American Horror Story: Coven

In honor of this time of year I always post about the current season of "American Horror Story" or as I used to call it prior to this season; "The Jessica Lange Show".

Well "AHS" has upped the acting/diva ante this year with the addition of two other acting legends: Kathy Bates and Angela Bassett. Along with a trio of talented young actresses Emma Roberts,
Gabourey Sidibe and Taissa Farmiga, yeah say those names together three times fast.

Seasoned acting divas vs. young acting divas! Of course while the veterans are the most interesting but the young ones hold their own in what so far is working itself out to be an interesting entry into the "AHS" anthology now in it's 3rd season.

Kathy Bates & Jessica Lange

Two episodes in I feel like the season is really just getting started and we are in for something that is going to blow our collective cauldrons off!

One of the cool things is how "AHS" pays homage to other horror films with a wink and a nod, yet makes it their own. My personal favorite so far? The well deserved tribute to my favorite vampire film of all time, the late Tony Scott's "The Hunger". All of you "Hunger" fans know the scene of which I speak the one with First Lady Jessica Lange in the laboratory with the experimental aging drugs on a monkey, oh yes!

The demented Kathy Bates and her love of pancreas blood from her slaves to keep her young and Ms. Angela Bassett so good as a fictionalized version of Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen of New Orelans, whose grave I have actually been to, Marie's not Angela's.

Angela Bassett as "Marie Laveau"

Yes, you are engaging with one hardcore horror fan, someone who is so much one I visited the location of this seasons story, New Orleans, LA for Halloween one year, make of it what you will, or be well and carry on.

That being said fictionalized Marie Laveau so far is the scariest of the witches to me, even Bassett's line delivery of: "She done messed with the wrong witch" sends chills up my spine. Kathy Bates making a Minotaur out of one of her Black slaves that slept with her lily White daughter is pretty unnerving too.

But Ms. Lange takes the top prize as usual as her eternal youth seeking and sucking "Fiona" who will stop at nothing in a cocaine induced rage to get her some, Fountain of Youth, that is...

Emma Roberts as a half assed actress "Madison" who killed someone on set with a hanging light because he told her to hit her mark, takes top prize as my favorite of the young Witches, not to mention her destroying a whole bus of fraternity boys who gang raped her, way to go "Madison"!

Gabourey Sidibe takes best line of the season thus far for referring to one of her only witch role models growing up as "Sabrina, The Teenage Cracker" - love it!

Gabourey Sidibe: "Sabrina The Teenage Cracker"

And Taissa Farmiga as the Witch who has a "vagina that kills" gotta love a Killer V!

Interestingly enough the show really brings horror into a realm where the last two seasons have gone, but more so, it makes horror an estrogen game. Most horror is male dominated, but every season of "AHS" has really made the female characters the powerful ones, the ones who have driven the story, not the passive victims they are in standard Hollywood fare.

That, for me as a huge horror fan has always been one of the more interesting things about "AHS" - it really is all about the estrogen...can't wait for more of "Coven"!

Go "Coven" at: http://www.fxnetworks.com/ahs/