American Horror Story: Roanoke has taken us through all different types of horror, from psychological to supernatural, and now episode 7 gives us a full chapter dedicated to slasher-horror. After the initial, steady, tense build up of the start of the series, the show-makers are now propelling us head-first into the ‘3 days in hell’, with more blood shed in 40 minutes than you would believe. What still astounds me is how new, creative and shocking ways to provoke and destroy characters are still being found, which leaves me feeling the creators still have a lot more up their blood-stained sleeves.Â
Warning: spoilers will follow…
From the opening of the ghostly character standing behind an oblivious deer on a night-vision camera, we are set-up with the notion that this episode is going to be about predators and their prey. Sidney and a few crew-members are settling into dinner in front of their wall of screens showing the various rooms in the house, egging on the drama to unfold between Matt (ANDRE HOLLAND) and Dominic (CUBA GOODING JR.). We can see the screens when others aren’t paying attention, and as the traumatic fate of one of the people at the house is sealed, screams ensue and draw Sidney outside to his own gruesome demise.
Agnes (KATHY BATES) is on-site and has blurred the line in her own head between herself and the Butcher. In the bunker, by the light of flaming torches, she performs a monologue expressing the Butcher’s need for blood to be shed, but repeatedly disconnects and speaks as a guilt-stricken Agnes. This is a particularly great scene from Kathy Bates, able to blend in and out of the two characters seamlessly, giving us flashes of the vulnerable state of this woman, and her damaged pride and ego driving her on in a desperate attempt to be someone.Â
Back at the house, Shelby (LILY RABE)Â seeks a moment of privacy, that of course the cameras don’t allow, only to be surprised by the appearance of Agnes, who attacks her in a shocking outburst. Shelby is saved by Dominic, but Agnes escapes, prompting Lee (ADINA PORTER), Audrey (SARAH PAULSON) and Monet (ANGELA BASSETT) to leave the ‘safety’ of the house in search of Sidney and some help. The injury sustained by Shelby is quite brutal, and does leave me wondering how she doesn’t die of blood loss relatively quickly. As the episode continues, we see why Shelby needs to stay alive, at least for now.
In the woods, the three women stumble across Sidney’s trailer, only to find him carrion for local wildlife. As gruesome as this is, they desperately search for means of communication with the outside world, only to find the phones cut and the car won’t work. This is a moment that seems to pull away from the realism, in that surely we should have heard the engine attempt to start. Or when Agnes reappears from the trees, and the women believe she is mortally wounded, wouldn’t it have been more sensible to hide in the trailer for the night, or lock themselves in the car rather than flee into the woods? But then in real-life, people don’t always act logically or rationally…
Among the trees, Audrey records a heartfelt message to Rory, who see believes has left the show to pursue and acting job, only to find blood dripping down her face. For a moment, the audience don’t know whether she’s been attacked, but we soon see a grotesque image above as Rory’s real location is revealed. The 3 ladies don’t stay and grieve for long though, as the real-life Polks appear, kidnapping them all and taking them back to their farm. Sometimes TV shows exaggerate characters, but we soon learn that the creators of ‘My Roanoke Nightmare’ had no need with this family. Their cannibalistic ways come to play immediately in a scene where their victim is tricked into preparing her own flesh for cooking. The torture the 3 ladies undergo is excruciating to watch, yet again this is a moment the audience must question why we can even see it? Why would the Polks film it?
At the house, the witch of the woods makes an appearance, and Shelby snaps in the most violent manner. Dominic attempts to calm her, and on hearing a commotion outside, moves to a window expecting to see the return of Lee, Audrey and Monet, only to once again be confronted with an unhinged Agnes. The woman is in full Butcher mode, until the blood moon brings her idle and her torch-bearing crew to the house. Agnes becomes completely starstruck at meeting her ‘maker’, and as you can guess, there is some irony in that.
Chapter 7 makes the most out of the reality-show premise with its multitude of camera shots, from night-vision security footage, to hidden internal cameras, body-cams and handheld footage to give that feeling of intruding on real lives and events. However this also seems a bit of a drawback at moments, when characters continue to film despite their lives being in danger. There is some fight against this and Lee is often the one providing encouragement to continue in order to preserve the ‘truth’. The confessional booth is a clever way to see the true side of characters, but is also an easy way for the creators to give the audience essential snippets of information and backstory. Dominic has an interesting conversation with the camera about his intentions in the house, saying “You know what I love most about reality TV… the bad guy”. Unfortunately for Dominic, there are definitely a few people more villainous than him lurking around.Â
Despite a few draw-backs of the documentary/reality-show style becomming apparent, the episode is completely engaging, throwing you full-pelt into the slasher-horror medium. Having effectively carved the back-story and character relationships, the creators can now reap the pay-off with the emotional distress from characters’ grave ends.
What is so interesting about this episode, is the combination of all elements we’ve been privy to coming together in a horrible, bloody outburst. While we do see spirits exacting their wrath, it’s primarily the human stories that meet a climax and see violent ends. The use of the Polks brings that dark cannibalistic story into play, whilst also having the main characters turn on each other. While we know that only 1 person will survive the ‘3 days in hell’, at this point it seems more shocking that any of them would be allowed to escape with their lives.
Verdict
AMERICAN HORROR STORY: ROANOKE AIRS IN THE UK, FRIDAYS AT 10PM ON FOX
