 After what was undoubtedly some of the worst television I have ever seen in the spin-off American Horror Stories, the main series is back for its tenth season being presented in two parts, Red Tide and Death Valley, but is the Red Tide strong enough to wash the taste of the spin-off out of our mouths? I'm Matt Rogers and join me today as I take a look at the new season and whether they've made American Horror Story great again. But before we get into it, if you want videos on the latest movies and TV shows delivered straight to your subscription feed, be sure to spank that subscribe button and ring that bell to not miss a single thing. So let's address what Horror Story fans have been enduring these past weeks and spoiler warning for stories and the first three episodes of Double Feature. Now American Horror Stories promised a fresh new theme and idea every episode and had all the ingredients of quality horror, but I think my point is best made by me showing you what they've turned American Horror Story into. One, two, three. My dad watches this shit, yo. No homo. I must admit, by halfway through the season, I started to embrace the cringe and just laughed at it, whilst the horror fan inside me was slowly dying with every terribly written scene. It's Christmas. People are out shopping. Let's go out and be ourselves. Let's just do what we used to do. Be funny. If I had to give the spin off any compliment, it would probably have to be the Feral episode. Fellow Ozzy Cody Fern was great as a tough guy park ranger, and I kind of liked the ending of the Feral Child being King as much as that side of things wasn't really explored in the episode. But that's the only positive you'll get from me. For some reason, they thought the atrocious two-part premiere needed a sequel also and they went really meta, talking about American Horror Story in the show itself. That final episode with the video game being developed on the events of Murder House was a low I never expected the series would sink to, and what makes this whole ordeal even worse is creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Fulchuck wrote that finale and doing so murdered their very own creation. But in the plot twist of the year, somehow Ryan Murphy has done it as this red tide season is good. It's really good and scary too. After a relatively fresher faced season we had in 1984, it really feels like the gang is back together now. I miss the memorable, complicated characters we used to have in the earlier seasons, and not only do we have those actors back, but they're playing great roles. I guess proof of my point is that I don't remember a single character's name from the past few seasons, nor do I care to revisit those seasons to do so. They've finally realised that campiness can be great in the right place, but it's not welcome here. Instead we've been given serious actors playing out an intriguing story. All this is underscored by the musical mastermind that is Mack Quayle. One thing that has never faltered throughout the series is its soundtrack, and that is especially true for this season, with sharp erratic strings and a great rendition of the theme song in the closing credits. Speaking of music in the show, we are treated to musical numbers from Evan Peters and Francis Conroy. What else could you ask for? I don't know how I feel about Sarah Paulson literally playing a Karen, but I'm just glad to have her back after her absence last season, and she fits right back in, albeit in a more backseat role, at least so far. Also, it turns out I've been sleeping on Lily Rabe's acting chops as she's an acting powerhouse here. Obviously she was great in Asylum, but her performance here, especially in the second episode, was raw and angry, and I love it. To be honest, I underestimated Finn Whitrock also, as I'd never seen him as a leading man, but he naturally takes the lead. Macaulay Culkin as a dirty talking prostitute was something I didn't expect nor what I thought I wanted, but here we are. He did horror great when he was a kid, so why not now? One criticism I do have is Leslie Grossman. She's not a bad actress or anything, but in my head she kind of represents the things that I don't like about the recent seasons of AHS, such as the comedy and the camp aspects, and she seemed to somehow show up at the time the show started declining in quality. I don't know, is that just me? What do you think? But let's get to the part that matters most, the horror. Those tall pale men are legitimately creepy and kind of an original take on the zombie slash vampire trope. Even in the drab, colorless daylight of this seaside town, these things are creepy. That scene of them writhing outside really unnerved me, and it's been a while since this show has had that effect on me. The vampire aspect of the show is great too. Evan Peters and Francis Conroy are deliciously mysterious, absolutely brutal, and will surely shape up to be some fantastic antagonists as the season progresses. Conroy especially, who is playing a cold and ruthless, I guess, Jessica Lang style role? One thing I just can't wrap my head around is how could Ryan Murphy and Brad Fulchark go from writing those godawful murderhouse spin-offs to this? I really have no idea, but I just hope they keep doing what they're doing. The whole success-pill plot is a welcome and relatively original storyline, reminiscent of movies such as Limitless, which concentrates on the real costs of success, and it's used as a clever trope to guide the narrative. The third episode explores the dynamics of giving the pill to their daughter, and her maturity and lack of empathy is incredibly dark and creepy in itself. And that episode 3 finale, wow. Granted, it is still early days, and we still have a lot of season plus another entire season to go. But I'm finally finding myself looking forward to each new episode, rather than dreading it, so that's something. But I'm also not forgetting that I've hated the endings of every season since Colt, so there's also that. But is this season shaping up to be everything you wanted it to be? I'd love to hear what you think, so let me know. I'll be down there in the comments. But be sure to subscribe for weekly videos covering your favorite movies and TV shows, including all things American Horror Story. If you subscribe during this video, then walk on the board, and if you had a good time hanging out, then spank that like button. This is Matt Rogers, and that is all.