American Horror Stories
By Angelica Guarino,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Disturbing horror-comedy relies on gratuitous violence, sex.
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American Horror Stories
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What's the Story?
AMERICAN HORROR STORIES is a spin-off anthology series based off the 2011 title American Horror Story. Each story centers around a different short horror tale, such as the resurfacing of a fictional horror movie that uses subliminal images to cause its viewers to go insane and the return of the "Rubber Man" suit from season 1 of the original series. This time, however, the BDSM fetish suit is worn by a teenage girl who is drawn to especially violent pornography.
Is It Any Good?
Ryan Murphy shows, such as Glee or the original American Horror Story, were part of the origin of viewers choosing to "hate-watch" TV shows (that is, watching for the pleasure of criticizing or mocking it). Over the years it has seemed that Murphy has decided to lean into that wholeheartedly. But American Horror Stories suggests that there are diminishing returns for capitalizing on being disliked. While the original show may have gotten away with many unsettling storylines by increasing the shock value and comedic absurdity factors at matching rates, viewers were impressed by AHS's uniqueness as one of the first major TV series to embrace their ironic fanbase completely. Without that groundbreaking element, this spin-off just isn't funny enough or scary enough to land as strongly as the first installment did back in 2011.
However, while viewers who disliked the first series will probably be just as put off by this one, some hardcore AHS fans are still along for the ride. For those who happen to be entertained by this hyperspecific brand of narrative insanity, more of the same is great news. But with the 10th season of the original American Horror Story on the way in addition to this spin-off, questions remain: How much longer will viewers be compelled by these flimsy plotlines and nonsensical gags? And moreover, at what point do violence-heavy narratives that demonize the sexuality of young people become harmful?
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about their fears being represented on television and in movies. What are you afraid of, and how could a movie or television show effectively represent that? Why do people want to watch horror shows anyway?
Talk to your kids about the way teen sexuality is portrayed in AHS. Many teenage characters engage in sexual exploration on the show, but is this portrayal positive or negative? How does it make you feel, and are there healthier, more positive examples of teen characters engaging in sexual exploration on television?
TV Details
- Premiere date: July 15, 2021
- Cast: Matt Bomer , Sierra McCormick , Gavin Creel , Aaron Tveit
- Networks: FX , Hulu
- Genre: Drama
- Topics: High School , Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- TV rating: TV-MA
- Last updated: March 2, 2022
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