American Horror Stories: Lake

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

After losing her child a grief stricken mother, played by Alicia Silverstone, decides that she can’t rest until she finds the body.

American Horror Stories is developing somewhat of a curse for itself of always closing out on a sour note, the last season did it and this season is much the same. However, I suppose if you are being glass half full about things you would say that whilst this season finale is boring and a wet blanket it is better than last season’s which was actively insulting to the fanbase.

Though this episode is watchable and not objectionably bad it does criminally waste the talents of Alicia Silverstone. She is clearly trying her best in the scenes she is given here, but there just isn’t enough in the script to help her give a good performance.

In terms of the episode itself the whole thing is rather dull and predictable, there are few surprises and you will find it hard to root for anyone or even to stay off your phone. In truth this episode is a snoozefest.

Overall, deeply average and uninspired.

Pros.

It is watchable

Silverstone is trying her best

Cons.

It is boring

It is predictable

It wastes Alicia Silverstone

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American Horror Stories: Necro

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A mortician, played by Madison Iseman, becomes attracted to dead bodies. Really we have come to this.

Honestly there was nothing even remotely scary about this episode, to even call it an episode of American Horror Stories feels disingenuous. In everything that Ryan Murphy does there is a level or eroticism some might say that is his style or even auteur signature, and that has always been very true for AHS. However, here it feels like it is taken to an extreme for no real reason at all, in truth what wants to be shocking is in fact very tame, it is the same thing as always traditionally good looking actors going at it. That is not shocking.

Really if anything this episode is fairly boring because other than the fact that the lead saw her family killed when she was a child and now has sexual feelings towards dead bodies, nothing of any real note happens. If I were to describe this episode in a word it would almost certainly be humdrum, it feels like midseason filler which it likely is.

Overall, nowhere near as shocking as it thinks it is, rather instead boring and tame.

Pros.

It is watchable

There are moments so silly that they are unintentionally hilarious

Cons.

It is tame

It is boring

It is badly paced

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American Horror Stories: Facelift

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

An ageing woman, played by Judith Light, becomes obsessed with the idea of plastic surgery, however after she gets it she learns to be careful what you wish for.

This certainly wasn’t a new concept, I think I have seen it done at least a dozen times before. However, what I will give this credit for is that it is one of the first times American Horror Story or indeed American Horror Stories has really dived into the realm of body horror. I think for the most part they manage to competently scratch at the surface of this rich sub-genre but don’t go as far as you would like them too.

I can’t give this episode higher as really it is just so predictable. Everything that happens has been signposted every step of the way and this episode can’t shock you for the life of it. I found the ending to be sad but altogether obvious. The acting also wasn’t anything to write home about.

Overall, it is nice to see the AHS universe consider body horror, however, this was rather shallow and trite and could be bettered in a number of obvious ways.

Pros.

AHS taking on body horror

It is watchable

Some gnarly visuals

Cons.

It was incredibly predictable

I feel like I’ve seen it done much better before

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American Horror Stories: Bloody Mary

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A group of girls summon Bloody Mary, played by Dominique Jackson.

Whilst this premise is incredibly generic I actually ended up enjoying this episode.

The two main things I think this episode does well is firstly that it is actually scary, and does have a number of good scares peppered in throughout and secondly that by flipping the standard Bloody Mary myth and instead changing it to a title that is past on and that has roots in slavery really opened it up for innovation and a new direction. For once American Horror Stories felt fresh.

However, it is not all roses as none of the performances were very good and the episode was incredibly predictable in terms of plot, you knew straight away where it was going and it basically went there with the only mild twist being that rather than being killed the lead becomes the new Bloody Mary.

Overall, I think American Horror Stories should aim to be like this more, to take chances and fully commit to the horror element of the shows title.

Pros.

A fresh take on an old myth

It has some good scares

The ending

Cons.

It is predictable

The performances

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American Horror Stories: Milkmaids

1/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A town in frontier era America descends into cannibalism.

In my previous review of last weeks episode of American Horror Stories I said that Drive was the worst episode of season two of the show but oh how wrong I was.

So most importantly this is in no way scary. What is scary is how long it goes on for. The various plot threads they have going on in this episode clash so badly together that by the end you are confused at to what you just watched.

The cannibalism feels incredibly forced in, as though they wanted to make an episode about the plight of women and LGBTQI+ characters in the early days of America and then were like ‘oh damn this is supposed to be a horror show, I guess we better put something scary in’, it feels like an afterthought.

Sadly they also bring in Seth Gabel to play the antagonist of the episode, Gabel was fantastic in the TV series Salem and all throughout the episode I couldn’t help but compare the two and it really wasn’t favourable for American Horror Stories. Gabel tries his best here but really isn’t given enough to work with.

Overall, it felt like I was watching some terrible low budget larping production organised by goth teens.

Pros.

It is over quickly

Cons.

Gabel is wasted

The cannibalism feels forced in

The ending

It isn’t remotely scary

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American Horror Stories: Drive

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A young woman , played by Bella Thorne, believes herself to be the target of a serial killer after she is chased by a manic driver.

This episode was lazy, they rip off the classic urban legend of the murderer in the backseat and think that by calling it out they somehow make up for it, which is simply untrue. I suppose I should give them some credit they do flip it so that the killer is actually the driver and the person in the backseat a victim, but even this feels contrived and lazy.

The story seems to go out of its way to spoil the twist, and when we finally learn that a bored and disinterested Bella Thorne is the murderer we are left going ‘well obviously’ rather than feeling anything even remotely akin to shock.

I would also question in what way this is supposed to be scary, it feels far too tongue in cheek, especially the ending and makes me question whether they even got the brief.

Overall, the worst episode of the second season of American Horror Stories so far.

Pros.

It is watchable

It is unintentionally funny at times

Cons.

Throne

The episode ruins the twist midway in

It isn’t scary

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