Poe and American Horror Story

Having finished my Poe reading for the night, I nestled into bed with my laptop to watch an episode of season 2 of American Horror Story. Halfway through the episode, I began to ask myself why I watch this show. I cringe and turn my head away during the scenes in which a woman is subjected to an electric chair, a psychopath skins his female victims alive, and a doctor burns himself to death in a cremation chamber. I knew I would have nightmares, but at the same time, I also couldn’t stop watching. I had to know what would happen next—the introduction of a new character, an exciting plot twist, or even the anticipated unveiling of the psychopath murderer.

The violence and terror in American Horror Story is extreme, but the show elicits a suspense that is comparable to the effect Poe employs in his writing. Part of the reason Poe’s stories are so enjoyable is because they are unpredictable. Even when I reach the stories’ endings, I am often left wondering if I fully understand Poe’s resolution or if I am confusing the narrator’s paranoia with reality. I am confused by the story, but I am also confused by my interpretation of it. When reading “The Purloined Letter,” I prepared myself for an absurd explanation for the missing letter. I was intrigued and surprised to discover that Dupin took the letter and forged a replacement to enact avenge on the minister and collect a reward, but I was equally satisfied that Poe thwarted my expectations. In The Tell-Tale Heart, I completely missed the detail in which the narrator kills the old man by suffocating him to death underneath his bed; while the narrator describes his anxiety at hearing the unbearable sound of the dead man’s heartbeat, I was equally anxious to find out how the murder had been achieved. Poe’s stories make you want to quickly flip the pages in search of an explanation or resolution to their strange plot lines, but he also requires you to read closely as to not miss intimate details.

Many of Poe’s endings appear unresolved, just as American Horror Story episodes end in thrilling cliffhangers that entice you to keeping watching. Poe is a great writer, but he is also a skillful dramatist and entertainer who knows how to manipulate his audience. Somewhat paradoxically, there is something satisfying in reading or watching something that is disturbing or makes you uncomfortable. Despite the difference in genre, I want to keep reading Poe stories and watching American Horror Story to resolve this discomfort and find peace in a resolution, even if doesn’t feel entirely complete. Maybe I’m just a sucker for entertainment.