Well... I'm terrified. (American Horror Story: Asylum - TV-MA)

I first tried to watch American Horror Story when the Season 1, AHS: House, was added to Netflix. I just couldn't get into it. There was too much violence and not enough story. My friend encouraged me to give it another shot when Season 3, AHS: Coven, was showing on FX. I hated it, too. But my brother had seen a few episodes from Season 2, AHS: Asylum, and said he found it quite interesting. I found it on Netflix and gave it a shot.

After just the first few episodes, I was hooked. The show tackles the bizarre and unexplainable head on in gory detail. While I'm usually more of a fan of shows like NBC's Hannibal that handle dark topics with provocative grace, there is something enticing about the raunchy, raw quality of American Horror Story. What can I say? I like weird. I'm also enjoying the current season, AHS: Freak Show, on FX so far.

Warning: do not make the decision to binge AHS lightly!! This show gets dark. Seriously. Rape, murder, and torture are common happenings in American Horror Story. It does get scary and it does get uncomfortable. I do not recommend bingeing this show simply because it will wreck you. Don't watch so much so fast that it gets stuck in your head. Space it out to enjoy it - because the suspense of not knowing is half the fun.

Despite the horrific occurrences that fill most of the show's time, there are some darn good moments in AHS: Asylum that make the whole thing worthwhile. I had two favorites. The Name Game and Lana's escape.

The Name Game was a moment of comic relief during a very intense episode. And I'll admit the song was stuck in my head the whole afternoon.

Video credit: American Horror Story, YouTube

You cannot help but get attached to Lana Winters. She's a journalist who enters the asylum with one purpose - to expose it. Things take a turn for the evil when she gets committed and is subjected to cruel manners of torture, making her all the more determined to take Briarcliff down. When she managed to escape the asylum with a tape holding key evidence, I applauded, thinking, This is it, she is going to take them down! (However...her trouble with Briarcliff doesn't end with her escape. Turns out evil is a pretty good stalker.)

GIF credit: www.tumblr.com

As I said, this show contains some extremely dark content. It drains you of your emotional energy and it could give you nightmares. But I found AHS: Asylum to be a very satisfying watch. Seasons 1-3 available to stream on Netflix. Rating 3.5/5 pints of Ben & Jerry's.