A couple of thoughts hit me while watching the first teaser trailer for “American Horror Story: 1984.” First, the thought of “Can we please be done with ‘80s nostalgia?” This was followed by “Oh cool, I didn’t realize there was more ‘Wet Hot American Summer’ coming this fall!” Sadly, neither of those thoughts had anything to do with fear or excitement, which I think is what FX is trying to make you feel.
The teaser is very much exactly what you’d think a TV series riffing on ‘80s slasher films would look like. There’s that cheesy music, outrageous costumes, and the campy tone that you found in films like “Sleepaway Camp” and, of course, “Friday the 13th.” However, the moments when you’re supposed to *gasp* just don’t really resonate. At least, not with this viewer.
Obviously, there’s always been a bit of tongue-in-cheek with Ryan Murphy’s ‘American Horror Story’ series. The show has never been one to dial down the style in favor of something realistic or gritty, and that’s exactly what’s being shown in the short teaser. The immediate problem you might find is that ‘1984’ might venture a bit too far into camp (no pun intended) and enter the realm of full-on comedy.
The cast for ‘1984’ features a mixture of ‘AHS’ vets and newcomers including Billie Lourd, John Carroll Lynch, Leslie Grossman, Cody Fern, Matthew Morrison, Angelica Ross, DeRon Horton, Zach Villa, and Emma Roberts.
Considering this is just a teaser (update: a second teaser has arrived), it’s a bit premature to draw conclusions, but let’s just say this early marketing material is getting me excited, but maybe not for the show that FX is trying to promote. Oh well, there’s not a terribly long wait until the show premieres on September 18.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5s8KQX9hwU&feature=em-uploademail
