On episode 6 of AMERICAN HORROR STORY called, “The Axeman Cometh”, the Axeman of New Orleans was a serial killer active in New Orleans, Louisiana (and surrounding communities, including Gretna, Louisiana), from May 1918 to October 1919.
The show opens with someone on a typewriter it’s 1919 in New Orleans. The writer of the letter is the Axeman. I betting the letter looked something like this: Hell, March 13, 1919 – Esteemed Mortal: They have never caught me and they never will. They have never seen me, for I am invisible, even as the ether that surrounds your earth. I am not a human being, but a spirit and a demon from the hottest hell. I am what you Orleanians and your foolish police call the Axeman.
When I see fit, I shall come and claim other victims. I alone know whom they shall be. I shall leave no clue except my bloody axe, besmeared with blood and brains of he whom I have sent below to keep me company.
If you wish you may tell the police to be careful not to rile me. Of course, I am a reasonable spirit. I take no offense at the way they have conducted their investigations in the past. In fact, they have been so utterly stupid as to not only amuse me, but His Satanic Majesty, Francis Josef, etc. But tell them to beware. Let them not try to discover what I am, for it were better that they were never born than to incur the wrath of the Axeman. I don‘t think there is any need of such a warning, for I feel sure the police will always dodge me, as they have in the past. They are wise and know how to keep away from all harm.
Undoubtedly, you Orleanians think of me as a most horrible murderer, which I am, but I could be much worse if I wanted to. If I wished, I could pay a visit to your city every night. At will I could slay thousands of your best citizens, for I am in close relationship with the Angel of Death.
Now, to be exact, at 12:15 (earthly time) on next Tuesday night, I am going to pass over New Orleans. In my infinite mercy, I am going to make a little proposition to you people.
Here it is: I am very fond of jazz music, and I swear by all the devils in the nether regions that every person shall be spared in whose home a jazz band is in full swing at the time I have just mentioned. If everyone has a jazz band going, well, then, so much the better for you people. One thing is certain and that is that some of your people who do not jazz it on Tuesday night (if there be any) will get the axe.
Well, as I am cold and crave the warmth of my native Tartarus, and it is about time I leave your earthly home, I will cease my discourse. Hoping that thou wilt publish this, that it may go well with thee, I have been, am and will be the worst spirit that ever existed either in fact or realm of fancy.
The Axeman – ( This is one of the Original letters the real Axeman wrote ) – A group of woman (witches) are reading his letter in the paper. They start working on a plan to kill the Axeman.
The Axeman is walking down a street when he comes to the Academy which is not playing Jazz music but rather Opera music? The Axeman enters and climbs the staircase with his axe to begin killing them. He enters a room and turns off the record. One of them has a tarot card in her hand (the death card). This is expected she says and with that she stabs him the others begin to help her with the attack and they stab him as well. The Axeman eventually is dead, but his spirit, well that’s a different story, it’s trapped within the walls of the Academy.
When are in present time now and Zoe is being eight kinds of nosey and going through a box of Madison’s stuff. She takes our a scarf and when she unrolls it a bottle falls out. It rolls into the closet and stops. The clothes hanging above the bottle start to sway. Zoe moves them and sees a secret hiding place. Zoe climbs in and uses her phone light to guide her. She opens a trunk by a bed and finds some pictures. Zoe then opens a bag on the bed and finds a very old Ouija board. Zoe takes it downstairs and tells Nan and Queenie how back in the day the Academy was bursting with witches. Zoe then ask if they notice anything. Nan is all a matter of fact Luke isn’t here and his bitch mom keeps slamming the door on me. Zoe tells her to focus up and notice how there are only three witches well four if you count the dead one in Spalding’s trunk. Zoe tells them they need to stick together, that Madison is trying to tell them to look for her. She gets a shit glass and a bottle of absinthe out of the cupboard. She pours a shot. Nan downs it. She pours one for Queenie who is not down with all this. Zoe explains it to her. Queenie downs her shot. Zoe does one of her own. Queenie ask Zoe where she found the Ouija board. Zoe tells her it found her. Queenie ask her what she knows about them. Zoe tells her they are to talk to the dead. Queenie informs her she doesn’t know shit. Queenie explains that there are two stages contact and release. Zoe tells Queenie if she wants to find Madison to witch up. Zoe has gotten some balls since she found out she can kill things at will. Queenie doesn’t look like she really cares where Madison is, which isn’t that surprising considering she thought she was giving a hand job to the grim reaper. The three of them put there hand on the upside down shot glass in the middle of the board.
Queenie tells her to ask questions but to be polite. Zoe ask the obvious question and wants to know if they are alone. The shot glass moves to no. Queenie ask if the spirit died there the glass moves to yes. She ask if they were murdered the glass stays on yes. Zoe ask who killed them the glass spells YOUDID the three let go of the glass. Zoe ask if it’s Madison the glass moves to no. Zoe ask who they are the glass spells AXEMAN. Queenie says it’s been real but we has got to go and smacks the shot glass to the ground breaking it. She tells Zoe if her survival is important to her she will do her homework and find out who she contacted. Queenie blows out the candles.
Fiona is getting a chemo treatment. Fiona is having problems relaxing because she can read the minds of the people around her. Fiona has never had that gift before and wonders if it’s because of the drugs. Is she talking about he ones she is getting now or the ones she is constantly downing? Fiona can’t take it anymore and rios the IV out and gets up to leave. Fiona tips a bit and a doctor comes up to her that looks suspiciously like Pelant from Bones. She tells him it’s the noises that are bothering her. He tells her he put a sedative in her IV. He gets her to sit down and finish her treatment. Fiona tells him she is doing this for her daughter. Fiona tells the doctor she wants to find her one for the rest of her life. She then tells the lady across not to worry she will make it to her daughters wedding. The lady looks at her like she read her mind. Oh wait…..
The girls are up in Zoe’s room doing research on the Axeman. Zoe finds out he was a nut job that loved Jazz. Nan finds a picture of the witches from 1919 and they realize that is the same year the Axeman quit killing. Queenie finds a entry in a old diary that proves the witches killed him. Zoe says they need to make contact just in case he knows where Madison is because they need her back on this TV show pronto. Queenie yells no that she isn’t going to help her. Nan taps out as well. Zoe gives them the you suck as witches speech and head downstairs to release her Jazz loving Axeman. Zoe tells him if he tells her where Madison is she will give him what he wants, that she knows what he likes, and this gem…. I can give it to you …RELEASE. That Icky feeling you have right now it’s not wrong. Anyway it works because apparently the word release makes spirits horny with anticipation. The glass spells out ATTIC. Zoe grabs a flashlight and heads on up. When Zoe opens the door the smell almost knocks her on her ass. She pulls her sweater up over her face and looks around at Spalding’s doll collection, and tea sets. Dude has like a million sticks of incense burning and still the room smells like something is rotting in it. Zoe sees the trunk and despite my better judgement and me shaking my head no she opens it. Zoe looks down and sees Madison who I honestly thought would look way worse. Spalding comes up behind her and covers her mouth so that her scream is muffled.
Fiona is standing in Cordelia’s room. Cordelia comes in with a cane and sunglasses on. Fiona is getting her bed ready for her to lie down in. Cordelia ask her why she brought her roses when it’s chrysanthemums she needs for strength. Cordelia has become quite the bitter pill, she should use some of it to tell her murderer husband to get the fuck out. Cordelia takes off her sunglasses. Hank grabs her arm and she seems him banging the red head. She ask you she is. He denies it and she calls bullshit. Cordelia then does what I suggested a few sentences up and tells him to get the fuck out, she even is nice enough to magically open the door and then slap it behind him. Cordelia tells her mom she really wanted to sever his arms from his body. Me thinks I’m going to like this new Cordelia. Cordelia is taking her clothes off and Fiona offers to help. Cordelia gets a flash of her mother sending Myrtle Snow up in smoke. Fiona leaves. Cordelia cries.
The girls have Spalding tied up in the attic with Madison’s dead body lying close by. There is a little flashback where you see that Zoe broke free and smashed him over the head with one of his dolls knocking him out. Zoe tells they will ask the questions, he will think the answers, and Nan will tell them. She then takes a red hot spatula and puts on his chest burning him. Queenie calls him Riff Raff and even though I disagree I will let it slide because they worked a Rocky Horror reference in. Zoe ask if he killed Madison. He thinks the word yes and Nan repeats it. Zoe ask why he thinks he is a man of unique appetites and Nan says sex. Zoe ask if she was his first. He thinks a sentence I will not explain in detail but lets just say he banged the dead girl. Nan says his first in a really freaked out way. We all know he didn’t kill her but I honestly have to say I totally believe he had sex with her body, probably had on his lady dress and bonnet when he did it. Nan tells them he also thinks that they can’t do shit. Queenie proves him wrong when she takes the spatula. Places it on her own face and makes his burn till he passes out. Zoe tells her that’s enough, Queenie laughs and says that’s cool she wants him awake to feel it when they kill him anyway. Zoe tells Queenie that can’t kill him because he didn’t kill Madison. Queenie wants to know who did.
Misty is in her garden by the swamp watering her plants and what not. She goes up to a human sized pile of dirt and begins to water it. Myrtles hand pops out. Misty tells her to be patient. Kyle touches her shoulder and she jumps. Misty ask him what happened to him that he looks like he was rode hard and put up wet, she follows that up with my daddy use to say that, no no she didn’t, all these girls are fucked up sexually, Kyle as well. Speaking of Kyle Misty is giving him a bath. Kyle starts freaking out a bit when she starts touching him, what with his mommy issues. He is standing there naked and breaks her radio. So long Stevie. Zoe shows up and he runs to her crying. Misty tells her to get him out of there. Zoe tells her Misty is going as well she needs her help.
Hank goes to see Laveau.
Zoe chains Kyle up and tells him it will be ok. Misty tells her that they belong together. Zoe says not likely he murdered his mother. I think she is forgetting she killed somebody as well and for the exact same thing…rape. Maybe Cordelia could like see his mind flashes or maybe Nan could read his mind. Anyway she pulls the blanket back and ask Misty if she can bring back the worst killer ever in a horror movie back to life. Misty doesn’t think she can do it because she has been dead to long. Zoe tells her she better she has the power of resurgence. Misty ask foe some dirt and then tells Zoe to push all the dead out of her by pushing her stomach. It works and Madison wakes up screaming and then ask for a cigarette.
Hank is tripping. Apparently Laveau is his cohort and he is suppose to be killing all the descendants of witchdom, including his red headed lay. She went to see Cordelia. Wonder how long till she figures that out. He has killed nine of them already. Laveau thinks they should put his wife on the pay roll since she found the witches. Laveau is having a melt down talking about fat bitches and Fiona. She wants all their heads and for him to burn the Academy to the ground. Hank looks like this is not what he signed up for.
Zoe tells them they have to keep Madison under the radar for now. Misty comes walking in and Zoe tells her she should spend the night. She is not into that because she is getting bad vibes from that house. The Axeman.
Cordelia is in her room she takes off her robe to go to sleep. The Axeman is there he says he always hated that room. Haha.
Madison is there but nit all together there if you catch my drift. She is getting flashes of coming back and ask if she was in a car wreck. Madison gives her something to drink to help with her stomach. Madison drinks and then almost immediately pukes. Queenie ask if she knows who she is. She does and even better she makes 7 mil per picture. Zoe ask what the last thing is she remembers she says red and then it’s all dark. Nan ask her of she saw a bright light. Madison sure didn’t it’s just all black forever.
The Axeman explains to Cordelia that Zoe promised him release if he did her a solid. Cordelia can actually see him. The Axeman has his axe and has jazz music playing and is trying to kill Cordelia. Zoe finds a book and does a spell in a language that probably was made up at Hogwarts. The Axeman is free and goes right out the gate.
Fiona is at a bar drinking her sorrow and misery away. Some of her hair comes out. She downs her drink. The Axeman sits down next to her. He offers to buy her a drink.
THE END!
If you want a sneak peek video & synopsis of next week’s episode, “The Dead” check out the preview of episode 7 below!
“Fiona finds new purpose in a dangerous love affair. A night out with LaLaurie leads Queenie to question her place in the Coven. Cordelia makes a fateful decision about her mother.”
American Horror Story, “The Dead” was written by Brad Falchuk and directed by Bradley Buecker. It will air on FX Wednesday, November 20th, 2013 at 10 PM EST.