As of tonight’s episode, American Horror Story: Coven is back on track, which is remarkable for a show that’s known for going off the rails in all sorts of entertaining ways.  The show’s mid-season finale had all of the elements that make the horror anthology so much fun to watch: multiple examples of the supernatural (in this case, the powers of both the witches and voodoo practitioners), explorations of character backstories that make their otherwise vile actions seem somewhat justified, and plenty of shocking WTF moments to go around.  Some characters are starting to come apart at the seams while others are finally managing to knit themselves back together.  Hit the jump for a recap and review of tonight’s episode, “Head”.

There are times when you have to throw out all sense of reason and logic while watching American Horror Story: Coven, and just sit back and enjoy the ride.  Tonight was one of those times.  Whether it’s inconsistencies in storytelling, repetitive scenes that seem to play out in the same way week after week, or aggravating camera flourishes that distract from the otherwise engaging performances on screen, sometimes you just have to let all that go so you can enjoy a zombie learning to speak with a LeapFrog tablet, a neo-conservative Christian purification remedy, and a racist witch’s head in a box.  It’ll all make sense after the jump.

From co-creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, the FX series American Horror Story uses a unique and compelling approach to television, with a different setting, different characters and a rotating cast of actors for each season. For Season 3, American Horror Story: Coven tells the secret history of witches and witchcraft in America, with a cast of talented actresses that includes Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Patti LuPone, Sarah Paulson, Frances Conroy, Lily Rabe, Taissa Farmiga, Emma Roberts, Gabourey Sidibe and now even Stevie Nicks.

During this recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, actress Emma Roberts (who plays out-of-control Hollywood starlet and resident bitch Madison Montgomery) talked about how she came to be a part of Coven, that she was initially nervous about the subject matter, how much fun it is to play a bitch, how far ahead she was made aware of her character’s story arc, the fantastic clothes and shoes she gets to wear, how great it is to work with all of these talented actresses, just how much crazier things can get (they actually cut out a sex scene from Episode 7), the fan reaction she gets from people when she’s out, and how she’d love to return for Season 4.  She also talked about how she hopes to continue to find a balance between roles in comedy and drama, and how it’s her dream to play a Margot Tenenbaum (from The Royal Tenenbaums) type of character.  Check out what she had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers. 

Jessica Lange has been the centerpiece to FX’s horror anthology, American Horror Story, for the last three seasons, but will depart the show after season four.  She’s played an over-protective mother, a lounge singer-turned-Catholic nun on the path to redemption, and is currently the resident Supreme of her coven.  While Lange will return to the show in season four, co-creator Ryan Murphy said she won’t be the lead but “she’ll have this great juicy part.”  For more on Lange’s decision to leave the show, and for more on season four of American Horror Story, hit the jump.

While last week’s episode of FX’s American Horror Story: Coven was a bit of a departure in terms of advancing the plot, things got back on track for all concerned this week.  The conflict between the witches and the voodoo priestesses jumped up a notch in this episode with an unexpected betrayal and a reconciling of old grievances.  Relationships within the coven are just as treacherous as truths are revealed, bonds are broken and then reforged again in the strangest of ways.  Hit the jump for my recap and review.

While a strength of American Horror Story: Coven is its use of supernatural elements that allow characters to die and be resurrected at will, sometimes that mechanism can also act as a crutch.  Tonight’s episode, “The Axeman Cometh”, not only introduced a new character to the at-times-unwieldy cast, but brought two (okay, one and a half) back.  When an hour-long drama can’t even give ample screen time to members of the principal cast, then the story has already become too bloated without compounding matters by introducing more sub-plots half-way through the season.  Unfortunately, that’s what we got tonight.  Hit the jump for my recap and review, and for why jazz may be making a comeback.

Even though FX has ordered a fourth season of American Horror Story, we still have quite a few episodes left to enjoy in this iteration, American Horror Story: Coven.  Tonight’s episode, “Burn, Witch. Burn!” felt more like the second half of last week’s episode (the two probably should have been a Halloween special), but that’s not to say that we didn’t get a lot of story progression along the way.  This hour played heavily on the gore effects, which is to be expected when a horde of zombies descends on a witch coven’s manor home.  We also learned that the voodoo practitioners might not be the most dangerous threat to the coven, but rather someone from within their own ranks.  Hit the jump for my recap and review, plus reasons never to name your daughter “Borquita”. 

In advance of tonight’s fifth episode of FX’s American Horror Story: Coven, we have news that the network has ordered a fourth season of the Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk drama.  While the current season won’t air its finale until January 29th, 13 new hours of television are officially on the books for the as-of-yet untitled fourth season.  The season order comes as no surprise, as Coven’s ratings have outstripped both of the show’s previous runs, and the creators are already deep into conceiving the next season’s themes and storylines.

Catch up on all of our American Horror Story news here, and check out our ongoing episode recaps here.  Hit the jump for more.

I have to admit that I’m loving American Horror Story: Coven, not just because it’s the season of the witches, but because it’s also very much the season of the bad-ass women, with the likes of Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett and Patti LuPone joining Jessica Lange and Sarah Paulson.  With Marie Laveau (Bassett) unleashing her wrath on Madame Lalaurie (Bates), Fiona (Lange) adding to the body count, and Cordelia (Paulson) being attacked, the secrets, lies and mysteries are mounting, and there’s just no telling where things will go next.

During this recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, actress Sarah Paulson talked about her thoughts on how Asylum turned out, the extraordinary women who are on this season, being less physically and mentally exhausted this time around, how challenging things will get for Cordelia, that her attacker will remain a mystery for now (she has speculated about who it could be, but has no idea), the involvement of the Council of Witchcraft, and just how much crazier things will continue to get.  She also talked about the Oscar buzz for 12 Years A Slave, which she’s very proud to be a part of, and her hope that she’ll be able to continue to find a balance between working in film, television and theater.  Check out what she had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers. 

Things got a little more heated between the witches and voodoo practitioners this week on American Horror Story: Coven, but more importantly, we got a look back in time at the formative years of some of the show’s major players.  In addition to the plot points, viewers were treated to some good ol’ fashioned AHS hijinks, including surprise murders, sexy times and character creep-outs.  We were also treated to a returning cast member who we haven’t seen since the first season, though it remains to be seen whether or not she’ll turn up again.  Hit the jump for my recap and review, and for why I have faith in the future.

Well, things certainly got weird this week on FX’s American Horror Story: Coven.  The previous two episodes of the horror anthology’s new season have already established the age-long war between practitioners of witchcraft and voodoo, but now we know that all is not well within the coven.  As the powers of the old Supreme wane, a young upstart is unknowingly encroaching on her territory.  Meanwhile, we also get to witness a new weird way to make a baby and one of the creepiest family reunions since Chinatown.  Hit the jump for my recap and to find out why this is still Jessica Lange’s dance.

Last week’s premiere of the new season of FX’s horror anthology, American Horror Story: Coven, did a solid job of introducing the new cast of characters and establishing the world in which witchcraft and voodoo are at odds.  Tonight’s follow-up episode delved further into the history of both magical practices and hinted at the roots of their conflict.  Oh, and to spice things up, there were also some body-making and baby-making rituals in the mix.  In other words, everything that makes American Horror Story so fun to watch.  Hit the jump for my review because we got a lotta skinnin’ to do before sundown.

From co-creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, the FX series American Horror Story uses a unique and compelling approach to television, with a different setting, different characters and a rotating cast of actors for each season. For Season 3, American Horror Story: Coven tells the secret history of witches and witchcraft in America, with a cast of powerhouse actresses that includes Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Patti LuPone, Sarah Paulson and Frances Conroy.

During this recent exclusive interview with Collider, executive producer/director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon talked about his path to becoming a director, how he came to be working with Ryan Murphy, the natural progression of his career, from episodic director to producing director to feature director, how much more involved he is with American Horror Story this season, how The Town That Dreaded Sundown became his first feature directing job, his unique visual style, and that he’d like to maintain a balance of television and film projects.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

From director George Tillman Jr., the indie drama The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete tells the story of 13-year-old Mister (Skylan Brooks).  When his hard-living mother (Jennifer Hudson) is apprehended by the police, Mister and his 9-year-old friend Pete (Ethan Dizon) are left alone to forage for food and dodge Child Protective Services while trying to stay alive in the Brooklyn projects.

During this recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, actress/singer Jordin Sparks (who plays Mister’s friend, Alice) talked about how she auditioned for this role, what made her want to be a part of telling this story, how she viewed her character, how Alice’s fate in the original script was different from what it is in the film now, and her own support system.  She also talked about the key to maintaining success in this business, working on Left Behind, a film with Nicolas Cage about the rapture, how memorable her time was on Broadway, doing In the Heights, shooting an upcoming episode of CSI, and keeping a balance between her acting and singing careers.  Check out what she had to say after the jump.

Fire up the cauldrons and cast the bones; American Horror Story: Coven is here!  The third season of FX’s horror anthology series delves into an age-old conflict between witches and practitioners of voodoo, but just who deserves to come out on top remains to be seen.  Coven’s premiere brings back familiar faces along with some first-timers in a debut that’s not quite as shocking as the first season’s intro while plainly having a bit more fun than last season’s Asylum.  Tonight’s episode, “Bitchcraft”, makes quick work of introducing characters and establishing multiple points of conflict, so the remaining 12 episodes should be free to go crazy.  Hit the jump for my recap and to find out if you’re genetically predisposed to witchcraft or just bulimic.