Blu-Ray Review – American Horror Story: Roanoke

Blu-ray Reviews, Reviews, Top Story, TV Shows

Anthology television shows are a difficult proposition because you’re essentially committing to one season’s worth of characters. Any sort of long term storylines and plots have to be eliminated because you’re only allowed to have one season’s run with a group of characters. It can be problematic for television fans and writers alike; if you find a potential group of characters worth following more than one season you can’t. But it allows for some very interesting ideas if you do it right and, so far, American Horror Story is doing just that.

It might not be the best show on television on a regular basis, far from it, but it’s certainly among the team leaders in being interesting. This season, dubbed Roanoke, takes the reigns as one of its more intriguing so far.

The season is split into two parts to make it easier to follow. The first half is a television show reenacting the tragic events of a couple in North Carolina (on Roanoke Island). The second half is a found footage series that has the actors playing the real-life people, and the real-life people who inspired it, going back to the house that inspired the series. Like any found footage horror film, the consequences are quite tragic in the end.

Either aspect of this season would make it compelling television. An explicit reenactment of an event gives you an insight into aspect of the genre and the found footage, with everyone coming back, would also give you some insight. Having both, so you can see it all, makes it really compelling to watch.

Some EPK pieces that give you a deep dive into the series are included.

Twentieth Century Fox presents American Horror Story: Roanoke . . Starring Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson, Cuba Gooding Jr, Lily Rabe, André Holland, Denis O’Hare. Run Time: 399 minutes. Not Rated. Released on: 10.3.17