Reviews
[TV Review] “AHS: Apocalypse” Strikes a Match and Watches the Fire Burn in ‘Traitor’
‘AHS: Apocalypse’ conjures that voodoo that you do as the witches run through various battle strategies to conquer the imminent Antichrist.
“What’s ‘deserve’ got to do with any of this?”
What’s the qualifier on being a traitor? This episode of American Horror Story: Apocalypse very clearly labels Miriam Mead, Ariel Augustus, and Baldwin Pennypacker as infidels to their own kind (and even burns them at the stake accordingly), but sometimes the answer isn’t so black and white. Dinah Stevens would consider Cordelia to be a traitor to humankind because of the decisions that she makes in this episode. For that matter, Myrtle may even think of Cordelia as a traitor for how she ignores her wishes to stay dead. A traitor isn’t just someone who outwardly betrays someone, but it just as easily can be a trusted individual that isn’t willing to go as far as they can for a person. “Traitor” persecutes the most egregious backstabbers in a flashy manner, but this episode is also full of tests between friends as they prove how far they will go for each other and that they will rise to the occasion when it’s necessary.
It’s worth noting at the top that there’s no Michael to speak of this week (he’s away in the wilderness doing wilderness things, apparently), but after getting Langdon’s extended life and times last week, an episode without any Cody Fern is acceptable. It does remove a certain degree of tension from this installment, but this is an episode that’s more about taking action, not cowering in fear. Michael’s absence results in “Traitor” focusing entirely on Cordelia and her coven. It’s a freaking witch party this week on AHS: Apocalypse and all of the series’ female spiritualists appear in this episode—minus Misty (maybe she’s just sleeping this one off).
“Traitor” essentially revolves around the coven’s battle plan, now that both the witches and the warlocks know what’s really going on with Michael. Cordelia is eager to end all of this before it gets out of hand and more people die, so she resorts to whipping out the big guns, which largely means enlisting the help of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Papa Legba (Lance Reddick). American Horror Story: Apocalypse has largely felt like a “Greatest Hits” of the anthology series this season. Many characters that haven’t been seen in years have experienced glorious returns and closure, and AHS: Coven’s Papa Legba is the latest heavy hitter to reappear. AHS: Apocalypse finally remembers that Adina Porter’s Dinah Stevens has voodoo powers, which she alluded to back in the premiere. We learn that Dinah’s skills are a lot more impressive than she originally let on and that she’s actually taken up the mantle of head voodoo priestess after Angela Bassett’s Marie Laveau met her unfortunate end. Cordelia uses Dinah’s voodoo skills to summon Legba and pick his brain on the Michael problem.
It’s exciting to see that Legba’s incorporation into this horror free-for-all actually makes a lot of sense. Someone as powerful as the Antichrist can’t just be easily “magicked away,” but someone as eternal and mysterious as Legba could maybe make a dent in the guy. Legba’s toll for something as dangerous as trapping Michael in damnation is unsurprisingly steep, which inevitably causes Cordelia to back out of this literal deal with the devil. Legba wants the souls of Cordelia’s entire coven as payment for his imprisonment of Langdon (on top of the $200,000 that Cordelia has already paid to Dinah for her mystical services) and so while it’s understandable to see her rebuke this, it does make Legba’s appearance a little manipulative.
As it stands, the witches still have no real solution to eliminating Michael, but the back-end of the season could have become a lot tenser if Cordelia took this bait and knew that their victory had come at the expense of their futures. They hammer in the point that you only get one shot with Legba, so it’s doubtful that he’ll return, but we’ll see. If not, then we seriously need a spin-off season that just looks at Papa Legba and Nan’s friendship in Hell (yes, not only does Jamie Brewer’s Nan return, but she’s been spending all of her time as Legba’s lackey)! Dinah tries to hammer into Cordelia that the ends justifies the means here, but it’s rather touching to see Cordelia offer up her own soul without hesitation, even if that’s not enough. Paulson continues to do great work this season with Cordelia as her character progressively takes on the weight of the world and hits roadblocks.
When the evil voodoo route proves to be unsuccessful, Cordelia banks on what she knows, which is to double down on the witchcraft. “Traitor” reveals that not only is Cordelia responsible for Myrtle’s resurrection, but we even get to see it happen! In an extreme moment of desperation, Cordelia’s concern about the future of the coven causes her to pull Myrtle back to this mortal coil (not unlike what Michael does for Madison in episode four). Cordelia’s spell works, but it nearly kills her in the process and Myrtle isn’t exactly thrilled when she learns what’s happened here. Nevertheless, they make it work and soldier on.
This episode also wastes no time as it rushes to set up Mallory as the next Supreme to usurp Cordelia. “Traitor” provides a highlights reel for Mallory’s own Seven Wonders initiation (once again, complete with old timey silent film veneer) and even though she may not impress as much as Michael’s performance, she still nails the test. On top of that, she also uses her magic in some very unique ways, like the bonkers mojo she works to save Coco’s life. And thank God, because Coco’s own food-based witchcraft is also nicely developing. At this point, Mallory’s unexplored talents are the witches’ best shot at defeating Michael. The brief glimpse that the show has provided of Mallory and Michael’s powers colliding in the present implies that quite the insane battle lies ahead.
AHS: Apocalypse also adds a new witch to the fray in “Traitor,” who’s also Joan Collins’ second character of the season. Collins’ actress-come-witch has the ability to read minds, which proves to be tremendously useful due to all of the deception that’s been bubbling up lately. These skills quickly scan the recesses of Ariel and Baldwin’s minds and the witches gain the valuable intel that the remaining warlocks intend to take out the rest of the witches until they’re all gone.
This pivotal news helps push the episode into its most thrilling sequence—the warlock burnings that conclude the installment—but can we first just take a minute to discuss the names of the characters this season? Billy Porter’s Behold Chablis seemed like it would be as crazy as things get, but then Joan Collins’ is all, “hold my witch’s brew,” as she saunters in as her new witch, Bubbles McGee. No, that’s not some condescending nickname that Madison gives her; Bubbles McGee is her actual name. That’s in addition to BD Wong’s Baldwin Pennypacker (which isn’t some alias of Cosmo Kramer). It really just seems like Murphy and company had a bunch of drinks and tried to come up with the most audacious names possible this year. Oh, and it appears that Bubbles helped Myrtle learn “the art of fellatio,” which is…a lot to process.
Collins has a lot of fun as Bubbles and her deep history with Myrtle as Madison gets caught in the middle adds a charming, lighter quality to what’s otherwise a dark episode. In fact, all of the character dynamics work really well in “Traitor” and even though a lot of the installment is just these witches hanging out, it’s still very entertaining. It’s kind of shocking to see how natural of an addition Behold is to the coven. Madison’s line to Bubbles about how she’s “already made this movie” is also a pretty brilliant deep cut to Joan Collins’ role in the Tales From the Crypt film segment, “…And All Through the House,” which is pretty much A Christmas to Dismember. By the way, wouldn’t it have been nice if Ian McShane played the Murder Santa in the movie for some nice AHS: Asylum symmetry? Plus, Myrtle freaking vapes on her way to the resurrection of John Henry, so all of the character work is on point this week.
“Traitor” is ultimately a satisfying episode that feels like vintage American Horror Story, but it’s perhaps guilty of spending a little too much time with fun tangents in the past (like Bubbles’ seasonal horror film). “Traitor” covers a lot of ground and the dots are really connecting between the years before the apocalypse and the aftermath of it all. That being said, there are still questions that need answers, mostly revolving around Mallory. “Traitor” delivers a bunch of seismic fatalities that level the playing field a little, but it’s also rather convenient that Michael’s just absent during all of these power plays. The best part of this episode is how the gloves are finally off with Cordelia and it’s so cathartic to see her kick ass and clean house here. Even when Cordelia and company’s efforts are unsuccessful, you can still feel a sense of power brewing as they try to prepare for the future. That strong sense of power is enough to create excitement for the next few episodes, but when it finally comes in contact with Michael, it better not disappoint.
Anyone getting hungry for a heart smoothie with toenail sprinkles? Just me?
‘American Horror Story: Apocalypse’ airs Wednesdays at 10pm (ET) on FX.
Movies
‘Recluse’ Review – Harrowing Haunted House Horror With Lots Of Skeletons In Its Closet [Tribeca 2026]
A haunted house story is tense, terrifying storytelling when it’s properly executed. There’s been a growing tendency in horror to blend together harrowing haunted house stories with traumatic homecomings. A family member’s illness or death triggers a return to something dark that was intentionally left behind. Recluse hits all the tropes that one expects to find in this type of horror film, yet it manages to push this story in a daring, disturbing new direction that uses sound as a superpower.
It’s a unique lens to experience a familiar story about family secrets, generational trauma, unresolved grief, and the importance of not just legacy, but preservation. It’s a hell of a directorial debut from Henry Chaisson that’s guaranteed to get under the audience’s skin as they’re dragged through this painful, toxic tale.
Recluse is a gothic haunted house story where an isolated audio engineer, Joan (Sasha Frolova), returns to her family’s estate to check in on her father after he suffers a terrible accident. Joan suddenly discovers something much more sinister that paints her family’s tragedies in a very different light. Chaisson’s debut functions as a fascinating companion piece to this year’s undertone, which does a lot of the same things.
These two films make for a fascinating case of parallel thinking that tackles comparable subject matter through a similar lens, albeit in a bigger, less claustrophobic story in Recluse’s case. In fact, it’s the perfect horror film for anyone who was let down by undertone and didn’t feel like it brought enough to the table. It’s a considerably more conventional horror film, but this isn’t meant to denigrate its high quality. Recluse may hit some familiar notes, but it’s a scary, well-crafted haunted house horror story that goes for the jugular.
A gripping mystery that involves the tragic, unresolved circumstances that surround Joan’s mother teases a chilling connection to the recent horrors that have afflicted her father. Joan desperately tries to put these pieces together and give her family some sense of grander peace before she’s pulled under and becomes another victim of this festering curse that’s systematically worked its way through the Wyatt family. By doing so, Recluse digs into some deeper commentary on collective trauma, a very literal look at the “sins of the father” adage, and how one selfish decision can ripple through generations and fracture off into different dilemmas. By the end, Recluse has brilliantly flipped the powerful concept of legacy on its head by illustrating the horrors and sense of entitlement that can be born out of this idea.
A legacy is just another name for a curse under the right context.
”Listen” is a simple but powerful command from Joan’s father that she briefly obsesses over. In a way, it becomes Recluse’s grander mission statement, whether it’s in response to Joan listening to the people in her life, the signals that her body and mind are telling her, or the world’s greater whims. It’s important to reconnect with these grounding pillars, especially when it feels like control is slipping away.
Recluse excels with how audio and soundscapes can create entire universes that are full of rich details that transport individuals to these environments. There’s also a level of objectivity when it comes to audio recordings and the evergreen permanence that they’re able to provide. Joan’s career as an audio engineer makes sense for someone who wants to cling to hard evidence and proof of existence. It provides great insight into Joan without ever getting lost in contrived exposition.
Joan’s entire life is built around audio engineering, and so it makes sense that Recluse features excellent sound design that really goes above and beyond with its production elements. All of the sound design is expertly handled and turns the film into something special. These auditory elements intuitively keep the audience on edge so that they’re more susceptible to the actual scares that eventually strike. The smallest sound effect gets turned into a crushing, cacophonous assault. It’s a really effective way to build terror. Writer/Director Chaisson also handles the film’s music, which achieves a sublime, unnerving dissonance that further heightens the free-floating anxiety.
The story at the center of Recluse is slightly generic in some respects, but the film’s visual language and tone make it feel distinctly memorable. It also doesn’t hurt that the home that Joan returns to is basically an eerie art studio that’s full of contorted paintings. Recluse never struggles to generate mounting dread and terror that pump through every scene. Powerful, thoughtful cinematography consistently reinforces the film’s themes. Joan is constantly reflected in different surfaces or viewed through mirrors. She’s also often confined to tight, constricting framing that all speaks to her refracted identity during this moment of loss and her attempts to regain agency and control by making sense of something that’s seemingly unexplainable.
Recluse is full of truly disturbing visuals that make it seem like Joan is lost in a dream that turns out to be an extended nightmare. It’s a surreal journey reminiscent of invasive psychological horror like Silent Hill, with a touch of Sinister and Hereditary thrown in for good measure. There are so many individual frames that could endlessly fuel urban legends and creepypastas.
It does a great job with how it presents Joan’s fragile state of mind, where chilling flashes of the past sneak up on her and unresolved trauma manifests into unsettling imagery. There are endless shots that are obscured in darkness, or shadow is creeping in from the corners of frames like a suffocating force of nature. It’s very rare that a scene is fully lit. It leads to a very lonely, isolating atmosphere that’s easy to get lost in.
Chaisson’s debut stands out from the many other high-minded haunted house horror films without succumbing to the same pretensions that often drag down these stories. It’s a grief-stricken character study that’s full of upsetting visuals that scratch at something visceral and raw. The horror elements connect, and the answers to its grander mystery provide an appropriate and believable sense of closure. Those who are looking for an atmospheric horror film that isn’t afraid to be different while still channeling something real will appreciate Recluse.
Recluse made its world premiere at Tribeca; release info TBD.
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