The sixth season ofAmerican Horror Storylaunched on Wednesday night as a total mystery.
According to FX, many weremisdirects,designed to keep us guessing and buzzing.
You could see such stunty secrecy as a sign of franchise strength or proof of super-producer Ryan Murphys clout.
Credit: FX
It certainly puts a lot of pressure on the show to deliver.
There were some good jump scares, but none of it was intrinsically scary.
The most interesting thing about the premiere was its fuzziness.
In the interviews, Lily Rabe and Andre Holland played the couple and Adina Porter played Lee.
In the reenactments, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Sarah Paulson played the couple and Angela Bassett played Lee.
Simpson and Marcia Clark earlier this year inThe People v. O.J.
We caught glimpses of Kathy Bates and Wes Bentley, but I have no idea who theyre playing.
The characters wondered if the video was a legit capture of wilderness weirdness or a hoax.
Maybe Im making this more heady that it really is.
But these kind of considerations might be part of the point.
Robotand non-fiction spoofingDocumentary Now!)
IsAmerican Horror Storyhaunting itself?
Were we to wonder if Gooding Jr., Paulson, and Bassett are playing fictional versions of themselves?
Or wasAmerican Horror Storysimply not interested in taking the verisimilitude that far?
Is Shelby about to find herself transported back to early colonial times?
IsAmerican Horror Storyabout to goOutlander-in-America on us?
I cant say the premiere did enough to motivate me to make this season Must Watch for me.
But the internet did.
