American Horror Story Is Brilliant, Ridiculous and Sometimes Both at Once
Nerdy Up North
The setup
American Horror Story reinvents itself each season, telling self contained stories involving haunted houses, asylums, witches, freak shows, cults, killers and other corners of American horror, often reusing the same actors in completely different roles.
American Horror Story is one of the hardest shows to recommend because asking whether it is good immediately leads to another question: which season?
That is also the fun of it. Every year can completely reset the board. A haunted house becomes an asylum, then witches, then a freak show, then a hotel. Even when one idea does not work for you, another season might be exactly your thing.
The recurring cast is a huge part of the appeal. Jessica Lange could walk into the most ridiculous Ryan Murphy scene imaginable and somehow make it feel important. Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett and the rest of the rotating cast get to reinvent themselves over and over, which makes the anthology format feel more connected than it should.
The show also has absolutely no interest in restraint. Sometimes that produces brilliant horror imagery and unforgettable characters. Other times a season starts with three strong ideas, adds seven more and then spends the final episodes desperately trying to land all of them. You can almost feel the writers getting excited by another twist before finishing the previous one.
At its best, though, AHS is great event television. Murder House and Asylum in particular showed how far mainstream horror television could push things at the time. Even weaker seasons usually contain at least one performance or image that sticks in your head.
Consistency is not its strength. Commitment absolutely is.
Positives
A brilliant recurring cast, bold production design, huge variety between seasons and some genuinely memorable horror concepts.
Negatives
The quality changes wildly from season to season and stories often become overloaded with twists and subplots before the end.
Verdict
American Horror Story is messy by design. You will probably love some seasons, hate others and still come back because you want to know what ridiculous thing it is trying next.
