Wednesday nights are a fall tradition with "American Horror Story." From the maniacal "Asylum" to the remarkably done crossover "Apocalypse," the FX series will truly be one TV show that will define our generation.
This ninth installment, as the title suggests, takes place in 1984. The pilot episode introduces us to a new set of characters, all of which travel to Camp Redwood to become camp counselors: Brooke (Emma Roberts), Xavier (Cody Fern), Montana (Billie Lourd), Trevor (Matthew Morrison), Ray (Deron Horton), and Chet (Gus Kenworthy). "Pose" fans will also be happy to see Angelica Ross play the camp's nurse, Nurse Rita.
The nostalgia definitely hits you like a train with this inaugural episode. The iconic title sequence has been remixed with 80s synth and formatted like an old 480i TV. And of course, there are so many scenes paying tribute to slasher movies of the decade, whether it be "Friday the 13th," "Scream," "Halloween," or "Nightmare on Elm Street."
It was refreshing to see some new faces, such as Olympian Gus Kenworthy and Matthew Morrison, whom I personally haven't heard from since "Glee" ended. It was also great to see Cody Fern--who was exceptionally evil in "Apocalypse"--and Emma Roberts, whose role in "Coven" probably made her the most iconic character that season.
But in spite of the killer season opening, it couldn't cover up the fact that most of the people whom we loved "AHS" for are M.I.A. Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Frances Conroy, and Kathy Bates are not in this new season, and their absence is extremely noticeable. Indeed, while Lange is working on another project with creator Ryan Murphy (Netflix's "The Politician"), for many she was the fire that kept "AHS" running.
It'll be very interesting to see how this season will turn out given the brilliant job "Apocalypse" did in crossing over two beloved seasons. It seems with every new season of "AHS" there comes a degree of skepticism, but so far Ryan Murphy has been tit-for-tat when proving me wrong with such concern. "AHS: 1984" will be an interesting season regardless of what you might think of it at first. After all, what's a good horror story without a shock?
New episodes of "American Horror Story: 1984" premiere Wednesdays at 10/9c on FX.