TV Series Review: American Horror Story (2011-Present)

Synopsis:

An anthology series that centers on different characters and locations, including a murder house, an asylum, a coven, a freak show, a hotel and a sinister farmhouse. (source)

Creators:

Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk

Cast:

Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Lily Rabe, Evan Peters, Frances Conroy, Angela Bassett, Denis O’Hare and Kathy Bates

Review:

The title of the show kind of give away what it is about. American Horror Story or AHS focuses on the horrific and dreadful things that happen all over America, sometimes made up, sometimes based on true stories.

Each season of AHS comes with a complete different story and location, or what we can call “the theme”. Every year, seems like US fans wait patiently for the creators to announce the theme. As you can see in the synopsis, these TV geniuses never run out of ideas.

You may ask, how is American Horror Story different from other horror/thriller TV shows or movies? The answer is how the same actors always come back alive especially if they are killed off!

(source)

Now, I think I have misled you. What I meant was that most of the time, the actors come back in the new season as a new character (with the addition of big names like Lady Gaga, Matt Bomer, Michael Chiklis, Joseph Fiennes, Adam Levine and Emma Roberts) and they do it flawlessly. You can stop worrying about making a connection or trying to remember what happened last year, because AHS will make sure they are not related (There may be some characters who share same last names, but it depends on you to decide if they have a connection). You will feel like you are watching something new every year.

Another strong point is their camera work. Sometimes, even in the most normal scenes, the camera angles bring mysterious vibes to it as a reminder that this is a horror/thriller show. Maybe the special effects are also brilliant.

(source: FX)

And of course, the villains are important. The show introduced us to the most iconic and wicked ones. Whether they are hiding under a mask or look as simple as your neighbor, these bad guys will give you the creeps. They are also good for dressing as on Halloween.

Let us talk about the weaknesses. AHS seemed to lose its way in season 4 and 5 (Freak Show and Hotel, respectively). Some might say it got really bad since season 3 (Coven), which was basically Mean Girls for witches, but it was still enjoyable for me to watch (It is my favorite season). I guess these seasons were not scary enough for the audience.

Back to season 4 and 5, the storylines were all over the place. Also there were not enough good plots. Almost every episode showed brutal murders, blood, sex, and repeated all over again. Moreover, the moral of the characters in these two seasons were alarmingly lacking. I know there are people who do not care when someone you do not love die, but it does not have to be every single one of them.

However, AHS is coming back strong with another new season this year. (Season 6: Roanoke, which also focuses on a farmhouse in North Carolina). They started by being hush-hush about the theme during the hiatus as opposed to how they usually announced it earlier in the previous years.

Comes September 14, 2016, the first episode of season 6 came out along with the trailer to reveal the theme, and the fans could not be more excited. It seems like AHS had found its paces again and the scary factors are back in full force. It also gain points for a unique way of storytelling. (I will not tell you about this, seems like you will have to see for yourself).

Recommended Episodes:

Every episode in every season is important as there are clues you cannot miss!

American Horror Story: Roanoke airs every Wednesday 10 PM ET/PT on FX in America, and the first fives seasons are available on Netflix.