Female Archetypes of American Horror Story

There has been a huge debate about women in horror as this is not a place you would look to in order to find multi- layered roles for ladies, it has been known to victimise women. In the article 'Female Archetypes of American Horror Story' this begs to differ, and pinpoints some of the female characters in the series Murder house that makes up its foundations, and shows why this programme has become so popular in the female demographic.

The Scorned Woman - Vivien Harmon - she has been through it all, miscarriges, a cheating husband and a home invasion. But she is a survivor and is determined to move on with her life. She is more than just a weeping housewife and defends what is hers and stands up for what is right.

The Cougar - Constance is Vivien's next door neighbour who is equally charming and abusive. She prefers the company of younger men and has a nasty habit of putting others down. She plays the archetypal "boss" character and her story deals with the loss of children, disabilities and loneliness. 

The  Innocent - Addie is Constance's playful daughter who has downs syndrome, she is obsessed with the murder house and constantly sneaks in. Her innocence makes the show lighter. She just wants to be a pretty girl but her struggles are made clear when her mother and society remind her she is not.

The Fatalist - Violet Harmon is a goth- girl outsider in the making, she suffers from depression and self harms. Her boyfriend is a misunderstood young man from  the wrong side of the tracks who has violent delusions. She feels lost among her parents and deals will bullying, suicide attempts and drug overdoses. 

The Mistress - Hayden is a college student who had an affair with Mr. Harmon she wants to be loved, but it is not returned in the way she would like. She digs deep with issues of abortion, rejection and abuse.

The Domestic -  Francis Conroy plays Moira the cleaning lady in the house she cooks, cleans, and gives advice when asked. She is a servant to the Harmon's, it is discovered that she is a rape survivor and is a loyal confidant to Mrs. Harmon.

The Femme Fatale - Moira appears in two forms, to women she is the domestic and to men she is the femme fatale, she appears as a young sexed up pin up girl in a french maid outfit complete with garters. She uses her sexuality to gain favour and information about the murder house. 

The Nurturer - Nora is the loyal wife of Charles Montgomery, the doctor that first owned the murder house, she aided him in illegal abortions in the houses basement. When her own baby is kidnapped she nurses the 'frankenbaby' she has underlying tragedy motivating her. 

What the writer is trying to convey with this article is that AHS is treading new ground for women and has created rich characters for women of all ages. In horror we are used to seeing the feisty machete- wielding heroine that fights for her life but you don't get to see the emotional backgrounds that push them to fight through tragedy. The true horror of AHS could indeed be the horrors in which women face in every day life, for example teen shootings, miscarriages, abortion, hormones, infidelity, rape, death of children or bullying. Watching characters like this on screen women can relate to them and empathise with them which makes it even more interesting to watch on screen. 

How does Claudia and Mrs. Laderman fit these Archetypes?? 

After looking at these female Archetypes I have found three that really stand out to me that I think I could relate to my characters in order to give them a better back story. For Claudia I have chosen The Fatalist as I will be able to relate this to her outsider nature as she has been kept separate from the outside world and also her drug addiction and unhealthy relationship with men. For Mrs. Laderman I am torn between the Cougar and the Femme Fatale, I think of her as a cougar as she is an older woman that would pray on younger men, or women, she is a boss character and has problems with loneliness, but I also see her as the classic Femme Fatale as she is extremely glamorous and sexual and will use her good looks and charms to get the power she wants. I think I will need to do research on all of these archetypes to finally conclude which one I would like them to fit into. 

Czerwinski, M.. (2011). Female Archetypes of American Horror Story.Available: https://thetelevixen.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/female-archetypes-of-american-horror-story/. Last accessed 19th March 2016.