Things get more murderous at Camp Redwood as the counselors fight for their lives and past deeds must be confronted.
“Benjamin Richter has escaped. You may remember him as—”
“Mr. Jingles…”
American Horror Story: 1984 has already paid a ton of references, both visually and thematically, to John Carpenter’s Halloween. It’s a smart play when constructing a season of a horror show that’s an ode to slashers. The heart of the original Halloween was present during last week’s premiere, but the opening scene of “Mr. Jingles” feels much more reminiscent of Laurie Strode’s attitude in 2018’s sequel. Margaret Booth is presented with information about her past literally coming back to haunt her, but she’s surprisingly headstrong on the matter. “Mr. Jingles” is an episode that’s all about finding the strength to reclaim your life, stop living in fear, and being proactive about the future. It’s an episode about being ready for a fight instead of giving up in surrender. After all, “sometimes a shadow is just a shadow,” but other times it’s a burly, lumbering serial killer.
Margaret Booth is told that Benjamin Richter has escaped and is headed straight for Camp Redwood. When she refuses to do the only logical thing and cancel the opening of camp, the episode plays right into the unfeasible nature of the plots of slasher films. It’d make so much sense to just not open Camp Redwood for the summer, but Margaret’s rebellious attitude is oddly understandable when her past is taken into account. Camp Redwood opening its doors is surely going to endanger lives, but for Margaret it’d be more dangerous to just give up and hide in fear from Mr. Jingles. It almost seems like Margaret has been waiting for this reunion to happen and it’s exactly what’s necessary to help her finally move on.
Margaret’s compulsive behavior over how boys must be clean, let alone that their showering must operate on her schedule, is just some of her worrisome behavior that’s present in this episode. It’s certainly another check on the “Margaret Booth is a powder keg of pain that’s about to explode” list. There’s also a hint dropped that “Margaret Booth” died back in 1970 and that Leslie Grossman’s character may actually be another counselor from back then what stole Margaret’s identity.
Margaret’s hygiene habits are more representative of her own dysfunctions, but it’s also what pushes Camp Redwood’s counselors into danger. “Mr. Jingles” splits up the boys and the girls for most of this episode and Tim Minear’s script makes a point to embrace the stereotypes of each gender. The boys’ display of machismo as they roam the campground is juxtaposed with Montana’s playful attempt to start something romantic with Brooke. American Horror Story: 1984 faces a tricky challenge in this department. Obviously this show wants to welcome all of the goofy tropes and shortcomings that can make the horror genre so much fun. At the same time, AHS: 1984 still needs to create engaging characters and dialogue that can operate like stereotypes, but still have depth. The ‘80s backdrop affords them some leeway here and at the moment it’s all still in good fun, but it may be a problem six episodes in if these characters are still broad clichés.
To continue with the stereotypes, the biggest conflict that the male counselors face in this episode is the threat that Xavier’s past life as a junkie doing “gay for pay” pornography will come back to ruin him. In remarkably little time, Xavier buys back his own freedom as he sells out Trevor, but neither of them winds up on the chopping block. All of the major struggles in “Mr. Jingles” boil down to gender norms and characters’ sexuality being challenged. Blake’s blackmail attempt on Xavier is another moment that begins as pure ‘80s cheese and then quickly morphs into excessive ‘80s horror.
Even when the material is lackluster, this season remains a visual treat (and that amazing score!). The camera’s attempts to negotiate around bushes and sneak around the corners of the cabins not only look gorgeous, but they amplify the tension. On top of that, the season is nowhere near hitting diminishing returns as it pays tribute to classic camp slasher sequences, like getting stabbed through a peephole.
AHS: 1984 also doesn’t waste any time in regards to bringing other supernatural elements into this season. It’s only episode two and we’re dealing with the tortured ghosts of former Camp Redwood counselors. The whole sequence where Jonas’ lost soul continually gets murdered and resurrected is really well done and seriously creepy. And since ghosts are now officially in play, there’s always the chance that this season may eventually jump to the future and feature this entire cast as ghosts that try to warn Camp Redwood’s next generation.
This episode throws its characters into more immediate danger and the counselors are all aware that there’s at least one killer on the campgrounds. However, there are still many larger mysteries that continue to percolate in the background. “Mr. Jingles” certainly explores more of Brooke’s shell-shocked state. John J. Gray’s direction makes sure that every person’s gesture registers with Brooke and shows how paranoid she’s becoming. Her fellow counselors are already teasing her over her frail nature, but they might not be wrong to be suspicious of her. Karen, the chief of psychology from Red Meadows Asylum, references how Camp Redwood’s phone lines are unreachable, yet Brooke received a call.
Everything that Brooke experiences should perhaps not be taken at face value for now (she also makes a big deal out of how nobody ever believes her). Much like how this season is starting to prove with Margaret Booth that trauma can re-manifest in dangerous ways, there’s definitely more to Brooke’s story. On that note, another fundamental piece of Brooke’s life was revealed this week. In a series of events that’s much more upsetting than her encounter with the Night Stalker, Brooke’s fiancé tragically goes homicidal at their wedding. It’s a very brutal scene that helps illustrate just how much tragedy Brooke has experienced.
Elements of Brooke’s story may seem fabricated, but the entire episode seems to slip into lucid dream territory the further it goes on. It doesn’t seem feasible that Richard Ramirez would actually be at Camp Redwood, but the fact that Margaret interacts with him pretty much seals the deal that he’s not a figment of Brooke’s imagination. However, matters then get considerably more insane when Margaret brokers a deal with Ramirez and hires the Night Stalker as Camp Redwood’s personal security detail (and gives him a de facto therapy session). As insane as all of this sounds, turning Ramirez into a reluctant ally in a war against serial killers could hold a lot of potential. It’s the craziest thread that’s present so far this season. Also, Margaret and Richard are totally going to get their summer loving on, right?
“Mr. Jingles” doesn’t try to rock the boat and it very much feels like an extension of the previous episode. There’s not a whole lot that happens in terms of story, but the installment manages to keep things moving and make it feel exciting. It’s seriously impressive that “Mr. Jingles” is able to feature four murder set pieces (including a wedding massacre!) while not yet killing off any of the main cast. I was seriously concerned over how fatalities would play out this year, considering the size of the cast and the isolated nature of the season, but clearly that isn’t going to be an issue. Furthermore, “Mr. Jingles” is another satisfying episode that follows the season premiere’s example by taking its time and focusing more on atmosphere and fear than to always be pushing push plot twists up to 11. The characters are still broadly sketched and make the ill-informed decisions of a bunch of people in a horror film, but the creepy environment and carefully choreographed murders and scares are enough to make this worthwhile.
American Horror Story: 1984 may not be challenging, but it’s fun and it’s frightening, which is enough for now.
