Not since the premier of Stranger Things has there been such a fantastic love letter to the glory days of the 1980’s. The American Horror Story franchise is no stranger to reinvention or even pushing the envelope, but this season is something completely new. The series has managed to successfully reinvent itself in killer fashion, emerging from a pool of blood like a gory phoenix. Taking major cues from the incredibly popular slasher films of the 80’s, this season is sure to be spooky, bloody, and the perfect show to get us in the Halloween mood. Even though this season is set in the 80’s, it feels fresh and full of energy that the previous few seasons lacked. 

AHS’s last season, Apocalypse, was so byzantine and stuffy that it was hard to tell if we were watching the actual current season or a Saturday Night Live parody. At the end of that laborious season, many people vowed to quit watching the show entirely. If you look at the average number of viewers per episode, Apocalypse saw a drastic drop off of viewership from previous seasons. For example, the seasons called Freak Show and Hotel had an average per-episode viewership of about 5 million people, where Apocalypse averaged at about 1.8 million, a whopping 64% decrease in viewers. The numbers aren’t in yet, but I am hoping to see 1984’s viewership increase substantially as the show crawls back from its setbacks.

So, if you haven’t been lucky to watch the premiere episode of AHS 1984 just yet, here is what you can look forward to in terms of 80’s nostalgia that the show has put forth already:

• Perms (oh the perms! On both men and women!)
• Classic 80’s workout gear including belly shirts for men and loud print leotards on the ladies
• A camp located deep in the spooky woods filled with teenaged (and rowdy) counselors
• Camp counselors getting chased and stabbed by a wordless killer with a chef’s knife
• A gum-snapping wise-cracking main character who is wise beyond her years
• Aerobics class! (The series literally starts in the middle of a steamy aerobics class and it’s amazing)
• A wise old man who warns the teenagers that they are in danger… and them completely laughing it off. “Dumb old man, what do you know?”
• The 1984 Olympics plays a crucial part in the season opener
• Spectacular 80’s hit songs like: Frank Stallone’s “Far From Over,” Bananarama’s “Cruel Summer,” Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me,” Def Leppard’s “Photograph,” and Daryl Hall & John Oates’ “Private Eyes.” And that’s just in episode 1 so far!
• Classic 80’s cars in all their glory

Even if it wasn’t set in the 80’s, this season of American Horror Story is off to a great start, but since it is set in the 80’s I love it even more! If you’re interested, take a moment to check out the trailer here on YouTube. I am so excited to see what the rest of the season has in store for us as far as thrills and chills and of course, radical 80’s nostalgia.