An Analysis of Catholicism in American Horror Story’s Asylum: “Trick and Treats”
By: Sophia Mously
How and why is Catholicism used to elicit fear in Episode Two of this season?
As we dive into this season of American Horror Story, we engage with Asylum’s complicated portrayal and relationship with Catholicism in Episode Two, “Trick and Treats”.
Here is a trailer depicting the events that unfold in this episode:
In this season of the FX television series American Horror Story, we follow the fictional events that occur between patients and staff of Briarcliff Manor, a Catholic-run Massachusetts asylum for the criminally insane. The historical setting differs between present day and 1964 America, and running the institution is Sister Jude and Mary Eunice, supported by Monsignor Howard, Dr. Arden, and Dr. Thredson. A key character to this narrative is Lana Winters, a journalist who seeks to uncover the abuse within the asylum, but ends up incarcerated. In this artefact, we encounter a clear intersection of Religion in Popular Culture.
Episode Summary
In the episode “Trick and Treats”, we witness Lana Winters being treated with electroshock therapy as a method to impair her memory. In addition, Lana and a fellow patient attempt to escape the asylum as an exorcism is performed at on a newly admitted patient, resulting in the demon possessing Sister Mary Eunice. Lastly, we learn the cause of a young girl’s death was due to Sister Jude’s intoxicated driving.
For additional summary of the episode, you can refer to this source from the American Story fandom:
Viewing the Episode Through the Circuit of Culture
Through Stuart Halls’s “Circuit of Culture” framework, we can further analyse and contextualise the episode’s representation through it’s production, regulation, reception, and consumption:
Production
The writers of the episode are Ryan Murphy, creator of Glee and Scream Queens, and Brad Falchuk. The artefact was most likely produced for followers and devoted fans of the American Horror Story series, along with an audience who take interest in the genre of horror.
Regulation
The viewership of this artefact is regulated by it’s 18+ age-based content rating, due to it’s presence of violence, coarse language, sexual references, and mature subject matter (American Horror Story, 2012).
We see the regulation of fear factor in this episode drawn from past horror films such as The Exorcist, which also promotes fear of possession by demons and the incarnation of Satan (Hong, 2010).
There’s a regulation of the “us” and “them” complex that separates Catholicism from Americanised Christianity. Catholicism has its roots in Rome and therefore can be easily portrayed in a negative way due to it’s foreignness to Americans (Colin, 2015).
Reception
The way in which the episode was received by the general public was largely positive, according to ratings by IMDb below.
However, the show was heavily criticised by modern Catholic
organisations (Colin, 2015). The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights revealed that they found the season to be “the most vicious assault on the character of Roman Catholic nuns ever aired” (Colin, 2015). This statement was rejected for publication from Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, causing even more anger among the Catholic community (Colin, 2015).
Although individuals practising Catholicism have the right to take offence to it’s portrayal in the show, and more generally, in the genre of horror, the season and episode shouldn’t be perceived as anti-Catholic. The episode simply makes use of stereotypes associated with both the historical setting and the religion to express the of prioritising traditional principles and a belief system over compassion (Colin, 2015).
Consumption
In terms of the consumption of the artefact, American Horror Story has a dedicated fandom whom actively keep up with the show and appear to be the main consumers. They have created a website that provides background information and insights into each season and episode of American Horror story:
As we move on from examining the Circuit of Culture framework, we can further investigate the intersection of religion and popular culture in Asylum’s “Trick and Treats”.
Use of Catholicism
We witness the use of Catholicism in this episode as a way to elicit fear in the viewers. Having Briarcliff run by the Catholic Church creates a dual horror effect: the unethical treatments occurring at the asylum work with the dark-undertone view of Catholicism to create a sense of uneasiness (Earle, 2017).
Perhaps more than any other religion, Catholicism, is between the known and unknown. Its age, icons and strict moral teachings and traditions, can be the cause of fear or comfort, depending on the narrative (Colin, 2015). At Briarcliff, Catholicism is expressed through forced confession and religious abuse, which only further contributes to the fear factor (Earle, 2017).
The Catholic Church is associated with many sacraments and practices no longer common practice in other churches (Earle, 2017). Playing on the visual appeal of the Church’s rites and rituals, we see how Catholic horror comes to life in Episode Two of Asylum (Earle, 2017).
We see the intersection of horror and Catholicism being displayed through the use of an exorcism, which is a commonly used event in horror media to evoke fear (Hong, 2010). In the episode, the exorcism is performed on a newly admitted patient, Jed Potter. The father of Jed explains how his son had been exhibiting disturbing behaviour, such as murdering one of their cows and devouring it’s heart :
“…It was unholy. Something had stepped inside my son’s body and taken over his soul.” -Jedd’s father
Jed is then bound to a bed, and exhibits a grey and veiny face, acting aggressively and speaking in changing tones of voices in an unrecognisable language, similar to the 1973 film, The Exorcist (Earle, 2017; Hong, 2010).
Dr. Thredson exclaims to Sister Jude and the Monsignor,
“It is 1964, an exorcism? You can’t be serious.”
Monsigner Timothy responds with “Times may have changed, Doctor, but the nature of evil has not” and asks for Dr. Thredson to assist him in the exorcism.
We eventually see that the demon within Jed uses it’s power to injure the exorcist, and Monsignor retrieves Sister Jude for support.
Monsignor asks Sister Jude to “Pray Sister, speak only to God”, showing the direct dependency of religion to overcome evil.
We see Catholic imagery being displayed as Monsignor kneels over Jed with open hands, grasping a crucifix and rosary beads. Jed is pronounced dead, and we see a crucifix that hangs on the wall behind him, fall to the ground, and the lights of the asylum are returned. Sister Mary Eunice’s falls back, her mouth open, collapsing onto the floor. This indicates that she has been possessed by the demon that once resided in Jed.
In addition, we see the belief in Catholicism being used as way to justify the inhumane actions of the staff at Briarcliff.
At the end of episode two, we witness Sister Jude whipping Kit Walker with 40 lashes as a punishment for trying to escape the asylum.
This presentation of sin and punishment are oriented with religion, often used to create a sense of fear in the viewers (Hong, 2010).
Use of the Asylum
A large part of this episode and season is the use of the Asylum as a physical space to re-enact our fears and misconceptions of, in this case, Catholicism (Earle, 2017). When we view this artefact, we must also consider it’s historical roots. Asylums are often known to be associated with strange cases of mental illness and unethical treatment of patients. In the USA, the use of Asylums for correctional activities were discontinued in the latter half of the twentieth century, due to their negative connotations and unjust treatments (Earle, 2017). Inspiration for the negative portrayal of asylums in popular culture today is predominately drawn from the exposé of Willowbrook school, which was known to mistreat individuals with mental health issues and disabilities (Earle, 2017).
In this episode, we see concern expressed by Dr. Oliver Thredson to Sister Jude about the facility, after assessing convicted “woman killer”, Kit Walker. He communicates, “Sister Jude... The conditions are appalling. I’m shocked.”
He expresses his concern again to the headmaster when electroshock therapy is recommended for use on Lana Winters. He states:
“Sister, your facility still administers electroshock therapy to treat homosexuality. It’s barbaric.” — Dr. Thredson to Sister Jude
Historically, asylums would open their doors for entertainment in exchange for profit (Earle, 2017). In 1770, the institutions began closing their doors which only gave staff the opportunity to abuse patients without being detected (Earle, 2017). In the show, journalist Lana Winters seeks to uncover the gruesome treatments that are being kept secret at Briarcliff. Even when she is held as a patient, she keeps notes documenting the conditions and events that unfold within the asylum.
When Sister Jude discovers the stash of notes hidden in Lana’s room, she says “Who would you like to call Ms.Winters? The American Civil Lesbian’s Union?”; a comment taunting her sexuality, followed by a chuckle. Winters responds with “I have an excellent memory”, with Sister Jude replying with, “We’ll see about that”.
Considering that the show’s release was October of 2012, and Asylum is set in 1964, it makes it easier to consider the portrayal of the brutal asylum as accurate since it is not set in our own time.
Use of Hell Imagery
Asylums have been used as a symbolism of hell on earth (Earle, 2017). This idea is furthermore emphasised in Episode Two of Asylum through it’s hell-like imagery.
As the exorcism is being performed at Briarcliff, lights burst and the asylum experiences a power failure. The halls become dark and glowing red, resembling fire-like, apocalyptic, hell imagery, and all the doors of the asylum’s patients rooms open, allowing them to roam the halls. A siren plays in the background. This whole scene correlates the release of Satan from Jed’s body.
Lana Winters and another patient see this as an opportunity to escape.
At the end of the hall is a white door with bright light behind it, contrasting the dark, glowing red hallway. It’s the only way out of the asylum, symbolising salvation and the “gate to heaven”. This imagery connects heavily to the portrayal of religion in popular culture, showcasing the two Christian forms of the afterlife.
Religion may act as a way to comfort believers, but also may be an unnecessary cause of fear in life (Colin, 2015). We see how the producers of the episode play on the aspect of religious superstition and practices to evoke a feeling of uneasiness in viewers.
Again, however, I would not call Asylum anti-Catholic. Rather, the season exhibits the dangers of corruption, lack of empathy and understanding, and intolerance toward the less fortunate.
Works Cited
“American Horror Story: Trick and Treats.” Buecker, Bradley, director. Season 2, episode 2, FX, 24 Oct. 2012.
Earle, Harriet E. H. “‘A Convenient Place for Inconvenient People’: Madness, Sex and the Asylum in American Horror Story.” The Journal of Popular Culture, vol. 50, no. 2, 21 Feb. 2017, pp. 259–275.
Colin, Mariana. “Evil Looks Right Back at You: Portrayals of Catholicism in American Horror Story: Asylum.” University of Arizona, May 2015, pp. 1–50.
Hong, Seung Min. “Redemptive fear: a review of Sacred Terror and further analyses of religious horror films.” Journal of Religion and Popular Culture, vol. 22, no. 2, 22 June 2010.
