On the last episode of American Horror Story we are left we just a few survivors: Monet, Audrey and lee, but Dylan is at the front door and there may be unfortunate hikers nearby as the blood moon rises and we welcome back a young favorite.
Survivor
In a tribute to the Blair Witch films, we watch as three young hikers make their way to the Roanoke house with hopes of doing their own documentary and blowing up the internet with their findings. These days of podcasts means anyone with a cell phone or a camera can be a star and these hikers are part of a group known as the Army of Roanoke.
Clued to the fact that a sequel is being filmed at the house, the hikers/amateur filmmakers are trying to get some history into the Roanoke Nightmare, but an injured woman distracts them. When the hikers finally catch up to the woman (Sidney’s assistant), she’s deader than a doorknob, has been for some time, and the hikers call in the police. If you look closely, you’ll recognize Sophia. Fans of the show have been wondering when Taissa Farmiga would make her return to the show, especially since she is one of the core stars on AHS and we haven’t seen her since Coven. When Sophia and Todd (Jacob Artist) become skeptical after the police tell them there was no body in the car, the three hikers return to the Roanoke home and why not? They are stars now because the number of followers on social media is growing thanks to hashtag #bloodmoon.
While the kids make plans to return to the Roanoke house, Audrey and Lee tell another actor that they are all going to die. Dylan (Wes Bentley) is not only the character who played Piggy Man in the original documentary, but he is also a former soldier who served two tours in Afghanistan. When Dylan learns that Monet is still missing, he offers to find her because of the motto, “Leave no man behind.” Back at the Polk’s farm, Lee is looking for the incriminating film with her confession while Audrey finds Monet and then kills the Polk patriarch. Dylan is seriously injured by one of the Polk sons and Lee is missing. Back at the house, Audrey and Monet review the film where Lee confesses to murdering her husband.
Conclusion
I was never a fan of the filming method that was used for The Blair Witch Project and I was not thrilled with this method used in “Chapter Nine.” It gives me a headache and I’m never quite sure of what I’m supposed to be seeing because of the way the camera jumps from one scene to the next. I’m also not a fan of the way each episode seems to be rushed through before we get to know the characters. Lee is saved by the wood sprite known as Scathach and now she’s part of the blood moon orgy of gore.
Lee kills Todd when he goes to her aid, leaving Sophia and Milo to hide in the production trailer where they get to watch via camera what is going on in the house. While Lee pushes Monet to her death and throws the Audrey into the root cellar, Sophia and Milo make their way towards the home to warn Audrey. Before we even get to enjoy the return of Taissa, she’s killed along with Milo; burned alive with the help of Lee and the colonists from hell. What the hell just happened here?
I’m really trying to like this season, but it’s been hard. Everything is too predictable and not at all what you’d deal with in a real ghost encounter. The show has been more about the gore and less about the actual ghost story. When the police finally arrive at the home, they find the still smoldering bodies of the two hikers and, they find Lee, who doesn’t remember her actions from the night before. If I wasn’t upset enough with the quick kill off of Taissa Farmiga, I was really pissed at the way they did away with one of the more interesting characters of the show. Sarah Paulson rocked as Audrey, but her being killed in a police shoot out just didn’t make any sense.
The cheese stands alone. Lee, as far as we know, is the lone survivor. Now what? And, how and where do we go from here? I’ve said it several times in my reviews, the premise of a documentary works if you stick to the rules and that also applies to ghost stories. A great ghost story is like a well prepared dinner. We start with the appetizer of small doses of frights and shocks that lead up to the main dish; the big fright. What we have been offered in My Roanoke Nightmare is a smorgasbord of raw meat that has been overcooked with way too much gore and guts. That’s all I have to say. See you next week.
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