American Gothic (1995 TV series)

American Gothic is an American horror series created by Shaun Cassidy and executive producer Sam Raimi.

Premise

The story takes place in the fictional town of Trinity, South Carolina, and revolves around Caleb Temple and the town's corrupt sheriff, Lucas Buck. Buck, despite appearing affable and charismatic, is actually a murderous rapist whose power base is backed by apparent supernatural powers, which he generally uses to manipulate people to "fulfill their potential" and make life-changing choices (usually for evil).

Caleb Temple is a normal child whose paternity masks a horrific secret: Lucas Buck is his biological father, having raped his mother in front of Caleb's older sister Merlyn, who has become so emotionally traumatized by the event that she has withdrawn from the rest of the world, made even worse when her mother committed suicide after giving birth to Caleb.

During the pilot episode, Buck murders Merlyn in cold blood and manipulates Caleb's "father" into committing suicide in order to manipulate Caleb's family and claim his biological son for his own. However, the newly arrived Dr. Crower begins to uncover the sheriff's role in the death of Merlyn and her father who, with help from Caleb's out-of-town cousin Gail Emory, struggles to prevent Lucas from corrupting young Caleb. They are aided by Merlyn's ghost, who personally appears before Caleb throughout the series in order to try to keep him from Buck's corrupt grasp.