It’s been nearly two years since the finale of American Horror Story: 1984, a guilty pleasure throwback to 80s summer camp slasher films. Of course, audiences could still enjoy Ryan Murphy’s signature go-for-broke horror tone with the Netflix series Ratched (which in my mind remains an unofficial spinoff of AHS), but still, nothing quite compares to the unbridled absurdity of AHS. Even spinoff series American Horror Stories failed to capture everything that makes the series what it is: A-list talent chewing the scenery in increasingly WTF situations.
It’s hard to explain the appeal of the series to the uninitiated, but even if you don’t enjoy the series you have to admire its willingness to throw literally every horror trope into a single series of television. I mean, one season alone could contain vampires, serial killers, talking severed heads, circus freaks, eugenics, killer clowns, and alcoholic nuns singing “The Name Game”. Watching each season of this bananas show is equivalent to a Shudder subscription and a handful of magic mushrooms.
So naturally, I was thrilled when FX dropped the first teaser for the 10th season of the iconic series, titled “Double Feature”. And it didn’t disappoint: aliens and sharp-toothed monsters fight one another and make out in the trippy teaser that mashes up the oceanside with the desert. We learned that part one of the series, “Red Tide” takes plays in a coastal town, with sirens and sea monsters dwelling in the ocean. Part two, ‘Death Valley”, gives us alien autopsies, sand storms, and … a violin made of meat? Honestly, I would expect nothing less.
It looks like Ryan Murphy has pulled aliens and sirens from his previous Twitter poll where he asked fans what season 10 should focus on.
The AMERICAN HORROR STORY universe is expanding. Comment on which STORY you would like to see the most:
1) ALIENS
2) Xmas HORROR
3) BLOODY MARY
4) PIGGY MAN
5) SIRENS
6) PLAGUE#ahsfx #AHS10 #AHSDoubleFeature #ahs pic.twitter.com/6NxY6mXjyx— Ryan Murphy (@MrRPMurphy) April 2, 2021
FX also dropped a trailer for “Red Tide”, the first installment in the two=part series. “Red Tide” follows author Harry Gardener (Finn Wittrock), who moves to a small seaside town on the New England coast with his pregnant wife Doris (Lily Rabe) and their daughter. Harry is fighting a major case of writer’s block, which he discusses with local weirdos Austin (AHS all-star Evan Peters) and Belle Noir (Frances Conroy in a fabulous grey beehive). “Red Tide” is clearly an homage to The Shining with killer sirens thrown in. Fellow AHS alum joining the series include Billie Lourd, Leslie Grossman, and Sarah Paulson, who is listed as playing a character named TB Karen. No news yet on whether TB Karen is related to Paulson’s Hypodermic Sally from season 5, “Hotel”.
Will Harry sacrifice his unborn child to the sirens in exchange for artistic inspiration? Will the series explore Provincetown’s history as a queer vacation town? And what is Macaulay Culkin up to?! I have no idea but I’m delighted to go on this surely bonkers journey.
American Horror Story: Double Feature premieres on FX on August 25, and is available the next day on FX on Hulu.
(image: screencap/FX)
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