Artistic Opening: Will 'American Horror Story: Roanoke' Get the Same Treatment
Not long ago, I watched David Fincher's Seven for the first time. And the opening title sequence immediately reminded me of one particular anthology series widely regarded for its creepy and compelling opening credits. But with the season 6 debut came no such iconic sequence for American Horror Story, and it's left a bitter taste behind despite the strength of the episode itself.
But all is not lost. Only very recently, AMC's Preacher debuted its opening two episodes without a credits sequence, which seemed a lost chance in and of itself given its other dramas (The Walking Dead, Mad Men) have produced some of the most iconic intros in the TV business. But Preacher's opening credits made its mark with the third episode, and whether you loved it, hated it, or haven't seen it, it gives us hope that American Horror Story has one in store for us.
There's two good reasons why there isn't one to open this season - at least, not yet anyway. One of them is obvious: it could well come down to the simple fact that Ryan Murphy and co., who had all done a stellar job of keeping a tight lid on what the new season is about to such an extent that people are still unsure even after the premiere has aired, wanted to maintain the suspense from the minute the episode began.
The other such reason could be explained away by the new season's apparent structure itself. American Horror Story's sixth season is titled, for now at least, My Roanoke Nightmare, and is being presented as a documentary within the show itself. This means that the events are being retold to us by older versions of the main characters, and the events are retold by "actors," (Sarah Paulson plays the younger Shelby Miller while Lily Rabe plays the older version that's being interviewed). As such, we're given only the title card for the documentary itself, simply titled My Roanoke Nightmare.
Questions over whether this documentary structure can or will be maintain for the ten-episode season have already begun, and it feels very much as though the creators have a big twist in store at some point. Going by the promos, the documentary will continue on for at least another week, but don't be surprised if the show gets turned on its head at some point, in the very season that's reshaped the show entirely from what's come before right from the go.
Kyle Cooper produced the effective sequence for 1995's Seven, and is behind both The Walking Dead and this. So, he knows his way around unsettling imagery. Back in 2012, when speaking with scifinow.com, Cooper noted in an insightful interview that "it’s not disturbing unless you hold something back, I think." And there's certainly an element of hidden information within these sequences. It leaves the context up to the viewer, and our imaginations can take those visuals and go to some dark places.
Given Preacher's route from earlier this year, it wouldn't be unsurprising to see an opening title sequence debut with a later episode of the season. Whether that be if and when the show drops the documentary-style, or whether we get to see it from next week onward, and the idea was simply inspired by Ryan Murphy's desire to keep things nice and mysterious. Perhaps I'm being overly hopeful. The show has had its notable ups and downs during its runs, but one of its most reliable, and iconic, assets is its tone-setting openings. Hopefully, FX and Murphy can hear fans pleading the case.
Here's the promo for episode 2 of the new season:
