American Horror Story season 7 premiere promises fear as a campaign pledge.
This American Horror Story review contains spoilers.
American Horror Story Season 7 Episode 1
What could be more American Horror than American politics?
Over the past six seasons,American Horror Storyfound frights in all the usual scary places.
All tricks and no treats, it makes Halloween look candy-ass.
Most of the things that scare people today start in Washington, regardless of political affiliations.
You dont have to be scared of the opposition to find something disconcerting coming off the Beltway.
The pens that sign the bills are swords with the might to smite multitudes.
Left and Right, its all a brainwashing cult to teamAHS.
The episode opens with a brief montage lead-in to 2016 presidential election.
President Donald Trump promises veiled threats.
To others, the revolution has begun, although we cant trust that until Rachel Maddow tells us.
The fears come in dashed hopes.
The Cheato is in charge, and the clowns who put him there are empowered.
The theme music is a patriotic death march.
Paulson keeps her restraint on a very long leash.
Her eyes ooze as much invisible terror as Ivys spinach souffle oozes blood.
His antics are now legendary enough to warrant his own comic book series.
Its nice to see clowns make good.
He certainly makes an impression on Oz (Cooper Dodson), Ally and Ivys extremely impressionable son.
Hes not dealing with the problems of the world.
Hes going to the gym.
This is the same attitude that put Jill Stein ahead in the local elections.
When everything looks bleak, everything is an anti-psychotic placebo.
Allys breakdown is beautiful surreal ugliness in the wine aisle.
Those masks are wonderful, and absolutely apolitical.
The people want safety and it doesnt have to come cheap.
Fear is the political currency that buys electoral security like the Patriot Act.
Let the people be scared so theyll let the ones who arent scared make all the decisions.
Fear drives the country, on the news, whatever bleeds leads.
Ultimate fear is total control.
Kai has the makings of a good cult leader.
All he needs are some clowns to take down the status quo.
Kai baits Mexican day workers with an off-key rendition of La Cucaracha, complete with personal water balloons.
Billie Lourd, who played Chanel #3 onScream Queensplays Kais sister Winter.
There was blood involved.
Here we see Indoctrination as vaccination.
She serves killings with cookies in an effort to strengthen the kid up.
Either way, she is a great recruiter with spooky eyes.
She knows what shes doing, she went to Vassar.
The big picture triggers irrational fears that make sense.
But not as uncomfortable as the cult at the center of the show make us.
The clowns really do rule the night.
They are an untapped source of power for those who might wield them.
Conspiracy theories abound in small towns.
American Horror Storythrives because of its atmosphere, and it is thick even when the air is thin.
The supermarket freakout evokes the subway chase thriller The Warriors above ground and in full fluorescent light.
Spike TVs The Mist tried to mine goosebumps in a mall, which has dark cavernous corners.
But a psychotic break in such a recognizable set evokes both empathy and distance.
The audience knows it cant happen.
The lady is crazy, otherwise shed be home watching the president make America great again.
The cameras are focused, nothing is hidden.
Who doesnt like ice cream and clowns?
Its a perfect midnight snack that is oddly disturbing.
This is where the fractures start to make sense.
The clowns are real.
The clowns have always been real.
Maybe Ivy went to Clown College.
Election Night captures the paranoia of its title with a promise of fear as a campaign pledge.
Election Night was written by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, and directed by Bradley Buecker.
Rating:
4 out of 5
