Spoiler-Free Review of “Pretty Little Liars: Summer School” on Max: Our Final Girls are Back and Better than Ever!

*This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!*

“A is out there…”

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School is the second season of Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin. Season two premiered on May 9th 2024 with the first two episodes on Max. The remaining six episodes will release weekly. The teen mystery drama series (based on Pretty Little Liars) stars Bailee Madison, Chandler Kinney, Maia Reficco, Malia Pyles, and Faran Bryant. Each episode runs for approximately 50-52 minutes.

After surviving a brutal killing spree, the girls are forced to attend summer school together while now being targeted by a killer named “Bloody Rose Waters.”

Here is the trailer:

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School stays true to its slasher spin, introducing us to some new characters and some fantastic music to indulge in. Is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Max

Love these Final Girls!

I didn’t know if this series really needed a second season since it pretty much wrapped up everything at the end of season one, but I’m so happy that each character is getting more screen time this time around. Original Sin centered primarily on Imogen and Tabby so it’s nice to see the other characters getting a chance to shine.

I also really like the way the series is exploring the aftermath of the events from Original Sin and how it is impacting the girls and their relationships with others. In a lot of ways, it reminds me of The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix.

We are learning more about each of the characters and getting a chance to see them grow. We’ve also got a few new potential love interests as well, which will keeps things fresh.

Images courtesy of Max

Hooked already.

I’ve been watching PLL since the original series and have seen every spin-off. I’m happy to report that I am just as hooked with this new season. It may not have been needed, but so far I’m digging the “hot girl summer” with a new masked killer on the loose. I hope we get some more epic chase scenes because they were really great last season.

I can’t wait to see how this all unfolds!

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Max

The sub-plots are a little boring so far…

I’m hoping this improves. PLL is known for having a balance of a solid killer mystery and juicy drama, but so far I’ve been a little bored during the fluff moments. I do like a few of the new characters and I’m sensing a spark between certain characters, but some of the transitions feel a little forced.

Episode two was a lot stronger than episode one so I’m remaining confident that we’ll get back on track with the mystery and I’d love to see some kills with a touch more gore sprinkled in to hold my attention.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Max

I’m in!

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School is just as addicting as season one, presenting us with a new mystery with lots of potential and some slasher fun for good measure.

It’s safe to say that I will be tuning in each week for this one!

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Pretty Little Liars: Summer School in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

A Halloween they’ll never forget…

When former friends, Shay and Adriana team up to participate in a Halloween scavenger hunt with a cash prize, they temporarily put their differences aside to outsmart their opponents. However, they soon start to realize that a dangerous threat is playing their own version of the game, stalking them during each hunt.

Winning is now a necessity as their lives are at stake. As old wounds and memories re-surface, Shay and Adriana attempt to unmask the threat before the night is over, but soon learn that Scream Hunt is not done with them just yet…

My young adult horror thriller is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Scream Hunt is available here!

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Ranking the top 5 moments from “American Horror Story: 1984” season 9 episode 9 Season Finale: “Final Girl”

Happy Thursday TV fans!  After watching the FX network’s American Horror Story:  1984 season 9 episode 9 season finale, I learned that the 80’s will never truly die, but our killers certainly didn’t make it easy for our potential Final Girls.  Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch the latest episode yet.  

In last night’s episode, “Final Girl,” we flash forward to 2019, as a familiar AHS face seeks out Camp Redwood, looking for answers.  Meanwhile, the Final Girl is revealed, but not before we get some unexpected twists and turns along the way.  My top 5 moments from the American Horror Story:  1984 season 9 episode 9 Season Finale are:

5

“You’re in danger…”

We certainly got a lot of time jumps during this season and it’s now 2019, as AHS alum, Finn Wittrock, shows up at Camp Redwood to find out the truth.  He comes into contact with Montana and Trevor and they learn that he is Mr. Jingles’s son, Bobby.

Small world!  Bobby has returned to find his father, but they tell him that he is dead and that he is in great danger now.

Bobby is quickly introduced to the supernatural threats on the campgrounds, but will he be able to make it out alive?  Let’s find out!

4

“You can’t sing Rebel Yell and not be a rebel.”

Fair point, Montana!  During the episode, we discover that Margaret brutally stabbed Trevor after finding out that he was trying to keep people from coming to her musical massacre fest.  Trevor tries to get over the campground lines so that he can be with Montana, but he can’t make it.  Luckily, Brooke shows up to help him, as Montana now realizes that she also has the chance for redemption.

Dylan McDermott’s character is killed pretty easily, but Montana is ready to take down the Night Stalker herself.

Naturally, she tells him that Billy Idol is waiting for him to lure him away, which is a great tactic!  The Night Stalker is surrounded by all the ghosts and they take out their revenge on him, trapping his spirit there for eternity.

Only they need to keep constant watch over him or he could summon Satan to be reborn, so this is certainly a lot of work.

While I was slightly disappointed with how easy it was to take down the Night Stalker, I was happy with Montana’s quest toward redemption here.

3

“Take her…”

The Night Stalker was really just the appetizer for the main course; however, as the ghosts now turn their attention on Margaret.

Margaret is not really intimidated, but they certainly pull out all the stops to brutally murder her.  They cut off her limbs one by one and ensure that the remains are spilled out past the campgrounds, but one should never truly discount Margaret…

Either way, this scene had my stomach turning, but it’s not like she didn’t have this coming.

2

“You were the last one.  The only one.”

Right before Margaret is taken, Brooke and Donna attack her, but Brooke is stabbed in the process.  When Bobby goes to the asylum to get some answers about his father, he meets Donna years later and realizes that she is the Final Girl.

Only nothing is that simple on AHS, as we find out that Ray saved Brooke and she has been secretly sending Bobby money all these years to try and give him a chance at a normal life.

It looks like Brooke and Donna are both the Final Girls after all!

Both of them killed it and were the highlight of the season for me, so I was really happy that they both were able to make it out of there OK.  Looks like they’re bonded for life now!

1

“The 80’s will never die.”

Even after hearing everything, Bobby still returns to Camp Redwood and of course the Night Stalker breaks free and tries to kill him.  The ghosts all band together to save him and Mr. Jingles shows up with perfect timing to stop Margaret, who has been hiding out all this time to get her revenge, revealing that she died right before her head was thrown across the line.

Bobby is stabbed and it doesn’t look too good for him, but his grandmother shows up to stop Margaret, giving Bobby his chance at a real happy ending.

Montana reminds him to keep their ghost stories alive so that the 80’s never die and we get somewhat of a happily ever after here.

So overall, I absolutely LOVED the first half of season 9.  The throwback to the 80’s and the music was out of this world.  The show did an excellent job of channeling that slasher vibe while also throwing in some campy horror humor to really lighten the mood and I thought that this was so entertaining.

However, once we got to the second half of the season, it felt like random plots were thrown our way and everything got a little bit chaotic.  It almost seemed like they didn’t really know where to go at a certain point and I almost wish they would have had fewer episodes with more 80’s slasher fun because the season was at its highest point during those moments.

Either way, I appreciated the music and had a lot of fun watching.  Although I really wanted to see Billy Idol!  There were some fantastic guest stars and some really great performances, but we’ll have to see what premise we get in season 10.  Stay tuned AHS fans!

American Horror Story:  1984 episode 9 Music Soundtrack Highlights:

A Flock Of Seagulls – I Ran (So Far Away) (Video)

Autograph – Turn up the Radio (Official Video)

Mike + The Mechanics – The Living Years (Official Video)

I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post your own theories and thoughts on American Horror Story:  1984 below in the comments section.  Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

**Do you love television shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Once Upon a Time, Lost, Charmed, The Vampire Diaries, and Supernatural?  Do you enjoy dark fantasy, fairy-tale retellings, paranormal romance, horror, and mystery?  Then you may like my book series, Dreaming of Wonderland…available on Amazon!  Thank you for taking the time to check it out and I appreciate any feedback as well.  I really hope you enjoy!

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