Review: AHS Cult….thoughts so far

I was hoping to do a review of a movie but unfortunately we ran out of time because the Great British Bake Off was on! So I thought I’d share a few thoughts on the latest season of American Horror Story. I’m only on episode 2 being British and all and not illegally downloading so until Friday that’s all I have.

I love American Horror Story. I was late starting it and did binge watch it from murder house to coven. You can get the first 5 seasons as a box set on Amazon American Horror Story Box Set . I loved Freak Show. Hotel wasn’t my favourite but Liz Taylor made up for a lot of the shortcomings. Roanoke was looked forward with great anticipation but ultimately was disappointing. I mentioned in my last post I don’t really like torture porn. I forgot to mention what I dislike more is found footage/reality TV crap. I also felt that many of the strong actors have moved on such as the wonderful Jessica Lange.

This might have influenced our less than enthusiastic wait for Cult. I think the fact that it was leaked that they had something to do with the Trump election didn’t help as this made it less of an escape and more real. I think we’ve all had enough of the coverage of that and revisiting wasn’t something I was excited about. However, as we discovered more I thought I would enjoy the cult/Manson type theme and the play on people’s fears.

My personal facebook has contained a lot of hate for the new season and while I can see some of their points I am enjoying it. So the premise so far is there is a liberal successful couple Ally and Ivy and their son. Ally is devastated by Trump being elected and it brings out her old fears and anxieties, in particular clowns and holes. Kai played by Evan Peters is strange young man who is ecstatic by the outcome and is working on his own political ambitions. He seems to manipulating his sister, Winter played by Billie Lourd to infiltrate Ally and Ivy’s family as a nanny. Winter is influencing their young son and exposing him to things that he shouldn’t be. Ally is seeing evil clowns everywhere, including copulating in the supermarket and everyone thinks she’s crazy but her family are certainly being targeted, but why them? Then there’s the new neighbours, their appearance is strange and unreal but maybe I was drunk by then.

By episode 2 I was feeling a Purge vibe and I liked it. I’m leaving the episodes pondering the link between Kai and Ivy and Ally, why is he targeting this particular couple? I enjoy the feeling of not knowing how much of what we see is real and how much is it Ally’s mental illness. Ivy looks too young to me and feels too passive. I know the actress is 31 but looks 19 and it kind of stretches my belief that they are a couple. Evan Peters seems to really letting his crazy out this season and to be honest there’s not much he can do wrong in my eyes. Billie Lourd was one of my favourite Chanel’s in Scream Queens and I loved her homage to her mother with the ear muffs. I find her very understated…possibly wooden in her acting. However that particular style suits her part in my opinion. Yes, Sarah Paulson screams a lot but it do’sent bother me. I do wonder with the loss of such strong actresses as Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates and Angela Bassett can the season stand up to previous ones and I miss Denis O’Hare but yay to Twisty being back.

My son is finding the slow build up frustrating but he still thinks it’s better than Roanoke so far.