American Horror Stories

American Horror Stories definitely takes care to tell stories that are satisfying and complete despite their relatively short length, but we just wish a few elements of those stories were a little more thoroughly considered.

[American Horror Stories] is off to a promising start with “Rubber(wo)Man,” its two-part premiere. Set in the “Murder House” where the first iteration of “American Horror Story” took place, the definitely lower-budget but winkingly fun episodes channel the juiciest elements of that season.

The generally strong four-part Season 3 excels in setting up and developing premises too compact for multi-hour telling, but repeatedly suffers from anticlimactic fizzles that prove how difficult sticking a short-form landing can be. Like a wad of Hubba Bubba, the goodies in this grab bag of poison-laced treats start sweet, then lose their flavor all too quickly.

We just wish a bit more thought was put into the story’s logic. At times it feels like there’s not enough material for the 90-minute runtime, and at others it feels like details have been left out. The first episode was scarier than the second, but the second was more fun than the first. It was mostly an entertaining episode, just inconsistent.

[Paris Jackson and Kaia Gerber] hew closely to “Scream Queens” and push the envelope with scenes that explore their sexuality. Their acting abilities may be similar to their parents’ at the same age, but they pair well with McCormick, who seems more mature than anyone in the house. Bomer and Creel, oddly, don’t seem to fit in this setting. They embrace the humor but can’t quite promote the terror. ... Tveit does a much better job of straddling the “AHS” worlds.

There’s less pleasure in a neat ending than there is in indulging in the cheap thrills that the show offers but sometimes sidelines. It’s hard to feel like American Horror Stories did much within this premiere, but I can’t help but find myself curious at what’s to come when the series stops relying on its past and actually offers the contained horror stories it claims to bring to the table.

“American Horror Stories” is another example of what feels like fumes being used to create a fire. The show is the entertainment equivalent of empty calories. It’s good enough to watch in the moment, but you’ll either leave feeling nothing, or with a nasty stomach ache.

Feels like a wanna be Black Mirror but definitely not as good. Still, an entertaining watch.

A bit of a mixed bag. Some great stories mixed with some disappointments. Season 1 was more disappointment than not. Season 2 has been a marked improvement with more good episodes. Episode 1 to 3 were good to decent. 4 was ok. 5 was just badly written and acted and felt decidedly B grade. We shall see what 6 has to offer.

American Horror Stories has the same problems as most horror anthologies: It's hit or miss. Season 1 is mostly miss though.

Season 1 was mildly decent, pushing a little of the lgbtq+ ideology in but completely understandable, but man season 2 they just went full sent on this and every single episode feels like watching a lgbtq+ "woke" propaganda video, it is just too much, so much in fact that is nearly unwatchable.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]