FX has been featuring the horror series “American Horror Story” every year since 2011. There are many different factors that draw in their cult-like following, including the new storyline and cast that is introduced in each different season. These additions help to keep each season fresh, and it doesn’t override any of the past storylines and characters. This also helps to make each season special to its multitude of fans — everyone has their favorite season. Another thing fans love about this production is the plot structures which are very different from other broadcast media; there aren’t too many other series that produce this niche type of genre. The last season had split into two different storylines, unlike other seasons, leaving fans somewhat confused and unsure of how to feel. Consequently, “AHS” has not gone that same route for the latest season, “AHS: NYC,” which has just aired for the first time on Oct. 19, 2022. Since then, four episodes have aired on Hulu.
“American Horror Story: NYC’’ begins in the setting of a beautiful hotel located in bustling New York City in 1981. Outside, the city itself is putrid; in the opening scene, policemen find a decapitated man in the Hudson River, while doctors identify new, mutating diseases that are wiping out animal populations — soon, perhaps, humans. This is the first glance at what supernatural, thick plot will be taking place this season. There are a couple of different and interesting storylines we see so far: the medical points of view, a journalist for the paper, a photographer and a few gay relationships in the area. We start to see these stories all intertwining together. In the first few episodes, there are prevalent themes of uncertainty surrounding the recent serial murdering of gay men in the area, and the foreshadowing of a disease which could wipe out the human race, which first appeared in mutated deer. There is a killer on the loose, dressed in menacing leather costumes and appears in the dark, typically in the woods or areas frequented by the gay community. This season rings a bit of familiarity to Season nine of “American Horror Story: 1984” for a couple of reasons. For one, we hear the jingle of the exact same creepy music featured in “1984.” Both seasons also take place in the early 80s. In “1984,” we see a representation of a gay relationship, which is not commonly represented in that time period. Now, we get to see even more insight to what this decade was like for LGBTQ+ individuals forty years ago.
As stated previously, one of the beloved touches in the “AHS” fanbase is the repeated faces we see in each season, such as Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Frances Conroy and Lily Rabe. However, in Season 11, we see many new faces in the first couple of episodes — which is not entirely uncommon in the latest seasons and the mini-series these days. In regards to the series as an entirety, however, it is a little disappointing to see a large amount of new faces and names instead of more of our beloved favorites. It would almost make sense to see Evan Peters playing some sort of twisted character in regards to his latest production, the “Dahmer” series on Netflix. Among the more seasoned “AHS” actors, we see Billie Lourd, Denis O’Hare, Leslie Grossman, Zachary Quinto and Charlie Carver — whom we have seen in Ryan Murphy’s “Ratched” previously — in this new season. Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk seem to pick out their casting for each season very particularly, as the characters and storylines always entail fluid and successful productions, so the question remains: will we see some of the more iconic faces soon?
“American Horror Story” has a fabulous choice of scenery. Instead a regular Hollywood studio filming session, they typically decide to travel over to the East Coast to film. Seeing some of familiar places near New Paltz reported as film sites for AHS, such as Fire Island, Westchester County and Brooklyn Heights is really exciting and special, as we get to see more of our environment televised on our favorite show. There’s also the possibility of seeing some of the actors in person if you happen to be in the area as well. Denis O’Hare was even seen in the area recently while he was on break from filming on the show! We live in such a lush, beautiful part of the East Coast which definitely makes it a desirable location for filming these crafty scenes. Similarly, the first half of Season 10, “Red Tide,” was also filmed on this side of the country, just a couple of hours from where we are. Because we are always left with Easter egg clues, such as their typical choices of filming locations and hints from the casts’ other productions and the ideas behind the storylines, perhaps we can generate an idea for what will come in the rest of the season, or even next season.