Dread Central Takes a Murderous American Horror Story Themed Hollywood Tour!
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We at Dread Central love a good publicity stunt. The crazier, the better. So when Fox Home Entertainment invited us down to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to pimp the upcoming release of “American Horror Story” Season 1 on Blu-ray, we knew we were in for something special.
Home to the corpses of the movie star elite – and badass annual cemetery screenings – Hollywood Forever is always a fun place to hang, and not long after arriving on the grounds, a tour bus from “Dearly Departed” pulls up. For those not in the know, this is Los Angeles’ premier murder tour that takes visitors to the site of every major Hollywood tragedy from The Black Dahlia crime scene to the Manson murders.
Stepping onto the bus, we’re all shocked to find an unexpected passenger in the back…
It’s not easy being Rubber Man, especially when it’s over 100 degrees outside. Nevertheless, our silent companion does a good job of creeping everyone out and not murdering and/or raping any of us during the tour.
Entertaining us with stories of legendary tragedies, our guide Scott Michaels takes us by the location of the house from “American Horror Story,” which hasn’t changed a bit (although the interiors were shot on a sound stage). Along the way, we make a pit stop to the house of Marion Parker, a 12-year-old girl who was abducted, held for ransom, and dismembered back in 1927. It’s a fun trip that makes me want to take one of the full tours. (“Manson tour guests get a souvenir from the Tate house,” says Michaels, “but I understand why most decline them.”)
Our guide drops us back at Hollywood Forever, where I get sloshed off three glasses of wine before the Masonic Temple opens up. We’re led to a giant stage area lit like an Argento film where Fox reps give out copies of “American Horror Story”: The Complete First Season to randomly selected audience members.
“Dearly Departed” guide Scott Michaels took the stage with magician Tom Ogden for a more in-depth talk about famous Hollywood tragedies and purported haunted locations, the main discussion being about the infamous Elizabeth Short case (one of the few real-life incidents “American Horror Story” covers). Particularly interesting is how, no matter what, the Black Dahlia case can never be solved since all the original evidence – including autopsy reports – has been stolen over the years by collectors.
Next on stage was renowned “psychic” Lisa Williams, star of TLC’s “Life Among the Dead.” Lisa regaled the crowd with stories about how she could see dead people, had sex with a ghost (?!?!) and how Ouija boards could open up portals to other dimensions. She then proceeded to do the same kind of John Edward-style cold readings of audience members that “South Park” debunked ten years ago (apparently ghosts like playing guessing games instead of stating outright facts to their loved ones). I’ve always known that bona fide psychics were as real as pixies, EVP and Bigfoot… but if there were people out there who could talk to the dead, they’d more likely be the reclusive back-alley crazies in Stir of Echoes than lecturers at Halloween events.
Last up was actor David Anthony Higgins aka “Stan the Tour Guy” from AHS’ Eternal Darkness tour. Taking the stage with Rubber Man, Higgins previewed one of the bonus features from the upcoming Blu-ray – a featurette where his characters gives an inside tour of the infamous haunted house. The night ended with a screening of the pilot on Blu-ray to a very happy and inebriated crowd. All in all, it was a fun event for fans of the series that left everyone amped for the season premiere of “American Horror Story: Asylum” on October 17th. See? Inventive publicity goes a long way.
“American Horror Story” The Complete First Season is now available on DVD and Blu-ray.
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