‘American Horror Story: Delicate’ reviews: Franchise feels ‘as young and vibrant as it was back in 2011’

Vincent Mandile
·5 min read
6
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

On September 20, 2023, “American Horror Story: Delicate” premiered on FX, receiving predominantly positive reviews from critics and an 86% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The 12th cycle of the franchise is based on Danielle Valentine‘s “Delicate Condition,” and follows an actress desiring to become pregnant who is convinced that there are forces conspiring against her.

Emma Roberts plays Anna Victoria Alcott and once again takes the lead in this series from Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. You can also keep an eye out for series regulars Billie Lourd, Denis O’Hare and Leslie Grossman. Newcomers include  Matt Czuchry, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Cara Delevingne, Julie White and Maaz Ali — but of course everyone is talking about Kim Kardashian channeling her inner Kris Jenner as Anna’s manager Siobhan Corbyn.

More from GoldDerby

SEE ‘American Horror Story: Delicate’ cast photos for ‘AHS’ Season 12: Emma Roberts, Kim Kardashian …

Anthony D’Alessandro of Deadline says, “American Horror Story turns 12 this year and you’d never know it; it’s like the Ryan Murphy-Brad Falchuk show has never had any work done in the Nip/Tuck sense of the word. It’s as young and vibrant as it was back in 2011.” D’Alessandro continues, “Just when you think the series is showing crow’s feet and has gone to loopy ends, i.e., clever-wielding pilgrims (AHS Season 6, My Roanoke Nightmare), Murphy and Falchuk glam it up with a curveball headlining star (Kim Kardashian in a rare non-reality TV role, changing up from Lady Gaga in seasons past) and a millennial take on Rosemary’s Baby. Yep, no guessing which horror film this season is based on (however, that is a fun game to play with friends). This season looks as posh, as cool, and as sexy as a Prada dress on Madison Ave and you wanna hang out with these New Yorkers despite how creepy and inappropriate they are.”

Brian Lowry of CNN praises the series, stating, “Restraint is a seldom-used word in connection with ‘American Horror Story’… Yet working from a novel with a different writer appears to have imposed some welcome discipline on the 12th edition of the FX series, ‘Delicate.’ He concludes, “After witches, freak shows and haunted houses, ‘American Horror Story’ gets down to basics by finding horror in a more conventional environment with a protagonist at a vulnerable moment, never mind that Anna leads the kind of fabulous life where she has to plan medical visits around an appearance on Andy Cohen’s talk show, and begins discussing expensive private schools before she’s formally pregnant.”

SEE ‘American Horror Story: Delicate’ teaser introduces Matt Czuchry (and lots of creepy-crawly spiders) [WATCH]

Petrana Radulovic of Polygon writes, “AHS settings typically heighten the horror, but in this case, it’s not about how inherently scary the setting is, but about making the everyday incredibly dissociative and eerie.” Radulovic adds, “Seriously — there wasn’t even a shot of fetish gear or a serial killer that resembles a real-life serial killer a little too closely. In fact, most of the terror was all in the main heroine’s head (or was it?), making for perhaps the most restrained premiere episode of American Horror Story yet. A few creepy motifs, like a dead baby bird on the side of the street and a spider in the main character’s hair, and one pretty harrowing anesthesia-induced nightmare sequence did cement that this is, in fact, a horror show. But for the most part there were no severed limbs splattered across the halls of the lead’s sleek Brooklyn Heights apartment. Showrunner Halley Feiffer and director Jessica Yu spun up a first episode like nothing else in AHS history.”

Patrick Ryan of USA Today was less impressed, noting, “Kardashian’s acting skills may be more People’s Choice than Emmy-worthy. But like ‘American Horror Story’ alums Jessica Lange and Lady Gaga before her, she’s the only one so far to deliver on the season’s high-camp potential.” Ryan continues, “The few times the premiere episode has a pulse come when Kardashian is onscreen. The shapewear mogul has long been called vapid and superficial by her critics. But here, she cleverly leans into that Valley girl persona, playing Anna’s concerned publicist Siobhan. She dryly eviscerates everyone from Hilary Swank to the directors of ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once,’ and makes Waldorf out of word salad. (“You have a peculiar penchant for turning dreams into nightmares,” Siobhan says, in her dual role as Anna’s confidante and walking exposition.)”

PREDICT the 2023 Emmy nominees through January 15

Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?

SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions

Best of GoldDerby

Sign up for Gold Derby's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.