DVD Review: American Horror Story: Cult: The Complete Seventh Season

Fox; TV-MA; 509 mins;

Now available on DVD from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is American Horror Story: Cult: The Complete Seventh Season, featuring all 11 episodes from the horror anthology series. The only special features on the 3-disc set are FX Promo Spots.

Created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, the Cult season stars Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Cheyenne Jackson, Billie Lourd, and Alison Pill.

Set in Brookfield Heights, Michigan around the 2016 U.S. presidential election, this seventh season centers on Ally Mayfair-Richard (played by Sarah Paulson), a restaurant owner who becomes extremely upset after Donald Trump wins the election. She has suffered from several phobias, including a deep fear of clowns, and all of these fears come back to haunt her after the election, which impacts her wife, Ivy (played by Ivy Alison Pill), and their son, Oz (played by Cooper Dodson).

After a serious of bizarre incidents, Ivy starts to suspect Ally is losing her mind. However, the truth is that Ally has been targeted by a cult, lead by psychotic Kai Anderson (played Evan Peters). Kai is a troubled young man who feeds off the fear and hate of others. After the election, he jumps into the world of politics by running for a seat on the city council with a little help from his cult members, who uses violence to get their way.

Final Thoughts

Over the summer, I had caught up on the previous American Horror Story seasons on Netflix; though I had already watched Murder House and Freak Show during the original airings. Cult was the only season I hadn't watched yet; well, until it was released to DVD last week.

After watching all eleven episodes, I have mixed feelings. Unlike the previous seasons, there's no supernatural elements to the plot. Yes, Twisty the Clown from Freak Show makes an appearance, but he's a fictionalized version from a comic book. Using the 2016 election as a plot device is uninteresting to me. I watch horror movies and television series, so I can escape reality for a bit and to be entertained. Tip: Don't mix horror with politics.

While at first glance, the main focus of the season looks like it's about a woman who has a fear of clowns, but it turns out to be much more than that. There's a few twists midway thru that changes everything into a Charles Mansion cult story.

The picture and sound quality on the 3-disc set are great. The special features are definitely lacking here. It would have been nice if there were a few behind-the-scenes featurettes and commentaries.

Overall, I enjoyed watching American Horror Story: Cult: The Complete Seventh Season, but it's a very weird season! It's better than the previous season, Roanoke, but not as thrilling as the others.