While the film side of horror experienced a rough patch in the 1990s, prior to the renaissance, things looked hopeful on the television front. If nothing else, horror was simply more present on TV.
Of course, this was after the genre had been sentenced to syndication, as well as cursed with lousy timeslots, in the ’80s. In the following decade, though, big broadcast networks were definitely looking to build up their horror catalogues. Hence, the creation of something like American Gothic. CBS introduced this critically acclaimed series during the fall of 1995, then cancelled it after one season. The whole thing wasn’t even aired in full (or in order, for that matter). Nevertheless, this short-lived show made enough of a positive impression that it’s now deemed a bit of a cult classic.
Not every critic was a fan of American Gothic upon its premiere. In vintage reviews, The Los Angeles Times said the pilot “plods and meanders,” and Variety called it “ridiculous.” On the opposite end of the review spectrum, The New York Times singled out the show as “one of the few truly original new series” of the season, and added it was “atmospheric, gripping, chilling.” Essentially, what some felt was wrong with the first episode was what drew others back each week. The deliberate pacing, the moodiness, and the sustained tension make this visit to Trinity, South Carolina, so worthwhile.
The creative minds behind American Gothic may come as a shock, albeit a mild one. The most unexpected is creator Shaun Cassidy, who is best remembered as a teen sensation in the ‘70s. The actor and singer eventually grew up and took a seat behind the camera, with American Gothic being his first big producing credit.
Joining him was Sam Raimi, someone who needs no introduction in certain circles. The director of dynamic horror films, such as The Evil Dead (1981) and Drag Me to Hell (2009), would seem like an odd choice for a show as unhurried and simmering as this one, but the filmmaker has proven he’s full of surprises. Still and all, there are touches here and there that pay homage to Raimi’s style—ghastly scares, Dutch angles, and his signature zoom-in shots. The inspiration appears to go both ways, too, because Raimi revisited the Southern Gothic in his supernatural film, The Gift (2000).
Gary Cole, Nick Searcy, Brenda Bakke and Pat Hingle in American Gothic.
It’s safe to say The X-Files (1993) was why horror became more common to see on television in the ‘90s. That series, a grower in ratings as opposed to a hit right off the bat, made speculative storytelling appealing to not only audiences but also creators. So, American Gothic indeed had The X-Files to thank for its existence, seeing as how the network suits were generally more open to horror pitches; however, this show was nothing like Mulder and Scully’s quest to find answers about aliens, monsters, and whatnot. Sure, the fictional hamlet of Trinity tends to act like an assignment for those two iconic investigators, but apart from that observation, American Gothic was fairly unique for its time.
On the surface, David Lynch’s Twin Peaks (1990) and American Gothic do share some similarities. Each of these community-based serials focuses on the growingly bizarre events that subvert normalcy. Although in the case of American Gothic, the strands of eeriness and horror are never vague, Gary Cole’s malevolent and orchestrating character, Sheriff Lucas Buck, is to blame for just about everything weird in Trinity. There is no lack of surrealism in this series, either—those exact elements are often made so explicit, they might as well be real. From ghosts to angels, the otherworldliness is neither subtle nor left up to the imagination.
Trinity’s current troubles were set in motion years ago, some of which are covered in W. T. Quick’s tie-in novel. But in the show’s twenty-two episodes, we mainly witness the present day. Namely, the current and ongoing machinations of one Mr. Buck, who is maybe the most evil-hiding-in-plain-sight character to grace ‘90s TV. In the premiere, a local boy named Caleb Temple (Lucas Black) loses what was left of his already diminished family, all before learning the town sheriff is his biological father. From there, we have several adults protecting the semi-orphaned Caleb and themselves from Buck’s reign of terror.
Paige Turco in American Gothic.
These small-town saviors include Jake Weber as a relocated doctor, Matt Crower, and Paige Turco as Caleb’s older cousin, Gail Emory. Their constant efforts to limit Buck’s insidious influence on Caleb can be seen as futile, given how the battles don’t do a thing to stop the coming war; however, that narrative throughline of good versus evil is carefully crafted, not to mention entertaining.
Admittedly, the pacing in American Gothic isn’t going to be for everyone, especially if they’re first coming to the show in an age where “filler” is disregarded, and anything over six episodes is considered too long. For anyone else wanting to settle down for a while and get to know their heroes and villains, they are in for a treat. The characters here have room to stretch their arms and legs, even as the ground beneath them is being gradually dismantled by Buck’s sinister roots.
Early on, American Gothic gets itself into a formula of where Dr. Crower and Gail, along with Caleb’s murdered sister turned guardian angel (Sarah Paulson), are doing their best to keep Caleb safe from Buck. This includes the brief custody battle that puts the child in good hands—Tina Lifford’s Loris Holt runs the town’s boarding house—and undoing any bad lessons he’s picked up from his new father. That initial tug-of-war for Caleb’s vulnerable soul does lead to predictable, and rather moralizing, outcomes, but those moments are compensated with well-drawn characters and milieu.
One obvious highlight of American Gothic is Gary Cole as the show’s Devil analog. Wickedly charming, commanding, and sadistically funny when he wants to be, it is no wonder Cole ranks Lucas Buck as one of his favorite roles. Plenty of episodes feature that underhanded sheriff screwing over people left and right, just so he can get his way and create chaos, but Cole makes Lucas so alluring. It’s an unerring performance for a deeply problematic character. In general, this series thrived when it came to likable villains; Brenda Bakke is impeccable as Selena, a sultry schoolteacher by day and Lucas’ partner-in-crime by night.
Lucas Black and Sarah Paulson in American Gothic.
It would be remiss not praise Lucas Black as Caleb. This young lead turned in such a sincere and compelling performance while amongst his more seasoned peers. Black held his own against the likes of Gary Cole, someone who made a habit of dominating scenes. There are also emotional beats in the story that are hard to imagine without Black. So, Shaun Cassidy was right to stand up for Caleb when the bigwigs favored Dr. Crower as the ostensible hero: “The kid’s the hero. The kid is the star of the show.”
On top of Caleb’s ominous parentage and Gail’s traumatic childhood, is the doctor with a woeful past—Jake Weber’s character is a recovering alcoholic whose family died before his move to Trinity. Yet, the network didn’t buy Crower as someone who could ultimately defeat Buck in the end. This explains his removal halfway into the season and the hiring of John Mese as the more straightforward Dr. Billy Peale. Cassidy, like so many of the fans, preferred Crower to this new character; the creator asserted that “a man striving to be good is more heroic […] than a guy who’s just written as [a] good guy.” Regretfully, the swap did nothing to improve the ratings or stop the series’ cancellation.
In no way is this popcorn horror. At its heart is a heavy and tragic story that is not always easy to digest. And like its characters, American Gothic struggled. The then-hot topic of violence in the media affected the show’s tone, and as already indicated, the network’s meddling did more harm than good. CBS airing episodes out of order, or not at all, surely led to the audience’s frustration, too.
With all that said, this is still a series that people remember more fondly than not. The opinion that it was ahead of its time, and it would thrive nowadays, is reasonable. Yet, for that progressive twisting of traditional American images and life, the 1990s were really the perfect setting. If only we had gotten the chance to see good finally overcome evil in Trinity.
American Gothic is currently available on DVD and Digital.
Lucas Black, Gary Cole, Paige Turco and Jake Weber in American Gothic.
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