| "Murder House" | |||
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| American Horror Story episode | |||
After Larry (Denis O'Hare) murders Hayden (Kate Mara), Ben (Dylan McDermott) builds a gazebo to conceal the body. |
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| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 3 |
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| Directed by | Bradley Buecker | ||
| Written by | Jennifer Salt | ||
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| Production code | 1ATS02 | ||
| Original air date | October 19, 2011 | ||
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| List of American Horror Story episodes | |||
"Murder House" is the third episode of the first season of the television series American Horror Story, which premiered on the network FX on October 19, 2011. The episode was written by Jennifer Salt and directed by Bradley Buecker.
In the episode, Ben (Dylan McDermott) is paid a visit by an upset Hayden (Kate Mara), who demands he tell his wife the truth. Vivien (Connie Britton) learns about the house's former residents: a crazed surgeon, Charles Montgomery (Matt Ross), and wife, Nora (Lily Rabe), who provided illegal abortions in their basement, until their bitter marriage mysteriously ended.
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A younger Moira (Alexandra Breckenridge) is cleaning the house when she is sexually assaulted by Constance's (Jessica Lange) husband, Hugo (Eric Close) after she rejects his advances; Moira expressed regret over a onetime sexual encounter the two previously had. Constance enters the bedroom and shoots both Moira and Hugo to death, after which she breaks down into tears.
The Harmons' finances take a blow, making moving immediately impractical. Moira continues to sexually harass Ben (Dylan McDermott), who attempts to fire her. Moira (Frances Conroy) convinces Vivien (Connie Britton) that Ben is sexually harassing her, then threatens to sue if they fire her. While being mocked by Constance, Moira becomes angry over the fact that she is stuck in the mansion.
Ben blacks out and wakes up in the yard with no memory of his actions, which include digging a hole in the lawn. Hayden (Kate Mara) surprises Ben when she appears on his doorstep. She announces that she is keeping the baby and moving to a home nearby, and that she is going to tell Vivien about the pregnancy and continue their affair. Ben later passes out. The doctor runs his blood work, informing him that she found traces of an opiate that causes memory loss.
While in town, Vivien begins to bleed after hearing of the house's original owners: a crazed surgeon (Matt Ross) and his wife, Nora (Lily Rabe). The doctor and his wife provided illegal abortions in their basement to pay their bills, until their bitter marriage ended in murder. At the doctor's office, Vivien explains that the bleeding stopped when she returned to the house. She also adds that she and her family are planning on moving. The doctor assures Vivien that the baby is fine, before advising her that the stress of moving out of the house could cause a miscarriage. Vivien tries to sell the house and unknowingly interacts with the ghost of Nora.
Ben confronts Moira, accusing her of poisoning his coffee with the opiate. Hayden appears, unhinged and frantic over the fact that Ben has ignored her. As Ben takes Hayden outside to calm her down, Larry (Denis O'Hare) appears and strikes her with a shovel, killing her. He explains he did it as a way to help Ben and prevent him from becoming a murderer. Ben is distraught, but Larry convinces him that getting rid of the body is the best option. Larry finishes digging the hole, at the bottom of which are Moira's remains, and buries Hayden over them. Ben builds a gazebo over the spot.
Watching this, Constance taunts Moira by telling her that now she is stuck in the house forever.
The episode was written by co-executive producer Jennifer Salt, and directed by editor Bradley Buecker.
Matt Fowler in his review for IGN gave the episode an overall score of 7.5, stating that "Murder House took a bit of a step backwards from the forward momentum we got in "Home Invasion," but it still offered up some wickedly puzzling frights and gave us all a new past atrocity to mull over."[1] Todd VanDerWerff from the The A.V. Club gave the episode a D+ grade, and said that American Horror Story is "a terrible, messed-up television show. And yet by doing virtually everything horribly, it becomes preposterously entertaining."[2]
In its original American broadcast, the third episode of American Horror Story was seen by an estimated 2.58 million household viewers and gained a 1.5 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research. The episode rose a tenth from the previous episode.[3]
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