that results in the pregnancy of Vivien and Lana, as two examples.

When each episode has a 1 in 4 chance of including representations of rape, viewers have certainly come to expect its highly prevalent incorporation on American Horror Story. As

Hank Stuever quickly mentioned in his review of “Bitchcraft,” “After a few drinks, what’s the worst that could happen to these girls? Does your answer include ‘rape’? Then you, too, are onto American Horror Story’s favorite compulsion; the show seems to always be in search of a new way to depict sexual violation.”43

Representations of rape and their use to move the narrative is so highly prevalent in American Horror Story that viewers may have simply come to expect it. Since its

30 violence is implied rather than explicitly described, and since its narrative value is incidental to the overall progression of the series, it would seem that viewers and critics alike are given permission to gloss over its more troubling implications. When rape intrudes on the “realistic” drama of a show like Scandal or Downtown Abbey, critical reaction abounds, but inserted into the comparatively extreme fantasies of American

Horror Story—while at the same time downplayed both formally and narratively—the representation of rape fails to produce the discourse it rightfully should. Such discourse could possibly inspire Murphy and Falchuk to think more critically of their continual use of rape as a plot device and way to easily develop characters. Who knows, though? It seems American Horror Story is purely their way of pushing the boundaries of censorship and comfort in general. What better way to do that than by raping almost every female character…right?

NOTES

1 Sarah Hughes, “A macabre makeover: This is a golden age for horror on the small screen,” The Independent (2012): http://www.independent.co.uk/arts- entertainment/tv/features/a-macabre-makeover-this-is-a-golden-age-for-horror-on-the- small-screen-8226882.html; Scott Hallam, “Doctor Gash’s Tip of the Scalpel—Horror on TV,” Dread Central (2013): http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/62933/doctor-gashs-tip- scalpel-horror-tv#axzz2yzHXopEl; “The Golden Age of Television—at least for horror,” Amityville Now (2013): http://amityvillenow.com/2013/11/05/the-golden-age-of- television-at-least-for-horror/. Each of these articles discusses the proliferation of horror on television, explaining that it is the “Golden Age of Horror.” 2 Todd VanDerWerff, “American Horror Story to completely ditch season one characters, story, do something new in season two,” A.V. Club (2011): http://www.avclub.com/article/iamerican-horror-storyi-to-completely-ditch-season- 67002; Internet Movie Database (IMDB), accessed December 2, 2013, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1844624/awards?ref_=tt_awd. VanDerWerff explains how American Horror Story was the highest rated new cable series in the 18-49 demographic,

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and it discusses the anthology format for the series. See IMDB for a complete list the series accolades. 3 Jaclyn Friedman, “Rape on TV—More than Just a Plot Twist,” The American Prospect (2014): http://prospect.org/article/rape-tv—more-just-plot-twist. Friedman discusses how many shows “use rape to make a character more ‘interesting.’” 4 Karen Valby, “Hey TV: Stop Raping Women,” Entertainment Weekly (2014): http://popwatch.ew.com/2014/02/27/tv-rape-scenes-downton-abbey-house-of-cards- scandal/. Valby’s article directly references various examples of rape on television and its use to build a female character’s backstory—Claire in House of Cards. She explains that complexity and anger can come from other sources, not just rape. 5 Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett and Bidisha, “Was the Downton Abbey Rape Scene Acceptable,” The Guardian (2014): http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/08/downton-abbey-rape-scene- acceptable-tv. Cosslett and Bidisha explain how “it is important that sexual violence is discussed openly, and if portraying it on television leads to a dialogue, then that can only be a good thing.” 6 Friedman, “Rape on TV—More than Just a Plot Twist.” Friedman explains, “I never want narrative television to stop depicting rape. Television is perfectly suited to telling complex, challenging stories that evolve over time. And TV's national and international audiences are certainly in need of better understanding of all of the issues surrounding sexual violence.” She then goes on to explain how simply using rape as a plot device can be detrimental, citing the execution of the narrative and scenes as being most crucial in preventing this. 7 Ryan Murphy quoted in “Culture: Ryan Murphy,” an interview with Julia Roberts for Interview Magazine. 8 Tosha Taylor, “Who’s Afraid of the Rubber Man?” Media, Communications and Cultural Studies Association volume 5, number 2 (2012): 136-137. Taylor explores this notion of success in tandem with the marketing campaign incorporating a lot of BDSM imagery. 9 The reverberations of this scene were felt far and wide, with many writers and critics discussing its inclusion in the series, culminating in a wide-range of evaluative assessment. Some felt that maybe the creators and writers had gone too far with their seemingly excessive need to push the boundaries on violent depictions. Richard Lawson explains in his article “American Horror Story Goes Too Far,” that he considers the school shooting to be too much. He discusses how “deliberately exact” the scene seemed to be, and how “there was a particular event, or events, that they were trying to directly evoke and that's just cruel.” Because of the overall lack of music, close-up reaction shots before each student’s death, long takes, and library location, the scene was read as “an all-too-realistic high school shooting” (Ibid.). Jenna Mullins, in a review of this episode for E! Online, “American Horror Story Redux: We Get the Full Story on Tate’s Deadly Past! What’s Next for Him?” went so far as to describe the scene as “one of the most unsettling five minutes of television.” 10 Internet Movie Database (IMDB), accessed December 2, 2013: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0180093/trivia?tab=tr&item=tr0777070. This explains how the average 90-minute film is composed of 600-700 cuts.

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11 For example, the rape scene in A Clockwork Orange (1971), which has been lauded as one of the most visually explicit rape scenes in all of film history for the very fact that it is slow paced comprised of very few total shots. 12 Sarah Projansky, Watching Rape: Film and Television in Postfeminist Culture (New York and London: New York University Press, 2001), 109. 13 Noël Carroll, The Philosophy of Horror or Paradoxes of the Heart (New York: Routledge, 1990), 22. Interestingly, several of the most horrific and explicitly violent scenes in American Horror Story involved characters that are not monsters in a straightforward sense. Other than Rubber Man—who turns out to be the ghost of Tate— Dr. Thredson and the fraternity brothers are, in the simplest sense, humans. According to Carroll, they would not be considered monsters, and thus not a part of a true horror narrative, because they are not typified by clearly abnormal or non-human qualities. 14 Ibid. 15 Caroll, The Philosophy of Horror or Paradoxes of the Heart, 34. 16 Carol Clover, Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1992), 41. 17 Ibid. Clover explains how many slasher films in the horror genre during the 1980s began heavily relying on special effects to bush boundaries to express extreme visual violence in her book. 18 Allison Keene, “American Horror Story: Coven: TV Review,” The Hollywood Reporter (2013): http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie/american-horror- story/review/644348; James Poniewozik, “TV Tonight: American Horror Story: Coven,” Time (2013): http://entertainment.time.com/2013/10/09/tv-tonight-american-horror-story- coven/; Kelly West, “American Horror Story: Coven Review: FX’s Dark and Twisted Drama Returns with ‘Bitchcraft’,” Television Blend (2013): http://www.cinemablend.com/television/American-Horror-Story-Coven-Review-FX- Dark-Twisted-Drama-Returns-With-Bitchcraft-59746.html; Lori Racki, “’American Horror Story’ goes for fresher blood,” Chicago Sun-Times (2013): http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/television/23024540-421/american-horror-story- goes-for-fresher-blood.html#.U068khaYVUQ; Matt Fowler, “Wear Something Black,” IGN (2013): http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/10/10/american-horror-story-coven- bitchcraft-review; Melisssa Maerz, “American Horror Story: Coven,” Entertainment Weekly (2013): http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20534121_20743650,00.html; Neil Genzingler, “Each One Witchier Than the Next,” The New York Times (2013): http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/09/arts/television/american-horror-story-coven-has-a- big-star-lineup.html?_r=1&; Robert Rorke, “Jessica Lange and Kathy Bates camp it up on ‘Horror Story’,” New York Post (2013): http://nypost.com/2013/10/07/jessica-lange- and-kathy-bates-camp-it-up-on-horror-story/. 19 Hank Stuever, “’American Horror Story: Coven’ It’s witches this time, but the spell is wearing off,” The Washington Post (2013): http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/american-horror-story-coven-its- witches-this-time-but-the-spell-is-wearing-off/2013/10/08/0b033ad6-2fa4-11e3-bbed- a8a60c601153_story.html; Mary McNamara, “American Horror Story: Bitchcraft,” Den Of Geek! (2013): http://www.denofgeek.us/tv/american-horror-story/206802/american- horror-story-bitchcraft; Nick Harley, “American Horror Story: Bitchcraft,” Den of Geek!

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(2013): http://www.denofgeek.us/tv/american-horror-story/206802/american-horror- story-bitchcraft; Willa Paskin, “American Horror Story: Coven,” Slate (2013): http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/television/2013/10/american_horror_story_coven_seas on_3_reviewed.html. 20 Todd VanDerWerff, “American Horror Story: ‘Bitchcraft,’” A.V. Club (2013): http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/american-horror-story-bitchcraft-103875; Meredith Borders, “American Horror Story: Coven Review ‘Bitchcraft’ is Bitchin,’” Badass Digest (2013): http://badassdigest.com/2013/10/09/american-horror-story-coven-review- bitchcraft-is-bitchin/; Ross Bonaime, “American Horror Story Review: ‘Bitchcraft’ (301),” Paste (2013): http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2013/10/american-horror- story-coven-review-bitchcraft-epis.html. 21 Gina Vaynshteyn, “’American Horror Story: Coven’ Exposes Rape Culture: Is this Social Commentary Effective?” Buddy TV (2013): http://www.buddytv.com/articles/american-horror-story/american-horror-story-coven-ex- 51519.aspx. 22 Lisa Cuklanz, Rape on Prime Time: Television, Masculinity, and Sexual Violence (Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2000). 23 Projansky, Watching Rape: Film and Television in Postfeminist Culture, 67. 24 Ibid. 25 Projansky, Watching Rape: Film and Television in Postfeminist Culture, 95. 26 Jamie Nesbitt Golden, “We Can Now Add ‘Scandal’ to the Long List of TV Shows that Lazily Rely on a Rape Scene to Make a Hated Character More Sympathetic,” XO Jane Entertainment (2013): http://www.xojane.com/entertainment/scandal-mellie-rape; Jenn Beaz, “’Scandal’ Fans, It’s Time To Stop Hating On Mellie,” Hollywood Life (2013): http://hollywoodlife.com/2013/11/15/scandal-mellie-rape-scene-season-3- episode-7/; Lauren Duca, “The ‘Scandal’ and ‘Downton Abbey’ Rape Scenes Are Problematic, but Not for the Reasons You Might Think,” The Huffington Post (2013): http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lauren-duca/scandal-rape-downton- rape_b_4282109.html; Margaret Lyons, “Scandal’s Rape Isn’t About Likeability,” Vulture (2013): http://www.vulture.com/2013/11/scandal-mellie-rape-big-jer.html. 27 Cicely K. Dyson, “’Scandal’ Recap, Season 3, Episode 7, ‘Everything’s Coming Up Mellie,’” Wall Street Journal: Speakeasy (2013): http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/11/14/scandal-season-3-episode-8-vermont-is-for- lovers-too-tv-recap/. 28 Dave Itzkoff, “Watching ‘Downton Abbey’: A Shocking Crime,” The New York Times (2014): http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/12/watching-downton-abbey-a- shocking-crime/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0; Graeme McMillan, “Downton Abbey and Rape: Anna’s Excruciating Fridging Problem,” Time (2014): http://time.com/9067/downtown-abbey-and-rape-anna-bates-fridging-problem/; Holly Baxter, “The Rape of Anna Bates: What if Stieg Larsson Had Written Downton Abbey?” The Guardian (2013): http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/12/anna- bates-stieg-larsson-downton-abbey. 29 Sarah Gibson, “Fantastic Four actor joins American Horror Story: Freak Show,” Moviepilot (2014): http://moviepilot.com/posts/2014/03/31/fantastic-four-actor-joins- american-horror-story-freak-show-1306347?lt_source=external,manual; Tim Kenneally,

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“’American Horror Story’ Casts Michael Chiklis for Season 4’s ‘Freak Show,’” The Wrap (2014): http://www.thewrap.com/american-horror-story-season-4-michael-chiklis- joins-cast/. These articles reference casting news for the upcoming fourth season, American Horror Story: Freak Show. 30 Tim Stack, “’American Horror Story’: Rubber Man revealed! We talk to [SPOILER] about the major plot twist!” Entertainment Weekly (2011): http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/11/23/american-horror-story-rubber-man-revealed/. Rather than discussing the fact that Vivien’s rapist is finally revealed when the identity of Rubber Man is unearthed (1.08 “Rubber Man”), the article focuses on the solved monster mystery. 31 Madeleine Davies, “Which Witch Won This Week’s American Horror Story?” Jezebel (2013): http://jezebel.com/which-witch-won-this-weeks-american-horror-story- 1443493172/all. 32 “About Jezebel,” accessed March 26, 2014, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jezebel_(website)#cite_note-21. 33 Amanda Rodriguez, “Rape Culture, Trigger Warning, and Bates Motel,” Bitch Flicks (2014): http://www.btchflcks.com/2014/02/rape-culture-trigger-warnings-bates- motel.html#.U07CmxaYVUR. Rodriquez discusses the rape of Norma Bates, which is another example of a show that exists in the horror genre that did not elicit a strong response to its violent depiction of rape. 34 Projansky, Watching Rape: Film and Television in Postfeminist Culture, 113. Projansky discusses this stereotype and its potential impact on our perceptions. 35 Denise Martin, “Jessica Lange to Play ‘Glamour Cat’ in American Horror Story Season Three,” Vulture (2013): http://www.vulture.com/2013/01/jessica-lange-american- horror-story-season-three.html. 36 Kelsea Stahler, “’American Horror Story: Coven’ Rape Scene Cheered On By Emma Roberts Haters,” Bustle (2013): http://www.bustle.com/articles/6639-american-horror- story-coven-rape-scene-cheered-on-by-emma-roberts-haters. The articles focuses on the fact that several people tweeted “jokes” and expressed positivity that Madison Montgomery was raped on the show, because they dislike Emma Roberts as a person. The author explains that making jokes about rape detaches people from the reality of the act and serious nature of it, guiding a generation that finds little seriousness to the actual consequences of rape. 37 Coryn Corell, Twitter post, October 10, 2013, 12:42 a.m., accessed on December 6, 2013, https://twitter.com/intothepeapod/status/388192797343219712 This is an example of a tweet celebrating Emma Roberts being raped on the show. The author of this tweet, tagged Emma Roberts in the post (@RobertsEmma). 38 Jamie Nesbit Golden, “We Can Now Add Scandal to the Long List of TV Shows That Lazily Rely on a Rape Scene to Make a Hated Character More Sympathetic,” XO Jane (2013): http://www.xojane.com/entertainment/scandal-mellie-rape. Golden discusses the various television shows that have used rape to for character development. 39 Friedman, “Rape on TV—More than Just a Plot Twist.” 40 Emily Nussbaum, “Queer Eyes, Full Heart,” The New Yorker (2012): http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/television/2012/11/26/121126crte_television_nuss baum.

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41 Ibid. 42 Arielle Duhaime-Ross, “’Veronica Mars,’ TV’s Realest Depiction of Rape, Is Going to Be a Movie,” The Atlantic (2013): http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/03/veronica-mars-tvs-realest-depiction- of-rape-is-going-to-be-a-movie/274028/. 43 Stuever, “’American Horror Story: Coven’ It’s witches this time, but the spell is wearing off.”

TELEOGRAPHY

American Horror Story. (2011- ) U.S.A.: 20th Century Fox Television, Ryan Murphy Productions, FX, created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. • “Pilot,” American Horror Story: Murder House, season 1, episode 1, directed by Ryan Murphy. FX. 2011, October 5. • “Murder House,” American Horror Story: Murder House, season 1, episode 3, directed by Bradley Buecker. FX. 2011, October 19. • “Halloween: Part I,” American Horror Story: Murder House, season 1, episode 4, directed by David Semel. FX. 2011, October 26. • “Piggy Piggy,” American Horror Story: Murder House, season 1, episode 6, directed by Michael Uppendahl. FX. 2011, November 9. • “Spooky Little Girl,” American Horror Story: Murder House, season 1, episode 9, directed by John Scott. FX. 2011, November 30. • “Smoldering Children,” American Horror Story: Murder House, season 1, episode 10, directed by Lehmann. FX. 2011, December 7. • “Welcome to Briarcliff,” American Horror Story: Asylum, season 2, episode 1, directed by Bradley Buecker. FX. 2012, October 17. • “Trick and Treats,” American Horror Story: Asylum, season 2, episode 2, directed by Bradley Buecker. FX. 2012, October 24. • “I Am Anne Frank (Part 1),” American Horror Story: Asylum, season 2, episode 4, directed Michael Uppendahl. FX. 2012, November 7. • “The Origins of Monstrosity,” American Horror Story: Asylum, season 2, episode 6, directed by David Semel. FX. 2012, November 21. • “Dark Cousin,” American Horror Story: Asylum, season 2, episode 7, directed by Michael Rymer. FX. 2012, November 28. • “Unholy Night,” American Horror Story: Asylum, season 2, episode 8, directed by Michael Lehmann. FX. 2012, December 5. • “Coat Hanger,” American Horror Story: Asylum, season 2, episode 9, directed by Jeremy Podeswa. FX. 2012, December 12. • “The Name Game,” American Horror Story: Asylum, season 2, episode 10, directed by Michael Lehmann. FX. 2013, January 2. • “Bitchcraft,” American Horror Story: Coven, season 3, episode 1, directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon. FX. 2013, October 9. • “Boy Parts,” American Horror Story: Coven, season 3, episode 2, directed by

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Michael Rymer. FX. 2013, October 16. • “The Replacements,” American Horror Story: Coven, season 3, episode 3, directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon. FX. 2013, October 23. • “Burn, Witch. Burn!,” American Horror Story: Coven, season 3, episode 4, directed by Jeremy Podeswa. FX. 2013, October 30. • “The Sacred Taking,” American Horror Story: Coven, season 3, episode 8, directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon. FX. 2013, December 4. • “Protect the Coven,” American Horror Story: Coven, season 3, episode 11, directed by Bradley Buecker. FX. 2014, January 15. • “The Seven Wonders,” American Horror Story: Coven, season 3, episode 13, directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon. FX. 2014, January 29.

Downton Abbey. (2010- ) United Kingdom: Carnival Films, PBS, created by Julian Fellowes.

Glee. (2009- ) U.S.A.: 20th Century Fox Television, Brad Falchuk Teley-Vision, Ryan Murphy Productions, Fox, created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan.

Mad Men. (2007- ) U.S.A.: Weiner Bros., Silvercup Studios, Lionsgate Television, AMC Studios, AMC, created by Matthew Weiner.

Nip/Tuck. (2003-2010) U.S.A.: 20th Century Fox Television, FX, created by Ryan Murphy.

Scandal. (2012- ) U.S.A.: Disney—ABC Domestic Television, ABC, created by Shonda Rhimes.

True Blood. (2008- ) U.S.A.: Your Face Goes Here Entertainment, HBO, created by Alan Ball.

Veronica Mars. (2004-2007) U.S.A.: Warner Bros. Television, UPN & The CW, created by Rob Thomas.

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Name of Candidate: Trevor Myrick

Birth date: July 29, 1991

Birth place: Salt Lake City, Utah

Address: 1301 Heritage Center Salt Lake City, UT, 84112