American Horror Stories: Season 2 premiere shows promise, even as there were some misses

There is something to be said for the way that American Horror Stories builds off of its parent series when it comes to giving us creepy moments that haunt us for days. While the series has already proven that it can stand on its own, it also knows that its best work comes from the pieces that tie into what we already know and love.

And while American Horror Stories chooses to give us horror vignettes, if you will, they do it in a way that makes perfect sense to the overall world-building that AHS has already gotten us accustomed to.

In the Season 2 premiere of American Horror Stories, we start off with a tale called “Dollhouse.” And if you are anything like me, then porcelain dolls are already something that creeps you out. So knowing that we were likely going to be dealing with creepy dolls set the stage for an episode that had shining moments and a few less than stellar bits.

American Horror Stories kicks off Season 2 with a creepy “Dollhouse” nightmare

Overall, “Dollhouse” delivered on the idea of creepy porcelain creations. After all, our villain of the day is kidnapping real women and forcing them to become dolls in order to find the one who will ultimately become a mother to his son. It’s a mess and we kind of love it. Of course, if you fail at being the perfect doll/mom, your fate is death and in some of the most awful ways.

The problem I had with this episode was that there were moments that just made no sense. And while that could be a me thing, they definitely made the show feel less cohesive than it could have been.

Not only that, but that big moment at the very end when we learn that this episode is basically a prequel to AHS: Coven was both epic and a bit confusing. If you are just a casual fan of the series, you may not have a single clue who Spalding was in Coven. And while Myrtle was a fun addition to the scene, it was definitely Spalding who should have been the star of that moment. (I did know who he was and I was living for that moment. However, a friend was so confused by why that was a great homage to Coven, even though they had watched it way back in the day.)

We love when American Horror Stories ties their series in with the OG AHS. But for the more casual fans, those great moments may not stand out. And that can leave an episode feeling less than well put together. (It feels like an “if you know, you know” moment that leaves some watchers out of the loop of why this is so good.)

“Dollhouse” was a brilliant beginning to a whole new season of small bursts of horror and suspense. And sure, there were some moments that we didn’t think fit into the overall story, but as a whole, this was a great way to kick things off and remind people why we love this franchise.

American Horror Stories return on July 28th with a new episode only on Hulu. 

But what did you think of the Season 2 premiere of American Horror Stories? Were you as creeped out by the dolls as I was? Did you find yourself gasping in shock at the Spalding reveal? We want to know.