30 Years Ago, Sarah Paulson’s American Gothic Set The Stage For American Horror Story

It’s no secret that Sarah Paulson is the master of horror, but what you may not know is that she got her start in the genre decades before American Horror Story. Paulson has appeared in nine seasons of the anthology horror series, playing a variety of characters placed within the most frightening of circumstances. She pulls off fear to perfection, bringing to the screen a palpable terror that has precisely the effect on viewers it should.

Paulson became a staple and fan-favorite of American Horror Story for this reason, and her return for the upcoming season 3 is certainly something to celebrate. It will be the end of an era, one that didn’t start just with American Horror Story season 1 in 2011, but 30 years ago with the release of American Gothic in 1995.

Sarah Paulson’s First Horror Series Was American Gothic In 1995

Given Paulson’s American Horror Story career, it’s fitting that her first major television performance was onCBS’s American Gothic​​​​. The 1995 horror series was gritty and disturbing, revolving around the tragic Temple family as they are plagued by the demonic Sheriff Lucas Buck.

Paulson played Merlyn Temple, a young woman who witnessed Buck raping her mother, resulting in the conception of her younger brother and American Gothic​​​​​’s protagonist, Caleb Temple. Merlyn never recovered from this trauma, but it was only the beginning of her torment. Buck, who later wanted to reclaim his son, murdered the immediate members of Caleb’s family, including Paulson’s Merlyn.

Paulson appeared in American Gothic as Merlyn’s tormented ghost, still attempting to deal with the tragedies of her life while protecting her younger brother from Buck. It was an excellent first leading role for Paulson, and one that really set the tone for her continued career.

How American Gothic Set The Stage For American Horror Story

American Horror Story did something pretty spectacular for the horror genre, especially in the television landscape. Each season featured a self-contained story, but with mostly the same actors placed in new roles. It allowed stars like Paulson to consistently challenge themselves while keeping audiences on their toes. There’s never been a series quite like it, but that isn’t to say other horror TV shows didn’t set the stage.

American Horror Story is known for pushing all the boundaries regarding the disturbing and terrifying stories we can see on the small screen. American Gothic fits right in line with this idea. In fact, the Temples’ story sounds just like the sort of thing that would be featured in a season of American Horror Story. It’s campy, over-the-top, and truly unsettling.

Shows like American Horror Story wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the decades of horror-television development that came before it. Much of what we see in this series couldn’t have made it to the screen 30 years ago, but American Gothic was certainly an early step in pushing those boundaries. It’s spectacularly fitting that Paulson was a part of it.

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  American Gothic

  Release Date

  1995 – 1996-00-00

  Directors

  Lou Antonio, Doug Lefler, James Frawley, Michael Lange, Oz Scott, Bruce Seth Green, Elodie Keene, James A. Contner, Jim Charleston, Mel Damski, Michael Katleman, Michael Nankin, Mike Binder, Peter O’Fallon

  Writers

  Michael R. Perry, Stephen Gaghan, Jeff King, Mitchell Burgess

  
  

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    Collin Wilcox Paxton

    Uncredited

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    Gareth Williams

    Sheriff Lucas Buck

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