Entertainment
American Horror Stories review: Bitesized series builds momentum as horror stakes veer from repetitive to terrifying
Everyone should know by now never to enter Murder House… (Picture: FX on Hulu)
American Horror Stories offers a bitesized insight into the horrifying world created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, with some scares faltering and others taking terror to a whole other level on Disney Plus.
When American Horror Stories was first announced, I – as an American Horror Story fan – failed to see the point of the series straight away, if it was simply going to be a copy of the original show.
While some plot points do feel repetitive if you are already well-versed on AHS, the new spin-off does also take its viewers in unexpected directions that will chill them to the bone.
Unlike American Horror Story, which focuses on different tales for entire seasons including Asylum and Freak Show, the American Horror Stories anthology series contains its stories in shorter arcs, perhaps making it more palatable for viewers who are dipping their toe into the genre for the first time.
The first two episodes go all the way back to the roots of AHS, following a family as they move into the infamous Murder House, as shown in the first season of the original series.
Scarlett (Sierra McCormick), a 16-year-old girl, moves into the legendary house with her fathers Michael (Matt Bomer) and Troy (Gavin Creel), who plan on flipping the property and turning it into a money-making tourist attraction.
Scarlett gradually acclimatises to life in the haunted house (Picture: FX on Hulu)
While in the house, where Scarlett explores her violent sexual desires, the family encounter the ghosts of people who have been killed in their home and are therefore destined to remain there for all of eternity.
Considering these episodes take place in the exact same house where Murder House was set, which premiered a decade ago, one can’t help but compare the instalments to the first season of AHS.
The story is gripping, but as it unfolds, you find yourself sympathising with outcast Scarlett less and less, while also wishing that the episodes took their time to match the fear and suspense that season one of AHS achieved.
The third episode of American Horror Stories goes in a completely new and refreshing direction, as a group of teenagers go to a drive-in to watch a movie that was shown once in the 1980s, when it sparked a level of violence in the audience that resulted in the deaths of six people.
Episode three delivers some truly horrifying scenes (Picture: FX on Hulu)
Having been granted access to the first three episodes of the series, the third instalment definitely takes things up a notch, boasting toe-curling horror of the most gruesome variety.
With upcoming episodes including one with an evil Santa and another with a demonic ritual, we’re fascinated to see how the remainder of the season can further enrich the AHS universe on the whole.
Verdict on American Horror Stories
At times, American Horror Stories can feel like it’s playing the same old record, just with new characters thrown into the mix.
However, at other points, the anthology series manages to push the envelope, creating horrifying scenarios that will make viewers’ skin crawl.
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While it can be fun as an AHS fan to revisit themes from the original show, the highlight of American Horror Stories, from what we’ve seen so far, is when it takes an experimental approach with new terrifying tales.
It may not be as big a must-watch as the upcoming 10th season of AHS, but American Horror Stories is still a worthy companion to the original show, despite not quite hitting the same mark.
American Horror Stories premieres on Wednesday September 8 on Disney Plus.
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