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Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
American Horror Stories Season Two Episode Five, titled “Bloody Mary,” is written by Angela L. Harvey and directed by S.J. Main Muñoz. This episode provided us with another grounded story, and an interesting enough premise but with sloppy execution.
As usual, expect some spoiler discussion.
Legends and the Supernatural
The take on the Bloody Mary legend was intriguing for a story in the American Horror Story universe. However, with the way the dialogue is at certain points, you can almost predict exactly what will happen by the time the episode finishes. While I can’t necessarily say that I dislike this episode, it doesn’t hit me the right way that every other episode has been. However, the story is really grounded and that’s always a hit for American Horror Stories, especially with each episode being its own story. This gives the writers more leeway to tell their stories anyway, which Harvey took full advantage of.
This episode took major cues from everything supernatural, and it’s a good thing here. My biggest gripe with supernatural shows and films is that they can either be too cheesy or too much give and take. By that I mean to say that sometimes they overdo the jump scares or try and craft every element of the film around the supernatural, rather than giving a believable enough reason.
Surprisingly, the balance is near perfect here. After the girls call on Bloody Mary (Dominique Jackson), she reappears to them several times throughout the episode and does just enough to move the story along. These small things are the best parts of this episode.
Cinematic Aspects of this Episode of American Horror Stories
The writing in this episode of American Horror Stories is pretty standard here and features some good beats, but as I’ve continued to say, more was needed this time around. It would be awesome to see writer Angela L. Harvey return to the American Horror Story universe and give us another story, or even be a part of the original show’s eleventh season. However, unfortunately, some of her dialogue is cut and dry, and you can almost call the end of the episode by Act Two, and that’s the most disappointing part of “Bloody Mary.” One of the girls does mention that they’re messing with various things in relation to Bloody Mary and says that “she isn’t going away; ghost, demon, Babadook, or whatever she is”. So it’s cool that Harvey threw in a mention of other horror media, which is always welcoming to catch.
Muñoz’s direction is some of the best all season, which is great and it keeps you just engaged enough to keep things flowing and moving. There are several point-of-view shots of the girls in front of a mirror when they call on Mary the first time, and sometimes the episode jumps back to them as it moves, and they’re terrific when they’re on screen. The shots are perfect to go along with the premise.
Travis Weaver’s editing is superb as well, and all of these elements together weave a great story to be told, albeit with a choppy execution. I also want to give a shoutout to the special effects makeup artist, Jason Hamer, who did a fantastic job this week with the way the girls are killed, and continuing to prove that practical horror makeup is always the best type to go with, rather than CG’ing everything. I love when that’s the go-to with any piece of horror media.
Character Performances
This episode of American Horror Stories features Dominique Jackson, Quvenzhané Wallis, Raven Scott, Kyla Drew, Kyanna Simone, Shane Callahan, Ryan D. Madison, and Tiffany Yvonne Cox. While the cast featured here are all new to the universe, they still get the job done, albeit the four main actresses (Wallis, Scott, Simone & Drew) need a little more humph to really sell this episode. However, Drew gave the best performance out of the four, and while she does end up a victim, she carries the cast the whole time.
Furthermore, Jackson was terrific as the titular villain and was also creepy enough. However, it seemed like the main takeaway from her performance and appearance was that power corrupts, given enough desperation. Callahan, Cox, and Madison were also welcoming enough in their brief appearances and helped keep the story moving.
Harvey’s spin on the Bloody Mary legend was actually very interesting. American Horror Story always knows how to take some of the most popular legends or tall tales and put a unique spin on them, which is quite engaging, especially here. Although the execution doesn’t do her premise enough justice in the end, giving us one of the more predictable storylines in American Horror Stories.
Final Thoughts on American Horror Stories Season 2 Episode 5
While it seemed like Harvey wanted to use the legend of Bloody Mary as more of a cautionary tale, rather than one to just frighten, it sort of works, given how the episode ends anyway. It turns out that this American Horror Stories version of Bloody Mary is actually a cursed slave who had power from the African deity Mami Wata and misused her power for revenge. Her spirit then became trapped for eternity.
Furthermore, while all four girls wanted something different, Elise (Scott) wanted money and power, and ended up killing Maggie (Drew) and Lena (Simone). She also attempted to kill her sister Bianca (Wallis) at the end, but she turned it over and killed Elise in self-defense. It’s here that Mary reveals she doesn’t actually kill and uses her power to reveal the true desperation in people, as she did with Elise, who murdered her best friends in cold blood for the temptation of money, power, and fame.
Bianca then offers herself up to Mary, who now turns it over on Bianca and becomes mortal, while Bianca becomes the new Bloody Mary. Mary tells her that “truth doesn’t have to be brutal, it can also be kind.” That’s a true statement in theory, especially here as she revealed her truth to Bianca and what has been her true goal all along. However, that statement can also become twisted because, in terms of filmmaking, Harvey’s premise needed a little more to become less predictable, and maybe more scares as well, like having one of the other girls follow through on their desires instead of having only Elise follow through. Moreover, I would love to see Harvey make a return to the universe in the future. Most of this episode was enough, but a bit more was needed.
American Horror Stories Season Two will continue to air every Thursday, as part of FX on Hulu, and you can always catch the rest of the American Horror Story universe on Hulu as well.
How did this episode leave you feeling? As always, keep it here at The Cinema Spot for more horror TV and film reviews and news!
Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
This article was edited by John Tangalin.