As far as anthology TV series goes, American Horror Story is a brilliant concept since it could pretty much go on forever. The ninth season, American Horror Story: 1984, is currently airing, and the theme is one that many horror fans are thrilled about.
It’s impossible not to compare the current season to the ones that came before it, especially since the show, created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, is known for its callbacks and Easter eggs. Here are five reasons that AHS: 1984 is the best season yet, along with five reasons why it’s not.
The Best: The ’80s Setting
Friday the 13th is one of the most iconic, classic horror movies of all time, featuring a serial killer at a summer camp. And the current season of American Horror Story really leans into the campy tone, which is a pun that can’t be ignored when talking about this show.
The ’80s setting is fun, interesting, and done perfectly. The cast really does look like they’re stuck in that decade, either teaching or attending aerobics classes and wearing their hair teased back or too big.
Not: Other Seasons Had More Interesting Themes
It’s fair to say that other seasons of American Horror Story had more interesting themes, because as great as slasher movies are, they can sometimes feel like the same thing all over again.
Season seven’s Cult (about an election), season four’s Freak Show, and the fifth season’s Hotel felt like very original themes and kept viewers guessing at every turn. While it’s cool that this season is about slasher horror films, it’s fair to argue that the other themes were more exciting.
The Best: It Pays Respect To An Important Genre
It’s actually pretty amazing that American Horror Story hasn’t visited the slasher film genre yet. After interpreting a scary hotel, group of witches, haunted house, asylum, and more, it makes sense that it would be time to visit the horror film genre.
It’s great that this season pays respect to such an important aspect of horror storytelling. Fans are definitely familiar with classic slasher movies and can see some of the same elements, from the girl next door character (Brooke, played by Emma Roberts) to the summer camp setting to the secrets that some characters are hiding.
Not: It Doesn’t Add Anything New
On that note, however, AHS: 1984 doesn’t add a lot of new elements to the genre of slasher movies. It felt like the other seasons excelled on providing a fresh take on an aspect of horror, like the first season, Murder House, that added marriage problems and a figure called The Rubber Man to the typical haunted house setting.
This doesn’t mean that it’s not a great season because it’s definitely got some strong points. But it does make some of the other seasons feel more detailed.
The Best: The Story Is Simple
Another reason that American Horror Story: 1984 is the best one yet is that the story is simple… but we mean that in a good way. Fans love figuring out the twists and turns of this show, but the truth is that sometimes, it can feel confusing.
That isn’t the case with the current season. There’s a compelling plot to follow (a group of friends heading to a camp where there are actually two serial killers lurking in the woods). Sure, there are secrets and lots of surprises, but everything is logical and well-crafted.
Not: Major Players Are Missing
While it’s cool that Dylan McDermott will be in some episodes later this season, fans have noticed that some other major players from the AHS canon are missing. This time, there’s no Jessica Lange or Sarah Paulson. And the cool thing about American Horror Story is that many of the actors keep returning, this time playing new parts, so it felt like that was missing this year (with the exception of Emma Roberts and Billie Lourd, of course).
Sarah Paulson has been in all of the other seasons: Billie Dean Howard in Murder House (season one), Lana Winters in Asylum (season two), Cordelia Foxx in Coven (season three), Bette and Dot Tattler in Freak Show (season four), Sally McKenna and Billie again in Hotel (season five), Audrey Tindall in Roanoke (season six), Ally Mayfair-Richards in Cult (season seven), and Wilhemina Venable in Apocalypse (season eight). Since Jessica Lange was Constance Langdon in Murder House, Sister Jude in Aslyum, Fiona Goode in Coven, and Elsa Mars in Freak Show, she was in many seasons, too. We miss these talented actresses and think they could have been so great in AHS: 1984.
The Best: The Opener
While every season of American Horror Story has a cool opening sequence, the one for AHS: 1984 is the best yet.
It’s impossible to overstate how well-done it is. While music that manages to be both spooky and peppy at the same time plays, we see images of a lake, aerobics classes, and so on. Every once in a while, there’s some blood, reminding us that this is a scary story. It’s totally brilliant.
Not: Too Many Twists With A Smaller Episode Order
The beauty of American Horror Story being an anthology series is smaller season orders. But while other seasons have 11, 12, or 13 episodes, AHS: 1984 only has nine episodes, with the season finale set to air mid-November 2019.
The problem with this season is too many twists with a smaller episode order. It feels like too many crazy things have already happened, with so many characters dying really quickly. While of course that’s going to happen within the slasher genre, it does feel a little rushed at times and like there could be a few extra episodes to flesh out the story.
The Best: The Costumes Are Awesome
While the Rubber Man costume from the first season was pretty crazy, nothing beats the costumes on American Horror Story: 1984. It’s been really fun to tune into the current season and see what the characters are wearing.
From Billie Lourd’s huge, teased hair to all of her accessories like her turquoise headband and scarves, viewers are taken back to the 1980s when the fashion was loud, colorful, and too much (but in the best way possible). Emma Roberts also needs a shout-out for her character’s preppy look.
Not: The Characters Are A Bit One-Note
The final reason why AHS: 1984 isn’t the best season of the anthology series? The characters feel a bit one-note.
From the nice, preppy girl next door to a wild dance instructor to jocks and serial killers, the characters feel like exactly what you would expect. The show is still compelling and really enjoyable to watch, and it does fit within the slasher movie mold, but it’s a fair point to make since the other seasons featured such complex characters.
