High hopes for American Horror Story Cult

Here’s to hoping that American Horror Story Cult is awesome. Ryan Murphy is a great storyteller and this season has lots of potential.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m full of trepidation about season 7 of American Horror Story. The season premiere is September 5 and this season’s theme is “Cult,” but we also know that the show is based around the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election. With so much politicking on the news everyday, part of me is afraid that all of the classic Ryan Murphy elements that we love – dark characters, chilling storylines, plot twists – will be lost in the political overtones from which we need an escape every once in a while. If done properly, though, this season could be awesome.

Ryan Murphy is a strong proponent of women, and this is evident by the strong female leads in his stories and the women he has behind the scenes writing and directing the shows. Sarah Paulson’s career took off as a result of her roles in American Horror Story, starting with a minor character in season 1 and quickly taking the lead in subsequent seasons. With the addition of Scream Queens alum Billie Lourd, the seventh season has a lot of potential provided that it sticks to solid storytelling and less platforming.

The overt politicking is a concern only because the last few seasons of American Horror Story have had so much going on that the story has been watered down to the point of washing out at the end. Even season 6, Roanoke, had a great premise that was lost by the time we reached the finale. Murphy sets out with great vision, so if he can stay on course, his concept for Cult could be awesome with its focus on the rise of cult leaders whose charisma leads others to follow them down the dark rabbit hole. That’s but one of the stories we can expect to see in American Horror Story Cult. (And, truth be told, I want to watch for the sole purpose of seeing Twisty the Clown from Freakshow in his triumphant return)

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So let’s give American Horror Story Cult a shot. It’s September, after all, and it wouldn’t be the Halloween season without a good scare from American Horror Story.

American Horror Story Cult premieres on September 5 at 10pm on FX.