The AHS: Roanoke Scene That Went Too Far
Though one of its shorter seasons, "American Horror Story: Roanoke" was among the show's more inventive. Season 6 of Ryan Murphy's popular horror anthology series was strong because of its concept. The idea of Roanoke is inherently horrific and the season did not disappoint. The season follows Matt (Andre Holland), Shelby (Lily Rabe), and Lee (Adina Porter) as they move into a country estate in North Carolina. But as with all creepy houses in the middle of nowhere, this one was not for the faint of heart.
The ending of "American Horror Story: Roanoke" was full of twists and turns that included the show within a show called "My Roanoke Nightmare." The season was a meta narrative that depicted a reality show of the story that viewers at home were already watching. And while the main characters of the season dealt with cannibalism, witches, and everything in between, there was one scene in particular that was disturbing beyond measure.
AHS: Roanoke took a page from Blair Witch
"American Horror Story" often makes references to horror in pop culture, and this season of the show was no different. One scene took inspiration from "The Blair Witch Project," in particular. Like the characters from "Blair Witch," Sophie (Taissa Farmiga) and Milo (Jon Bass) have recording equipment that ultimately leads to their death. ScreenCrush called this moment one of the most terrifying in the show. Sophie and Miles are recording the colonists on their GoPros all the while they are impaled on stakes and burned to death. The first-person perspective of the deaths is what makes the scene so chilling.
Redditors tend to agree on how disturbing the scene is. "That was brutal," posted u/Self_Detonator. "Maybe the most painful deaths to watch on the entire show. The first person perspective really made it hard to watch." u/mariellaa agreed about how haunting the scene was, writing, "I felt sick after that scene I had to pause it for a moment."
This is exactly what made "The Blair Witch Project" so terrifying. The realism makes it impossible for the audience to distance themselves from what is going on. "American Horror Story" usually uses gore for entertainment value, but this scene arguably made it too real.