“American Horror Stories” Episode Recaps
American Horror Stories is the latest addition to the AHS universe. Like the original American Horror Story, the new series is an anthology show. But, instead of entire seasons having their own premise, every episode has its own standalone story. The show is streaming through Hulu and new episodes come out every Thursday. Though there are only three episodes out, it is exceeding expectations.
Episode 1 and 2: “Rubber (Wo)Man”
The two-part premiere takes place in the well-loved (and feared) Murder House. This was a fantastic way to introduce audiences to American Horror Stories as it combined fresh and familiar. The pilot episodes were released on July 15, 2021.
Part One:
The first half of the premier introduces us to the Murder House’s latest victims. Michael and Troy are a married couple who move to the infamous abode with their 16-year-old daughter, Scarlett. Despite knowing the rumors surrounding the property, the couple remains skeptical. They plan to use those rumors to their advantage and turn the house into a haunted bed and breakfast. Scarlett is less than pleased about the move however her attitude changes once she finds the rubber suit in her closet. She immediately tries it on but ultimately decides to throw it away.
The episode starts to heat up when Scarlett’s dads confront her for the extreme torture porn she has been watching. Apparently, it’s not the first time they’ve had this conversation. She is given a choice between being grounded or seeing a therapist, Scarlett chooses the latter. After their family therapy session, Scarlett finds the suit magically appeared back in her closet. Something in her 16-year-old brain thinks that it would be really funny to put on the suit, grab a knife, and scare her dads. Michael and Troy ask her to take off the suit, but she refuses. When Troy threatens to remove it, she accidentally cuts him with the knife.
This prompts another therapy session. Unfortunately, this results in the demise of the family therapist, Dr. Grant. What appears to be the actual Rubber Man slices her throat and shoves her down the basement steps.
Scarlett sneaks out to a sleepover at a girl named Maya’s house. Scarlett and Maya go to the bedroom to change. During this time Maya seduces Scarlett and gets her to open about her violent kinks. Scarlett eventually realizes that this intimate conversation is being live-streamed for everyone to see.
Scarlett races home in tears. However, it does not take long for Scarlett to get her revenge. She calls Maya and tells her she plans to kill herself and blame them for it in the suicide note. Scarlett says the only way to avoid this is for all the girls to be at her house within thirty minutes. In the rubber suit, Scarlett murders all four girls and hides them in the wall.
Part Two:
The second part of the premier is somehow crazier than the first. Scarlett is now dating a ghost girl named Ruby. They pass the time hooking up, while Ruby also attempts to convince Scarlett to kill herself in the Murder House. Troy and Michael hire a contractor named Adam. Who coincidently starts an affair with Michael. Unfortunately for Scarlett, the body-hiding wall she built wasn’t level, and Adam had it torn down. Instead of reporting them to the authorities, Adam kills the only witness and asks to be a part of their bed and breakfast plans, as well as their marriage.
Kaia Gerber (L) and Sierra McCormick (R) share a moment as Ruby and Scarlett
Michael and Troy attempt to run out of the house but keep returning. This is when they discover that they were killed by Ruby earlier in the day. This was Ruby’s attempt to convince Scarlett to kill herself and stay at the house.
The second part of the episode also takes place on Halloween, the one day of the year ghosts can leave the Murder House. Scarlett and Ruby decide to celebrate at a party. However, the ghosts of Maya and her friends follow them and attempt to kill Scarlett before she can return to the Murder House. The girls ultimately fail, and Scarlett lives on.
The episode concludes with Scarlett living on and visiting Ruby at the Murder House on Halloween.
Episode 3: “Drive-In”
The third episode titled “Drive-In” shows a side of AHS we have never seen: Zombies.
Zombie Apocalypses have been fueling film and television for decades. With shows like The Walking Dead and Z-Nation, it is hard to keep zombie apocalypses new and original. However, American Horror Stories managed to create a whole new meaning to apocalypse.
The episode opens with teenage lovebirds, Kelly and Chad, making out. Kelly tells Chad she doesn’t want to go any further. This angers Chad as he claims they should be going further since they’ve been together for six months. Kelly storms out of Chad’s house and leaves him there pouting.
The next day shows Chad’s friend Quinn advising Chad to take Kelly to a scary movie. Quinn states that this will make her “an oyster ready for shucking.” Chad is opposed to this idea, explaining that scary movies suck these days. Luckily, there’s a drive-in showing an old film titled “Rabbit Rabbit”, a supposedly cursed movie. The movie was only ever shown once. At the 1986 premiere, the audience went crazy and brutally attacked one another. Congress ruled that all prints of the movie be destroyed and for it to never be shown again.
Well, obviously not all the copies were destroyed. Chad, Kelly, and their friends attend the movie together. At the drive-in, a woman from the 1986 premiere is there protesting. She claims that her boyfriend ripped out her eye with his teeth at the original showing.
As soon as the movie starts all hell breaks lose. Everyone watching the movie suddenly turns into blood-thirsty zombies. Chad and Kelly remained safe since they were too busy making out to watch the movie. They drive off and end up killing their now zombified friends. They become trapped in the projection room, where Chad kills the murderous owner of the drive-in. They turn off the movie and Chad collapses.
Chad (Rhenzy Feliz) and Kelly (Madison Bailey) Abandon Larry Bitterman’s Flaming Trailer
The next morning Chad wakes up and wants to call the police. Kelly says no because the police will keep them in questioning all day. She finds a shotgun and they take off to find a car. Kelly and Chad track down the director, Larry Bitterman, who was gleefully watching the chaos unfold on the news. Kelly demands the other print, but Bitterman insists that was the last one. He is ecstatic to hear that everyone at the showing was affected by the subliminals in the film because that meant his experiment was successful. Kelly shoots Larry in the knees and once again demands to know where the prints are. He tells her, but also says it doesn’t matter and that “this is only Act I.” Kelly and Chad light the copies on fire and leave Larry there to die.
The end of the episode concludes with Chad and Kelly finally having sex. But the camera slowly zooms in on the Netflix screen in the background. Low and behold “Rabbit Rabbit” is now streaming on Netflix.