Murder House is the first official season of Ryan Murphy’s long-running horror anthology, American Horror Story. The season follows the Harmon family as they move into a strange home with a haunted history. Their hope is to get a fresh start after some unfortunate incidents in their past.
Sadly, that doesn’t work out for the family. Instead, they find themselves in a haunted house full of ghosts, many of whom wish to do the Harmon’s wrong. Many fans feel that Murder House was one of the best seasons of the series. However, there are still some questions that were left unresolved.
Why do some ghosts still have wounds showing how they died and others don’t?
When watching the show you’ll notice that some ghosts continue bearing the marks and wounds of how they were killed. For instance, Nora has a giant bullet wound in the back of her head from where she shot herself. Larry’s wife and daughter are still severely burned, even in death.
However, Ben doesn’t have rope marks around his neck despite being strangled. Hayden doesn’t show any wounds from where she was hit with a shovel. Chad and Patrick look fine too. Could it be that characters who commit suicide are the only ones that continue showing their wounds after they die?
Why is Moira’s “true form” an old woman?
When Moira died she was a young woman. Constance shot her due to perceived infidelity. However, we know Moira as an old woman. How is that possible? Moira died young, her true form should be her younger form.
It’s never explained why Moira has the ability to change her age and form. Could it be that Moira wasn’t human entirely? There are some fan theories that believe she might be a succubus.
How come no one had heard of Tate prior to moving to Murder House?
Tate Langdon is a mass murderer on par with the Columbine shooters. You would think they might have heard of Tate before, considering how horrific the crime he committed was. Yet Ben shows no sign of recognition when he takes his patient in.
That said, not many people remember the exact names of shooters. It might be fair to say that the Harmons simply didn’t follow the case, considering it took place in the past and Violet wouldn’t have been affected.
What was the deal with the Piggy Piggy storyline?
In one episode, Ben has to talk to a patient (played by Eric Stonestreet) who is obsessed with the Piggyman urban legend. It’s a little similar to the Candyman or Bloody Mary legends. He believes if he says “Here, Piggy Piggy,” three times in front of the mirror, the Piggyman will slaughter him.
Eventually, he gets the courage to do it and he winds up being killed by home invaders in a cruel twist of irony. However, the Piggyman doesn’t come up again until season six of the series. It’s not really a crucial part of the Murder House story and ultimately feels like an unresolved storyline.
What happened to Leah?
Leah is the school bully that Violet faces off against in the opening hour of the season. Violet and Tate use the house to put the fear of God into Leah. She is tormented by the ghosts in the basement. After, she and Violet strike up an unlikely friendship.
But ultimately Leah disappears and we never hear from her again or learn what happened to her. Obviously, Violet dies so we know they probably wouldn’t have remained friends. But it would have been nice to get a note of closure, or at least a mention.
Who was Constance’s fourth child?
During the first season, we learn that Constance has four children. Tate, Adelaide, Beau, and an unnamed fourth child. Ryan Murphy claims they were originally going to introduce an albino character as Constance’s fourth kid but it didn’t wind up panning out.
The show also doesn’t talk much about Beau. He’s a character shown in the series but he doesn’t get as much attention as Adelaide or Tate. As for her fourth child, it seems strange that they wouldn’t talk further about the character.
What did Larry want Ben’s money for?
At one point in the series, Larry batters Ben for money. He attempts to blackmail him for cash after he takes care of Hayden and helps get her buried under the gazebo. Larry wants $1,000 but he never says what it’s for.
Ben winds up believing that Larry and Hayden have concocted a scam since he sees Hayden’s ghost. The money isn’t really mentioned again and it winds up being a pointless plot. What did Larry even want the money for?
Who was JungleJim4322?
If you ask people what the most memorable or humorous part of season one is, many will say the mention of JungleJim4322. He was the subject of many memes and jokes from the fandom. But we never actually learn who the mysterious “JungleJim4322” is.
It might have been a fun way to wink at the audience if they had introduced him, even if just in a casual setting. But instead, he’s forgotten about along with a lot of other storylines on the series.
How did the Harmon’s coexist with Hayden?
At the end of the season, Ben, Vivian, and Violet Harmon are all dead. Their ghosts continue to live on in the Murder House along with all the other ghosts. Weirdly enough, Hayden is still there. She shows no signs of wanting to stop tormenting the Harmons or getting a baby.
Are we supposed to believe that they were all able to coexist peacefully in the house together? Even though the ending of the season makes it appear like the Harmons get to live on in peace together at last, but that probably doesn’t happen sadly given some of the more malicious entities living in the home.
Who paid the bills when the house was full of ghosts?
The end of the season shows all the ghosts continuing to live on in the home. Some ghosts, such as the Harmons, and some of the other kind ghosts in the house, try to keep new families from moving in. They even celebrate Christmas together and seem to find their own kind of happy ending.
But one has to wonder how the lights and electricity were able to stay on and function if no one alive was present in the home. Who is paying the bills? Are the ghosts taking online jobs just to keep the house going?
Next: American Horror Story: 10 Unanswered Questions We Still Have About Apocalypse
