‘American Horror Stories: Drive’ Review
by Frank Martin
By now, it doesn’t matter if American Horror Story episodes are good or bad, they always have a particular feel to them. Their tone and style is unique so that fans can identify it as American Horror Story. This week’s episode of American Horror Stories felt different. That alone shouldn’t disqualify it, but there was something noticeably odd about it. The story wasn’t a play on technology or the supernatural. It didn’t even have the trademark twisted version of American Life. Instead, the episode played out more like generic horror in serial killer fashion that was built solely on a twist.
The story is about a young wife (Bella Thorne) who seems to be in a struggling relationship. She goes out to clubs in an open marriage with her husband while a reported serial killer is on the loose in their town. The twist is that the woman herself is the serial killer and her husband (Anthony de la Torre) wants to be more included in her murders.
The episode itself wasn’t uninteresting or boring. It was just entertainment. And as far as horror goes, it was neither an American Horror Story episode or particularly unique. The problem is that the entire episode was built around its twist. The plot and characters were merely manufactured to play off of that twist and so the episode as a whole felt contrived and forced. So many angles of the episode had to be manipulated in order to pull the twist off. If anything, the story should be a lesson in how not to do a twist. The entire episode would probably have been better if it started from the start with the twist out in the open, playing off of it like a unique premise. But still, it was nice to see American Horror Story try something new even if it didn’t work for its brand.
American Horror Stories streams Thursdays on Hulu.