Director: Bradley Buecker
Writers: Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuck
Cast: Cuba Gooding Jr., Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Lily Rabe, André Holland, Denis O’Hare, Lady Gaga, Wes Bentley, Evan Peters, Adina Porter
Running time: 42 minutes
Following a series of unfortunate events in Los Angeles, loved-up Matt (ANDRÉ HOLLAND) and Shelby (LILY RABE) put their life savings into starting afresh in an old farmhouse in North Carolina, only to find it’s not the peaceful, rural retreat they were expecting. In outbidding locals for the property, they draw unwanted attention and disturb the peace, but it is disgruntled hill-billies traumatising the couple, or something of a darker nature?
Series 6 of American Horror Story sees the creators (RYAN MURPHY and BRAD FALCHUCK) experiment with a new style of storytelling: the mock-documentary. The popularity of real-crime shows and documentaries, such as Netflix’s Making a Murderer no doubt gave inspiration to their chosen style, however the story of Roanoke itself has long been in their minds. In series 1 (American Horror Story: Murder House) Sarah Paulson’s character references the ‘Roanoke Colony’, where over 100 settlers vanished without a trace, leaving only the word ‘CROATOAN’ carved into a tree. This historic mystery is clawing its way into the present lives of our characters, in a similar way to how series 1 followed a family moving to a new place and learning that their home where they should feel safe, is actually where they are most vulnerable.
It’s an interesting format, heightening the sense that this all really happened, however does have the drawback that we know the lead characters survive their ordeal to tell their experiences. Knowing American Horror Story, there are bound to be some twists in the tale though, and who’s to say that Matt and Shelby in the present are safe, or even that those doing the reenacting (CUBA GOODING JR. and SARAH PAULSON) are impervious to the dangers surrounding the house.
Ryan Murphy has announced that series 6 will have 10 episodes, instead of the usual 12 or 13, due to his aim to release another series this year. With a condensed series, the pacing seems a lot stronger in this first episode; the tension is high with frequent abnormal events, and the documentary style allows for a quicker backstory. The benefit of the real Matt and Shelby giving their own take on what happened means we get insights into their character’s and thoughts very quickly, rather than learning about them over several episodes, which allows the creators to get stuck into the action. Despite the improved flow, sometimes it does feel as though the present cuts in a little too much and interrupts the re-enactments more than needed. Regardless, the show manages to have those long-drawn out moments of serenity where we wait, knowing something is coming to disturb the peace, and yet will still have you jumping out of your skin.
The introduction of Matt’s sister Lee (ADINA PORTER in real-life, and ANGELA BASSETT in the re-enactment) sets up an interesting dynamic in the house, and widens the net of the story arc with the various bits of baggage from her recent hardships. Her addictive personality and snarky comments to the cameras opens us up to another dimension in the story, but must also leave us questioning just how reliable our characters are… We hear the story from their own mouths: they tell us how other people perceive and treat them, but being in a position to control your own story means you can bend it however you want. Is it possible we’re being lured in to trust these protagonists, only to find there’s a lot more to them and their story than they want us to know?
Overall the first episode sets up a series that harks back to my favourite season, is in an interesting format and still has us in the dark as to where the plot will take us. For me, it’s a promising start to a horror series and the less we know, the more surprises the creators of American Horror Story: Roanoke will have in store.
AMERICAN HORROR STORY: ROANOKE AIRS IN THE UK ON FOX, FRIDAYS AT 10PM
