American Horror Story’s “Red Tide” Double Feature

(contains spoilers)

Red Tide, created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, dropped on FX on Aug 25, 2021, as part of “Double Feature,” the 10th season of “American Horror Story.” They cut their latest season into two parts, the first part being Red Tide and the second being Death Valley.

Red Tide is about the Gardner family, who moved to a small town named Provincetown, Massachusetts, located on Cape Cod. The family is composed of Harry Gardner, a former writer who types up a pilot for his job in the city about his experience in the town; Doris Gardner, an interior designer; and Alma, a little girl who has a passion for playing the violin. The Gardner family witnesses strange murders in Provincetown and it all seems to be connected to a black pill. For the untalented, you become severely sick and experience loss of hair, your skin turns extremely pale and something very unanticipated happens to you. The black pill praises those who are successful but causes some serious side effects that only past Provincetown settlers and the chemist know about. Red Tide is by far one of my most favorite seasons in the American Horror Story series. With the cover-up of vampires, mysterious unidentified bodies washing up on the beach, and blood-craving habits, the family fights to survive in Provincetown, MA. 

Red Tide has a beautiful setting and the scenery is on point with the dark, gloomy, beach theme with lanterns at every door and very windy weather, it includes an eerie, spine-tingling effect throughout the show. Personally, I loved the soundtrack they used as well, one song featuring, “Islands in the Stream ” by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. American Horror Story is known for scary topics, and this season was all about it. Generally, the character development is super noble not to mention there are so many plot twists between them. I love the actors as some of them have played in past episodes of A.H.S like Evan Peters as (Austin Sommers), Finn Wittrock as (Harry Gardner), Lily Rabe as (Doris Gardner), and Sarah Paulson as (Karen). Adding on, one of the things I liked about Red Tide is the humor. I always enjoy humor in movies and tv shows because it adds an effect and makes the show more enjoyable. My favorite episode is the first one titled, “Cape Fear.” The Gardner family walks around the small town and encounters a suspicious “Pale Man” with razor-sharp teeth who chases them all the way to their house. Although he is introduced as a terrifying monster and lives up to that reputation in the show’s finale, his back story ends up being quite tragic. The overall plotline of Red Tide was very gripping. I couldn’t wait to watch it immediately after it came out. 

Although I mentioned how much I love Red Tide, there are a few drawbacks. I really wish they made season 10 a separate season instead of making only 6 episodes. I feel like the season genuinely could’ve been long since it intrigued me so much. Adding on, I didn’t really get why Ryan Murphy made a “Double Feature” if both seasons were completely unrelated. Also, since there was a ratio of 6 episodes of Red Tide to 4 episodes of Death Valley, Red Tide’s ending felt very underwhelming and very rushed. This wouldn’t feel like as much of a letdown if viewers hadn’t been waiting for this season for two years. Season nine of  “American Horror Story” titled, “1984,” was released on November 13, 2019 As a result of Coronavirus, the FX show “Double Feature,” which was scheduled to premiere in late 2020, was delayed until August 25, 2021. Despite the novelty of the double-feature season falling flat, Ryan Murphy and Brad Falschuk are great directors and this season of American Horror Story was spectacular.