Happy Thursday TV fans!  After watching the FX network’s American Horror Story:  1984 season 9 episode 1 last night, I remembered that perhaps we should listen to creepy gas attendants who tell us that there’s nowhere to run or hide.  Or maybe we should go answer a payphone in the middle of the woods when a killer is on the loose.  Let’s make some good choices and go back in time to enjoy some 80’s slasher fun with a killer soundtrack!  Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch the latest episode yet.  

In last night’s episode, “Camp Redwood,” Brooke, Montana, Xavier, Chet, and Ray all meet at Perfect 10 Aerobics and decide to take summer jobs as camp counselors at Camp Redwood.  We hear the campfire chilling story of the infamous killer, Mr.  Jingles and it seems like anyone with a half a brain would stay clear of this camp, but where would be the fun in that?  My top 5 moments from the American Horror Story:  1984 season 9 episode 1 season premiere are:

5

“I heard serial killers become more active in the summer months when it’s hot.”

Meet Brooke, played by the brilliant and amazing Emma Roberts, who seems to hit it off right away with Montana, played by Billie Lourd, at an aerobics class.  Brooke appears to be somewhat of a shy loner and clearly has a past since we witness her looking at an engagement ring in her jewelry box, but I’m already invested in her character and Emma Roberts can do no wrong for me.

4

“You’re a bad-ass!”

So maybe Brooke should have taken her own advice about leaving windows open in her apartment.  After initially turning down Xavier’s offer to go to Camp Redwood with them, an intruder breaks into her apartment and takes her jewelry.  The stranger claims to be the Night Stalker and seems to heavily worship Satan.  Connection to Hotel and Apocalypse? 

I’m not sure if this attack was random or not, but Brooke makes excellent use of my favorite weapon of choice…a frying pan, which definitely makes her a bad-ass in my book!  And so it’s off to Camp Redwood, since Brooke clearly doesn’t want to stay by herself for the summer.

3

“I have been fighting the lord’s fight against filth around the world for years.”

After our group hits a stranger in front of Camp Redwood with their car, they meet the head of Camp Redwood, Margaret, played by the hilarious and enchanting Leslie Grossman.  Seriously, I love this fierce trio of ladies and I’m hoping they can bring the fire again this season.

Margaret seems to be a big fan of following rules and we know what happens when you don’t follow the rules in a slasher film.  Margaret reminds them that girls wear red and boys wear blue and that they shouldn’t even try to make purple, which was another fun connection to Apocalypse.  Margaret has a vision of making Camp Redwood into a safe and pure place for children, but I’m not sure one can ever really lose the reputation of being the site of the “worst summer camp massacre of all time.”

2

“He liked to kill and he was good at it.”

The opening of the episode flashes back to 1970 and we witness serial killer, Benjamin Richter (aka Mr. Jingles) brutally attacking and killing some camp counselors who were having some late night extracurricular activities together.  In 1984, the group gathers around a campfire and Rita, played by Angelica Ross, fills them in on the history and questions why they are all really there.

Mr. Jingles apparently has a thing for collecting ears, which is beyond disturbing and we discover that Margaret is the only survivor from his massacre, showing off her missing ear. We also learn that Mr. Jingles has escaped the asylum he was in during present day (1984), grabbing a new set of keys, as he heads off to Camp Redwood.

Is he looking to eliminate Margaret once and for all or is he just looking to kill as he goes?  I’m not sure just yet, but there has to be a lot more to this if we are revealing the identity of the killer in episode 1.  Perhaps Margaret is in on it now?  It’s an early theory of mine, but we shall see.

1

“It was him!  I am not imagining all of this!”

After discovering the stranger from the road hung up on the back of a door, Brooke freaks out and takes off.  She is able to escape, but her friends think she is imagining things, especially when the body has mysteriously vanished and the rain coat killer seems to just be a rain coat.  Brooke is convinced that what she saw is real and decides to throw all caution out the window by answering a ringing payphone outside. 

I’m not really sure this is the best decision, but it does give us a chance to see that the Night Stalker is also lurking in the shadows.  Are there two killers on the loose or is this all connected?  I’m not sure, but it looks like Brooke is our potential final girl and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Overall, I thought the season 9 premiere was a lot of fun.  It provided us with a lot of nostalgia and cleverly reminded us about the slasher movie trope, while keeping us invested in the main plot.  It looks like I am planning on staying at Camp Redwood after all.  How about you?

**Fun fact:  Roy from “Roy’s Gas n Grab” warns our group of characters and tells them that they’re all going to die, which is a fun throwback to Crazy Ralph in Friday the 13^th telling the counselors they are all doomed.

American Horror Story:  1984 episode 1 Music Soundtrack Highlights:

Bananarama – Cruel Summer

Rockwell – Somebody’s Watching Me 1984

Daryl Hall & John Oates – Private Eyes 

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

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