Spooky Little Girl

Last updated
"Spooky Little Girl"
American Horror Story episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 9
Directed by John Scott
Written by Jennifer Salt
Featured music
Production code1ATS08
Original air dateNovember 30, 2011 (2011-11-30)
Running time40 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Rubber Man"		Next →
"Smoldering Children"
American Horror Story: Murder House
List of episodes

"Spooky Little Girl" is the ninth episode of the first season of the television series American Horror Story , which premiered on the network FX on November 30, 2011. The episode was written by Jennifer Salt and was directed by John Scott. This episode is rated TV-MA (LSV).

Contents

In this episode, a famous murder victim visits the house while Constance (Jessica Lange) learns of Tate's (Evan Peters) bad behavior. Kate Mara guest stars as Hayden McClaine. Taissa Farmiga is absent in this episode.

Plot

A flashback to 1947 shows a dentist, who lives and works out of the house, putting Elizabeth Short (Black Dahlia) under anesthesia and raping her, but accidentally kills her. Dr. Montgomery dismembers her and her remains are later found in a field.

A detective and Hayden's sister arrive at the house, believing Hayden has been murdered, but Hayden convinces them she's alive. Ben is told by a doctor that he is the father of only one of Vivien's twins. Ben walks in on young Moira and Elizabeth trying to seduce him and has enough; he fires Moira and throws Elizabeth out.

Believing that Vivien cheated on him, Ben visits her in the ward. Thinking she is asleep, he berates her over the supposed hypocrisy and says he will never help her leave. Ben later tells Hayden he never loved her. Heartbroken, she lies that Luke slept with Vivien.

Constance tries to make up with her younger boyfriend Travis and proposes to him, believing they can raise Tate's child together as a family. When he refuses, she mocks his dreams of becoming famous and he has sex with Hayden, who murders him. Travis' body is dismembered by Dr. Montgomery and taken away by Larry. His body is displayed in the same manner as Elizabeth's.

Constance, desiring the child, visits Vivien in the ward, expressing her support for her. Vivien confides in her that she was raped by the Rubber Man, but will pretend it was a hallucination in order to be discharged from the ward. Ben confronts Luke, the security officer Vivien employed, but learns that he is infertile and therefore could not be the father. As Moira leaves, Ben finds the Rubber Man mask and demands to know the truth, now realizing that Vivien is not crazy and was indeed raped. Moira congratulates him for finally starting to see the truth, appearing to him for the first time in her "true" elderly form.

Billie Dean Howard states to Constance that a child that is conceived between a ghost and a human is the Antichrist and will usher in the Apocalypse.

Production

Mena Suvari portrays the Black Dahlia in the episode. Mena Suvari by David Shankbone.jpg
Mena Suvari portrays the Black Dahlia in the episode.

The episode was written by co-executive producer Jennifer Salt, and directed by John Scott.

About using the Black Dahlia storyline, series co-creator Ryan Murphy said he's always been interested in unsolved L.A. crimes. "The thing that fascinated me about the case is that there were more than 60 people who claimed credit for that murder," he said. "I've always been obsessed about that idea, that our culture [wants to know] what fame is about. Once I started researching the Black Dahlia for this episode, it made sense for me that she was killed in that house and I wanted to explore the '40s." [1]

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes reports an 80% approval rating, based on 10 reviews. [2] Matt Richenthal of TV Fanatic commented on the bizarre events of the episode, "Nothing much happened on American Horror Story this week, except for an appearance by The Black Dahlia, a cameo by The Pope and the revelation that Vivien might be giving birth to the Antichrist, just your basic episode of the FX drama." [3] The A.V. Club 's Emily VanDerWerff said, "We learned a bunch of things that will likely be important going forward, but they were also things that didn't really matter... It's been a bit of a step down since that brain-eating episode. This episode was a step in the crazy direction." [4]

In its original American broadcast, "Spooky Little Girl" was seen by an estimated 2.85 million household viewers and gained a 1.7 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research. The episode was up one tenth from the previous episode. [5]

Related Research Articles

Imprint (<i>Masters of Horror</i>) 13th episode of the 1st season of Masters of Horror

"Imprint" is the thirteenth episode of the first season of Masters of Horror. Directed by Takashi Miike, the episode was scheduled to premiere on January 27, 2006, but was shelved by Showtime over concerns about its graphic and disturbing content. It was later released to DVD on September 26, 2006.

"Stan's Food Restaurant" is the fourth episode of the seventh season of American Dad!. It aired on Fox on November 14, 2010. The episode—which focused on Stan's dream of opening his own restaurant—is the 100th episode overall of American Dad!, an accolade currently bestowed on 100 A.D. for production order. It was written by Brian Boyle and directed by Josue Cervantes.

<i>American Horror Story</i> Anthology television series

American Horror Story (AHS) is an American horror anthology television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the cable network FX. The first installment in the American Story media franchise, seasons of AHS are mostly conceived as self-contained miniseries, following a different set of characters in a new setting within the same fictional universe, and a storyline with its own "beginning, middle, and end." Some plot elements of each season are loosely inspired by true events. Many actors appear in more than one season, usually playing a new character though sometimes as a returning character, and often playing multiple characters in a season. Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson, and Lily Rabe have returned most frequently, with each having appeared in nine seasons, followed by Frances Conroy and Denis O'Hare who both appear in eight; Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, and Leslie Grossman appear in six, while other notable actors including Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Adina Porter, Finn Wittrock, and Jamie Brewer appear in five of the seasons.

Pilot (<i>American Horror Story</i>) 1st episode of the 1st season of American Horror Story

"Pilot" is the first episode and the series premiere of the television series American Horror Story, which premiered on the network FX on October 5, 2011. The episode was co-written by series creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk and directed by Murphy. Falchuk and Murphy had previously collaborated on the Fox musical comedy-drama Glee.

"Home Invasion" is the second episode of the first season of the television series American Horror Story, which premiered on the network FX on October 12, 2011. The episode was co-written by series co-creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk and directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon.

"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. The episode is rated TV-MA (LSV).

"Halloween" is a two-part episode, consisting of the fourth and fifth episodes of the first season of the television series American Horror Story. The first part aired on October 26, 2011, and the second on November 2, 2011. Part 1 was written by James Wong and Part 2 was written by Tim Minear; both were directed by David Semel. Part 1 is rated TV-MA (LSV) and Part 2 is rated TV-MA (LV).

"Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps" is the fifth episode of the third season of the U.S. television series Community. It first aired on October 27, 2011 on NBC and is the series' 2011 Halloween episode.

"Piggy Piggy" is the sixth episode of the first season of the television series American Horror Story, which premiered on the network FX on November 9, 2011. The episode was written by supervising producer Jessica Sharzer and directed by Michael Uppendahl. This episode is rated TV-MA (LV).

<i>American Horror Story: Murder House</i> First season of American Horror Story

The first season of American Horror Story, retroactively subtitled Murder House, centers on the Harmon family, who, after dealing with a miscarriage and infidelity, move to a restored mansion in Los Angeles, unaware that the ghosts of its former residents and their victims haunt the house. The ensemble cast includes Connie Britton, Dylan McDermott, Evan Peters, Taissa Farmiga, Denis O'Hare, and Jessica Lange.

"Open House" is the seventh episode of the first season of the television series American Horror Story, which premiered on the network FX on November 16, 2011. The episode was written by co-creator and executive producer Brad Falchuk and was directed by Tim Hunter. This episode is rated TV-MA (LSV).

"Rubber Man" is the eighth episode of the first season of the television series American Horror Story, which premiered on the network FX on November 23, 2011. The episode was written by co-creator and executive producer Ryan Murphy and was directed by Miguel Arteta. This episode is rated TV-MA (LSV).

"Smoldering Children" is the tenth episode of the first season of the American horror television series American Horror Story, which premiered on December 7, 2011, on the FX network. The episode was written by James Wong and directed by Michael Lehmann. With a rating of TV-MA (LV), this installment is intended for mature audiences only, due to its intense and disturbing content.

"Birth" is the eleventh episode of the first season of the television series American Horror Story, which premiered on the network FX on December 14, 2011. The episode was written by Tim Minear and directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon. This episode is rated TV-MA (LV).

"Afterbirth" is the twelfth and final episode of the first season of the television series American Horror Story and the season finale, which premiered on FX on December 21, 2011. The episode was written by Jessica Sharzer and directed by Bradley Buecker. Due to a very aggressive production schedule it was previously announced that the show's first season would be cut short.

"Dark Cousin" is the seventh episode of the second season of the FX anthology television series American Horror Story. The episode, written by Tim Minear and directed by Michael Rymer, aired on November 28, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Hodel</span> US physician, suspected Black Dahlia killer

George Hill Hodel Jr. was an American physician, and a suspect in the murder of Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia. He was never formally charged with the crime but, at the time, police considered him a viable suspect, and two of his children believe he was guilty. He was also accused of raping his daughter, Tamar Hodel, but was acquitted of that crime. He lived overseas several times, primarily in the Philippines between 1950 and 1990.

"The Axeman Cometh" is the sixth episode of the third season of the anthology television series American Horror Story, which premiered on November 13, 2013, on the cable network FX. This episode is rated TV-MA (LSV).

<i>American Horror Story: Apocalypse</i> Eighth season of American Horror Story

The eighth season of the American horror anthology television series American Horror Story, subtitled Apocalypse, features the witches from the New Orleans coven as they battle the Antichrist and attempt to prevent the world from ending. The season is presented as a crossover between Murder House, Coven, and Hotel. The ensemble cast includes Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Adina Porter, Billie Lourd, Leslie Grossman, Cody Fern, Emma Roberts, Cheyenne Jackson, and Kathy Bates, with all returning from previous seasons, except newcomer Fern.

"Return to Murder House" is the sixth episode of the eighth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. Written by Crystal Liu and directed by Sarah Paulson, it aired on October 17, 2018, on the cable network FX. The episode saw a return to the setting used for season one, Murder House, as well as the reappearance of original cast members Connie Britton, Dylan McDermott, and Jessica Lange. "Return to Murder House" received critical acclaim from reviewers, who praised Paulson's direction, Lange's return, and the performances and chemistry of Emma Roberts and Billy Porter. For her performance in the episode, Lange was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.

References

  1. ↑ Stack, Tim (November 30, 2011). "'American Horror Story': Ryan Murphy talks the Black Dahlia and whether Violet is alive... or dead -- EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 17, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Spooky Little Girl – American Horror Story: Murder House, Episode 9". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  3. ↑ Richenthal, Matt (November 30, 2011). "American Horror Story Review: Baby by Beelzebub?". TV Fanatic. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
  4. ↑ VanDerWerff, Emily (December 1, 2011). "Spooky Little Girl". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on December 2, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
  5. ↑ Seidman, Robert (December 1, 2011). "Wednesday Cable Ratings: 'American Horror Story' Tops Night + Captain Kirk Boosts 'Psych'; 'Hot In Cleveland,' 'Full Throttle Saloon' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 3, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.