Horror has experienced a real renaissance on television, but Ryan Murphy has been able to build an empire out of his macabre offerings, with American Horror Stories being the latest example. A spin-off of Murphy’s long-running American Horror Story, Stories delivers episodic anthology storytelling that allows the series to indulge in even more horror tropes than Murphy’s other shows.
Both American Horror Story series have provided their take on most classics of the horror genre, but a lot of the time it’s the unexpected or against-type castings that give these spooky stories such life. Ryan Murphy turns to both familiar and new faces to populate the cast of American Horror Stories, but some actors have provided more encouraging performances than their co-stars.
10 Fell Short: Paris Jackson’s Maya Is Just A Manipulative Mean Girl
American Horror Stories kicks its debut season off with a return to American Horror Story’s Murder House with a very busy two-part premiere, “Rubber(wo)Man.” The episodes unpack an intimate story about acceptance and shame that centers around Sierra McCormick’s Scarlett. Paris Jackson appears as Maya, one of the cooler girls at school who Scarlett crushes on. Maya cruelly pranks Scarlett and plays with her heart. Jackson works well enough in the role, but it’s just such a predictable trajectory for her character that doesn’t allow the actress any depth. Maya is mean, basic, and not much else.
9 Nailed It: Danny Trejo’s Silent Gravitas Connects As A Killer Santa
The concept of a murderous Santa Claus is so deliciously twisted that it’s basically spawned its own subgenre of horror and has even received representation in the Asylum season of American Horror Story. “The Naughty List” adds a supernatural and violent twist to Internet mob mentality and the vengeful Santa angle is the best part of the entry. Danny Trejo is known for his intimidating energy and he doesn’t disappoint in “The Naughty List.” Trejo is almost silent in the role, but he makes every syllable count and is utterly terrifying.
8 Fell Short: Rhenzy Feliz’s Chad Isn’t A Sympathetic Lead In “Drive In”
The third episode of American Horror Stories, “Drive In,” tells a compelling story about a banned horror movie, the violent effects that it triggers in its audience, and a deeper conversation about the sacrifices required to create art. Rhenzy Feliz is one of two leads in the episode, Chad, who is just as concerned about consummating his relationship as he is about staying alive.
Chad slowly becomes chivalrous, but it’s too little too late and Feliz doesn’t capture the redeemable side of the character. Feliz’s performance feels even emptier when he’s opposite Madison Bailey’s Kelley.
7 Nailed It: The Weight Of Adrienne Barbeau’s Lengthy Horror Career Is Felt Through Verna
Ryan Murphy loves to experiment with casting that features new faces of the future as well as throwback casting that pays tribute to genre legends. Adrienne Barbeau has an iconic career in horror cinema and there’s a level of reflexiveness in her casting as Verna in “Drive In.” Verna’s role is short and sweet, but Barbeau is clearly having a ball. Verna is responsible for the drive-in’s screening of the cursed film and she’s a true force of nature. Barbeau takes what would otherwise be a forgettable cameo-sized part and turns it into a highlight of the episode.
6 Fell Short: Kaia Gerber Can’t Anchor A Whole Episode As Ghostly Ruby
Part of the reason that the Murder House from American Horror Story has gained such a following is because of the tragically eternal love stories that it’s able to create with the domicile’s many ghosts. Scarlett finds herself at a confusing crossroads where her perspective gets even more polluted by Kaia Gerber’s Ruby. Ruby brings out Scarlett’s murderous tendencies and pushes her to make the ultimate sacrifice. Ruby is supposed to be both fierce and warm, yet Gerber delivers a one-note performance in the important role. Gerber’s disaffected nature is one of the biggest weaknesses in “Rubber(wo)Man.”
5 Nailed It: Madison Bailey Rises To The Occasion As Kelley In “Drive In”
“Drive In” is currently the episode in American Horror Stories that has the most to say and it also benefits from a strong lead that helps drive the story forward. Madison Bailey stars as Kelley in the episode, who isn’t given much to work with opposite her boyfriend, Chad, but this practically strengthens the character’s frustration.
Kelley is a typical teenager, but Bailey makes her trepidation towards sex feel real. Bailey also sells it when the character flips into revenge mode, which isn’t always an easy shift.
4 Fell Short: Nico Greetham’s Zinn Is A Protagonist That The Audience Wants To Lose
“The Naughty List” is the fourth episode of American Horror Stories and it attempts to bridge the Killer Santa trope with cancel culture, apology tours, and the prevalence of social media influencers. Unfortunately, this leaves the episode with some incredibly thin characters that represent many of the worst traits found on social media. Nico Greetham leads the pack as Zinn, the head of “Bro House” and a thoroughly shameless individual. Greetham works in the role, but he’s given a disservice with how Zinn is such an awful stereotype who the audience wants to see get punished.
3 Nailed It: Sierra McCormick’s Scarlett Has Captivating Screen Presence That Steals The Show
There’s a lot of pressure on the two-part premiere of American Horror Stories and much of the ghost story is dependent on the performance of Sierra McCormick, who plays troubled and repressed Scarlett. Scarlett is both vulnerable and eager to violently break out, which McCormick nails in a subtle manner. She also just has such a commanding screen presence that’s so easy to watch. McCormick makes such a strong debut in American Horror Stories that it’d be seriously surprising if she doesn’t eventually get cast in some of Murphy’s other projects. She’s set to be a star.
2 Fell Short: Ben J. Pierce’s Dee Is A Walking Stereotype With No Nuance
Ryan Murphy has built a whole career off of campiness and how to both play into and subvert stereotypes. These impulses can sometimes be very tone-deaf and actually contribute to the problem more than evoke change. All of Murphy’s series trade in clichés, but ones that function with some degree of love behind them, but Dee in “Drive In” is such a step backward. Ben J. Pierce plays this empty archetype that would even feel regressive back in the 1990s. Dee’s character is pushed too far and Pierce is only allowed to be viewed as a stereotype.
1 Nailed It: John Carroll Lynch Channels Seething Resentment As Larry Bitterman
Ryan Murphy’s horror universes tend to be occupied with characters that skew younger and it’s this juvenile perspective that often sells his stories short. “Drive In” gets bogged down by teenage hormones for much of its story, but John Carroll Lynch helps elevate the material as Larry Bitterman, an indignant horror director who’s had his film banned. Lynch’s role is brief, but he launches into a tirade over the cost of art and creative expression that really connects. The episode as a whole may not fully come together, but Lynch makes sure that its message at least gets across.
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