What AHS Season 2's Theme Originally Was (& Why Ryan Murphy Changed It)
American Horror Story season 2's theme was originally very different before showrunner Ryan Murphy elected to change it. Fresh off the heels of Murder House, producers knew that the FX anthology's sophomore season had to be something as groundbreaking and spectacular as its predecessor was. As is often the case in film and television, what ultimately aired in Fall 2012 was certainly a deviation from original plans.
American Horror Story: Asylum (connected to 1984) blew audiences away with its captivating storytelling and range of complex, emotionally disturbed characters. Set in 1960s Massachusetts, Asylum's primary setting is the titular Briarcliff Manor, an institute for the criminally insane run by Jessica Lange's sacrilegious Sister Jude. Ryan Murphy based Briarcliff on the Willowbrook School, a negligent state-supported institution for intellectually disabled children which operated for 40 years before public outcry in response to its horrific conditions led to its closure in 1987.
Related: How Bloody Face Connects Asylum To Freak Show: AHS Theory Explained
Similarly, the original theme for American Horror Story season 2, before Asylum came to be, was one directly inspired by another grisly institution. Ryan Murphy had planned for thefollow-up to the Beetlejuice-inspired Murder House to be set on Alcatraz Island, as confirmed in an interview (via EW), the home of a federal and military prison in San Francisco which is reportedly haunted. From 1934 to 1963, Alcatraz housed some of the most dangerous civilian prisoners, from Al Capone to George «Machine Gun» Kelly. Murphy had even planted a clue alluding to the original season 2 theme in a line of dialogue uttered by Murder House medium Billie Dean Howard. Ultimately,
Read more on screenrant.com
