FX's American Horror Story

Though FX’s forthcoming American Horror Story has been purposefully shrouded since the day it was first rumored, not everything about it is a total secret. For example, we know that it will star Dylan McDermott and Connie Britton as a couple whose strained marriage isn’t exactly alleviated by their moving into a haunted house. According to early reviews of the pilot, we also know that it will feature Jessica Lange as a creepy, nosy neighbor, Frances Conroy as an even creepier maid, malevolent spirits and demons, blood running down the walls, and even scenes of rough bondage sex, whenever all those other things get boring. And we know that it’s a return to twisted, psychosexual fare for producers Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, who seem to be exorcising all the sick urges they indulged on Nip/Tuck and subsequently sublimated into the relentless positivity of Glee. Nevertheless, this first 30-second trailer for the series (which premieres in October) retains the air of mystery: It’s an unnerving montage of ghost children, wallpaper monsters, people catching on fire, and a sexy French maid that feels like its own unsettling hallucination, which probably will go for the entire series.