Unidad Educativa Surcos

Martin Posso

2017-2018

Teacher John Verluis

 American Horror Story

Episode 2 Season 7

The first bit of "Neighbors from Hell," featuring a couple getting killed by the clowns in a nasty
way that played off the wife's fear of being trapped in a casket, felt like a return to actual horror.
Most everything about Kai's cult and the clown's targets, along with their actual mission, is still up
in the air, but this opening scene was a much-needed reminder that the series is also supposed to
contain a few scares.

A few more things came into the light as the episode went on. Specifically, who was involved with
Kai. The Wiltons are both Kai disciples and do that pinky swear "tell your greatest fear" game
with him. Colton Haynes's cop character is also in on it. Cheyenne Jackson's Dr. Vincent is
probably providing the cult with his patients' specific fears and phobias so they can kill them and/or
torment them in imaginative ways. Hell, he may even be the mastermind behind all of it given how
he rolled his eyes at Ally's needs over the phone and played with those smiley face pins.

Oh, and the warped smiley face too! The clown killers have adopted it as their M.O. And Kai now
regularly spouts off the smiley t-shirt slogan/Mick Foley-ism/Comedian from Watchmen "Have a
nice day" as a way that allows the viewer to directly connect him to the face symbol kills (not that
we didn't already assume). We did, yes, get some answers. Mostly though, it was just a deeper
confirmation that this group, whoever's in it and whatever it's about, is going to extreme lengths to
terrorize their district and whip people into a frenzy.

I guess one of my questions right now is...will it ever get out that the clowns are killing people
based on their fears? It's one thing to kill a woman via casket, but what's the point if no one knows
that it was all made extra worse for her because of her phobia? The local news team (featuring
Adina Porter and the new-to-AHS Dermot Mulroney) is making everyone fearful, for sure, and
Ally's become the unwilling symbol of hate and paranoia, but what's the point of turning someone's
fears on them and then keeping it a secret? Unless you're a demon that feeds off people's fears and
pain and whatnot. I know, that's not a thing that's happening on the show, but that would be the
only case in which this makes sense.

Also, why wasn't Councilman Chang and his wife killed based on their fears? Their deaths were
strategic, sure, but were their murders kept basic because they were meant to service Oz and his
creepy story with Win Theres a lot going on right now and it's all very muddled. What we see
happening to Ally, and her neighborhood, is an off-putting blend of arbitrary and purposeful. I
want answers, but don't know how much longer I can wait without a solid look at Kai's master
plan. Watching someone get tricked through an overly-complicated maze filled with convenient
reactions and dumb decisions is exhausting.

The Verdict

"Neighbors from Hell" took Ally right up to the breaking point, putting her in a bloody feud with
the Wiltons across the street while also isolating her from her community and loved ones.
Unfortunately, three weeks of watching Ally freak out and make every dumb decision that Kai and
his followers want her to make is wearing thin.

PERSONAL OPINION

I think is an episode really creepy, with a lot of weird stuff going on, like that creepy babysitter,
and the fact that they put so weird things related to politics, makes it a bit interesting, and at the
same time wonder, what were the writers thinking about at the moment of setting up the scripts.
Pictures
 Bibliography

http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/09/20/american-horror-story-cult-
neighbors-from-hell-review

https://www.google.com.ec/search?q=american+horror+story+season+7+episo
de+2+review&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjlnfXa1cvWAh
VB7yYKHVfZA8QQ_AUIDCgD&biw=1225&bih=635&dpr=1#imgrc=Dkp4_
_ifxLRLnM: