With Halloween a month away, people are in the mood for spooks and scares. What better way to do that than to settle in for a taste of evil in Ryan Murphy’s latest season of the hit FX show “American Horror Story?” This season, Murphy and his team have taken on the apocalypse, and, as always, have found ways to bump up the depravity and drama. “American Horror Story” has run for seven full seasons, creating an anthology that supposedly all connects, but is as unabashedly confusing as it is exciting. For those of you who can’t stomach blood, gore and extremely messed up plot lines, stop reading now, and definitely don’t tune into FX on Wednesday nights. For veteran viewers and horror enthusiasts, prepare yourself for what might be Murphy’s most bizarre season yet.
“American Horror Story” takes different twists and turns every season, and approaches horror at a different angle each time. From the Amityville Horror-vibe of season one,“Murder House,” to the “Purge”-esque violence of season seven,“Cult,” and everything in between, the stellar acting and clever filming leaves viewers wanting more and losing sleep. Two episodes into season eight, it’s clear that “Apocalypse” is more than just what the title suggests. Yes, it begins with the end of the world. But, instead of taking the traditional survival-focused route, this season brings some freaky stuff into play.
Without getting into excessive detail, “Apocalypse” seems to be focusing on the animalistic side of the human nature. In the past, viewers have seen more about supernatural events, manipulation and unadulterated evil, but “Apocalypse” may let the characters decide their own fates, in their own ways.
The kill-or-be-killed mentality is strong in this season, and with the stellar performance of Cody Horn as the mysterious Michael Langdon (possibly a very evil throwback to season one) effectively stirring the pot, viewers are currently at a loss as to where the season will take viewers. Some of the characters seem incredibly out of place, some of them have already left and some are just about to be introduced.
Fans of the series were excited by the possibility of a crossover involving characters from season one (“Murder House”) and season three (“Coven”) into the mix, heralding a future of connection. Key players in the cast have returned this season, including American Horror Story alums Evan Peters and Sarah Paulson, as well as more recently included actors like Billie Lourd and Leslie Grossman. The question of whether scream queen Jessica Lange will grace us with her presence this season is still unanswered, but posts from several other season one and three cast-mates, including Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton, Emma Roberts and Lily Rabe, seem to confirm the crossover theory.
Episode three, titled “Forbidden Fruit” may allude to some of the more obvious biblical references in this season. However, the teaser trailer for the episode indicates the possible homecoming of several of our favorite coven witches, and perhaps a better look into the season’s plot as a whole. All we know is that this season’s characters are about to be subjected to some seriously sinister forces both outside and within their nuclear fallout bunker.
For those of you who want to jump into this season running, episode three airs Wednesday on FX. And for those who have no clue what’s going on, but definitely want to be scared, check out the first seven seasons of the anthology on Netflix and Hulu. So grab your popcorn and someone to hide behind and let your imagination run wild with “American Horror Story: Apocalypse.”
