The Hunt: What happens when movies and television mirror reality?

American Horror Story, now edging towards its tenth season, is consistently bloody and violent. Mid-Western Assassin, the sixth episode of American Horror Story: Cult aired on FX on October 10, 2017. The episode we saw, however, was not what was originally shot. That’s because it included a two-and-a-half-minute scene wherein a character shoots a gun in a crowd of people during a campaign speech.

What’s the big deal about that? Well, nine days before the episode aired, a gunman killed 58  people and wounded a staggering 413 in Las Vegas. As a result, the opening scene was cut by half, several deaths were eliminated, close-ups of the gun were removed, and most of the violent deaths now occurred off-camera. It was a wise decision by the network, who realized that there is a fine line between televised entertainment and real-life trauma.

As violence in America continues to escalate, there will likely be more movies and television series that will have to do damage control, but we can only hope it doesn’t stifle the creativity of writers and networks.

Do you plan on watching The Hunt? Tell us what you think in the comments section.