I’ll never forget the first time I sat back and watched the very first episode of American Horror Story: Murder House. I was already a massive fan of Jessica Lange, Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott, so there was already a wee bit of excitement for the cast alone. By the final episode, I was officially hooked. It was a weird and wonderful season, one that only raised my expectations for the following nightmares to be released. And frankly, Asylum raised the bar for me. Lange was exceptional as a nun with a seriously f*cked up history. And of course, Sarah Paulson – who was only briefly utilized in Murder House – really had the chance to shine as a journalist wrongfully locked up in a mental institution. After two amazing seasons, AHS became one of my weekly pleasures.
As the series has progressed, I’ve spoken to more and more fans that have drifted off from Ryan Murphy’s horror hijinks. Yet I’ve stuck around nearly every season. While I missed Lady Gaga’s debut in Hotel, I still watched every other year of terror until the bitter end. While I was severely disappointed in Roanoke – especially with such a cool idea surrounding it – I made it through. Things picked up a bit with Cult, and I had fun with the series creators lambasting modern politics. However, something happened with last years Apocalypse. While the first episode was intriguing, it quickly became clear that it was going to be an absolute mess. Instead of making it enjoyable by bringing past characters back, it became just a joyless and stupid story with one of the most annoying villains that the series has ever produced. I disliked this season so much that I dropped out half-way through. The first time that I’d ever done it for AHS.
And now, Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk appear to be speaking my language. The trailer for AHS: 1984 is clearly taking the early 80’s slasher approach. And why not? One of the highlights of the series has been a couple of its most creepy villains who both brought a serious slasher vibe. Asylum offered up the spooky “Bloody Face” and Freak Show gave us Twisty the Clown. So why not go full on slasher mode? You have a wealth of 1980’s flicks to inspire you, and genre nostalgia is huge lately. However, there are more than a few concerns with this simply because they have dropped the ball before. Instead of making Roanoke something truly atmospheric and terrifying, they decided to just follow a predictable “found footage” style format that was far too predictable, and frankly a bit of a bore.
Personally, I love the 80’s slasher flicks, and I’m sure a number of you do as well. And I’ve seen a number of films and television shows that have utilized that horror model incredible well. That said, can you sustain a slasher horror series for 13 episodes? Of course you can. I guess the better question is, can American Horror Story sustain a slasher storyline without overloading the comedy and going in too many weird directions? A perfect example was the slightly enjoyable Scream Queens, which was ultimately a bit of a let down. It was all the more upsetting because they freaking had Jamie Lee Curtis! Yet they overloaded it with goofy side characters and almost zero scares. Like the lesser AHS episodes, the series had a few bright spots, but it wasn’t nearly as slashierific as it could have been.
Right now all we really have to go on is that they have a decent teaser trailer and Emma Roberts is returning while Evan Peters is not – this is the first season that the actor has not been a part of it. The only other cast member listed is an Olympic athlete by the name of Gus Kenworthy. However strange that may seem, it really isn't terribly surprising coming from Murphy and his flair for casting unusual and attractive actors and actresses. Kenworthy is good looking, openly gay, and he seems to fit the unique casting choices that the series follows. Casting is generally not an issue with this series, even when they do try and get creative. I mean, Zachary Quinto and John Carroll Lynch were perfect as series psychos. Hopefully, the unique casting choices that we will ultimately hear about will help bring a sense of fun to the season, and not become simply a distraction.
Maybe it’s the booze talkin’; but AHS needs to get the slasher formula right. Frankly, if AHS is going to take on a masked killer staking teens or what have you, it can be done if you truly understand the sub-genre. While it was only one episode, I remember a surprisingly brilliant take on this type of genre flick on an episode of Psych entitled “Tuesday the 17th.” Series star James Roday is a massive horror and slasher fan, and it shows. However, that was just one episode and not 13. And in the past few seasons of AHS, they have occasionally pulled off some damn creepy slasher type scares, so maybe they can create an entire storyline around one. If Apocalypse hadn’t been a disaster, I may have more faith. Alas, it was a disjointed and muddled joke of a season in this viewers opinion. Here is hoping the simplicity and the directness of a slasher film can fit in the wacky world of AHS. What do you think of this approach for season 9? Let us know in the comments below.