Why Sister Ratched Will Love American Horror Story Fans But Not Ken Kesey Fans

The creator of the project is a newcomer Evan Romansky, whose luggage contains only the script for one episode of the little-known series Starstuck. More importantly, the first two episodes were executive produced, showrunner and directed by Ryan Murphy - who has worked on American Horror Story, Politics and Hollywood.

Sister Ratched is a typical series by this author, with all its merits and demerits. But in this case, the reference to a literary source only hinders the creators. After all, viewers expect to see something similar to the book by Ken Kesey or the film adaptation of the same name by Milos Forman. And they get something completely different.

Forget About One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Kesey's novel tells about the everyday life of a mental hospital in which Randle's bully Patrick McMurphy falls. He does not want to put up with the strict rules that the cruel nurse Mildred Ratched has established.

Thirteen years after the publication of the book, the film adaptation of Milos Forman was released. The director greatly changed both the plot and the very atmosphere of the story. But most importantly, Sister Ratched, played by Louise Fletcher, soon became one of the most famous movie villains.

Neither in the book nor in the film was the backstory of this heroine told. It is only known that she once served in an army hospital. But in 2016, aspiring screenwriter Evan Romansky decided to look into her past and tell what turned Mildred Ratched into a monster.

But in Murphy's hands, the connection with the original source was practically lost. Fans of Kesey and Foreman could expect the prequel to be the same dark drama in which circumstances and the brutality of the environment change the character of a respectable girl.

But in the serial version, Mildred Ratched (Sarah Paulson) is eager to work in a psychiatric clinic. There should soon be brought a maniac who killed several priests. To achieve her goal, the heroine does not hesitate to go to deception and even crimes. And she has serious problems with her behavior in ordinary life.

Meanwhile, it turns out that the hospital director, who is inclined to experimental treatment of patients, also has secrets. In the past, he made a terrible mistake, and now they are looking for him.

It is better not to talk about the rest of the storylines, so as not to spoil the viewing pleasure. But this already makes it clear that the authors are not showing drama, but a real thriller on the verge of horror.

All the heroes here are, if not insane, then at least cruel. And a significant part of the plot is devoted not to psychological confrontation, but to treatment, reminiscent of torture, or even murder.

In one scene, a drug-drugged doctor tries to reattach a patient's hands that were cut off from a gardener. It is unlikely that Kesey could have imagined this in his novel.

Romansky believes that the book Ratched at McMurphy was most annoyed by ostentatious sexuality and because of this her problems arose. Otherwise, the connection is only formal: the scene of the action and some hints coincide. But this is a completely different story in a different genre and with new characters.

Treat the show like an American Horror Story spin-off

Perhaps Ryan Murphy himself would have done the same, except for Sister Ratched being released on a rival platform. And here for the author, but not for the Fox channel, which releases the famous project, the situation is very favorable.

While production of American Horror Story Season 10 is delayed, Murphy is creating a similar story for Netflix.

As one of the scriptwriters, the producer invited his permanent co-writer Ian Brennan, with whom he has been collaborating since the days of "Chorus". Ratched herself is played by Murphy's favorite Sarah Paulson. Finn Witrock and Corey Stoll also star in the long-running project.

And the idea itself is similar: American Horror Story takes standard horror plots and turns them into new stories with a hint of sociality.

In the second season of the series, they already talked about a psychiatric hospital, where a dangerous maniac was brought. Is that in "Sister Ratched" do without mysticism and aliens. But cruelty, cooked people and dismembered no less.

Enjoy beauty and actors

In the main, Ryan Murphy does not change himself: he shoots very beautifully. The author again turns to the favorite US style of the 1940s. In this regard, "Sister Ratched" rather continues his other project for Netflix - "Hollywood".

Here, all sorts of color filters are added to stunning suits, hats and old cars. To convey the atmosphere of madness and just to catch up with gloom, the picture turns green, then turns red.

Plus, the show has an amazing cast. Sarah Paulson once again proves her versatility. The actress admitted that she herself demanded from Ryan Murphy the main role in the project, threatening to cause a scandal on the street.

Given that Louise Fletcher received an Oscar for her portrayal of Mildred Ratched, it was hard to imagine that anyone would be able to compete with her in the depth of this image. But Paulson is not trying to copy his predecessor. Her heroine is completely different, but no less interesting. Ratched looks at times the height of nobility, then almost crazy.

The series also brought together many other outstanding artists. First of all, Sharon Stone attracts attention in incredible costumes. She got the role of a wealthy, charismatic and vengeful mother. And the star of "Sex and the City" Cynthia Nixon pleases with trouser suits and daring looks for those times.

Each scene in Sister Ratched is imbued with visual aesthetics and eye-catching symmetrical footage. The actors take beautiful poses, and even the cruelty, presented with theatrical grotesque, is more entertaining than frightening.

Don't look for depth

Ryan Murphy's projects can be roughly divided into two types. In some, the author really reveals important social themes and makes it the center of the whole story. Suffice it to recall Pose, one of the most striking series about the culture of queer balls and transsexuals. Or Politics is a terrific satire on the organization of American elections.

In his other works, Murphy seems to also capture topical issues. But he does it formally, just to add drama to what is happening. It looks like "American Horror Story" and even "Hollywood".

Sister Ratched falls into the second category. There are all important and serious topics for the author: barbaric methods of medicine, patriarchal orders and even the problems of LGBT people in the middle of the 20th century. But all the dramatic twists and turns look too predictable. The line with the patient's treatment for lesbian inclinations is quite correlated with the real story. However, in the series, this is only a way to show the development of the characters, and not a serious analysis of the problem.

And even a boy who was sent to a psychiatric hospital because he dreams too much is more of a part of the entourage, and not a person with a tragic fate.

Therefore, one should not expect a really deep study of social themes from the project. It's just a bright and beautiful series.

The experience of Sister Ratched is entirely dependent on what the viewer expects to see. Those who dreamed of returning to the atmosphere of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and understanding the character's history will surely be disappointed. The series has almost nothing to do with either Kesey's book or even Foreman's film.

But fans of Ryan Murphy's work, and above all of American Horror Story, will most likely enjoy the familiar actors, the graceful picture and the eerie atmosphere of the story, where there is not a single positive hero.