American Horror Stories (TV Series) Aura (2022) User Reviews

Not perfect, but still fun!

[becky-92346 · 7/10 · 11 September 2022]

American Horror Stories S2 E2: Aura (2022) follows a married couple who move into a new home and find themselves being terrorised by a stranger. This episode reminded me quite a lot of Black Mirror, and also was very reminiscent of home invasion horrors. The episode was fun and took some interesting twists and turns, but was just lacking in originality and felt a bit too forgettable.

Visually, the episode was decent but not without its flaws. The cinematography was basic and the colour palettes were nothing special but the shots had great mood lighting and some nice framing. I sometimes liked the subtle cinematography. The visuals I didn't like in this episode were the 'found footage' aspects. The doorbell camera looked way too clear and unrealistic, and the YouTube video they watch near the end was very hard to take seriously.

The score for this episode was decent, and fit the mysterious tone of the story. The sound design was basic at best, but there wasn't anything outright poor about it.

The acting was alright, and the characters were written to be fairly surface level yet fun. Gabourey Sidibe was definitely the best actor in this episode and her character was likeable! I also liked her relationship with her husband, it was sweet and made the ending even more hard-hitting. The dialogue itself wasn't too engaging but it was easy to follow!

The episode had a consistent sense of mystery and a fairly satisfying payoff. It wasn't as gripping as S2 E1 but I was still entertained by it. Something else I liked about this was that it followed a lot of horror tropes that we all know and, I personally love.

Brilliant

[therealjaysmoke · 7/10 · 3 August 2022]

What I love about this is how simple yet engaging these episodes are. It goes to show that you don't need big budget to put out good movies. Excellent work to the team and am really inspired to go out there and create.

A slight step down from last week

[jimcancook · 7/10 · 28 July 2022]

A slight step down from last week but still very good. This did not go anywhere near what I was expecting when I read the plot synopsis. Great concept, well executed. I agree with an prior reviewer who said this could be the seed of another anthology series. I can't wait for episode 3 next Thursday.

Not this again

[meowingdoggos · 28 July 2022]

I'm in the minority but I've enjoyed every episode of this show and this episode is no exception. However, this constant woman-sees-something-and-spouse-says-she's-just-crazy (whether intentional gaslighting or not) is just old now. It was frustrating in Cult, it did make sense in Double Feature's Red Tide, but with two episodes here so far it's just... please, we're tired. Or at least, I'm tired of this, but I'd be surprised if no one feels the same.

Besides that, it's a fine episode, it's missing the original AHS vibe but I've accepted it since season 1 since this is after all another show. You should try it (:

Aura

[bobcobb301 · 7/10 · 12 August 2022]

An odd couple here, to say the least, but a good and intriguing story with the right amount of 90's horror feel mixed with a high-tech 2020's setting.

Not perfect, but enjoyable.

A Fine Hour of AHStories

[AndJessicaLange · 10/10 · 28 July 2022]

This episode felt full and paced beautifully. The performances- particularly from Gabourey Sidibe, Max Greenfield, and their two visitors- were so grounded and way less caricatured than AHS characters usually are. The CGI could use a little work but overall the visuals were top notch. This season is shaping up to have the restraint and a maturity of horror like classic episodic anthologies such as "The Twilight Zone" and "Tales From The Crypt" did.

Best episode out of the two

[luisgera-82903 · 10/10 · 28 July 2022]

While the first episode was a magnificent beginning to the season, this second episode feels more haunting. Gabourey does a masterclass on acting with this one. Personally, this, Feral, and Dollhouse remain the best episodes of the franchise.

This episode should have a series of its own

[vlacarvalho · 9/10 · 28 July 2022]

This episode should have a series of its own: The Aura Pranks. It could be an anthology series about the device or about this Jaslyn character. And I'm not talking about another American Horror Stories spin-off, but a new series, disconnected from the original.

Psychological horrors are the best!

[fjmendez-67870 · 9/10 · 28 July 2022]

Aura was a great example of psychological horror. I admit that the episode started off slow, which may seem unsettling for some viewers, but man, this episode did a good job of presenting "silent" horror at another level. The only confusing part was the death of the husband. Why does he suddenly dissapear? I guess that is what makes this a great and mysterious episode. A lot of questions that could be answered in a part 2! Take home message: Don't buy a door camera or if you do, be friendly to ghosts!

Unfortunately, it made no sense in the end.

[IMDbKeepsDeletingMyReviews · 4/10 · 29 July 2022]

While the set-up is fairly convincing, the direction tight and everything else very professional, the story has fatal shortcomings.

One of the cardinal sins of writing is to not stick to your own rules you've set up, and this episode does just this. It makes sense for ghosts to come and seek closure of some sort to dissolve and find peace (I suppose), but why exactly did a living human dissolve into dust? Was he secretly a ghost or what?

Also, if ghosts are "basically electro-magnetic fields" (oh well, but whatever), how do they have voices that can be heard? How can they pound and shake the doors?

Don't get me wrong - I love me some nice ghost stories, but if you set up some rules only to break them, you've lost me.

Got a chill like it was in AHS 2

[minhtrungpfn · 10/10 · 29 July 2022]

Love this episode. Maybe I will say it in a non-spoiler way. The "normal" factors was ingeniously merged with the."unnormal" ones just exactly like in AHS Asylum. And there're absolutely a few mysteries left that all the audiences should spend time brainstorming about the answers.

Surprisingly Artistic

[mayabun321 · 9/10 · 29 July 2022]

This episode was styled very well. It played with lighting in a very interesting way and made all the shots have a particular ambience that isn't usually used in horror. It used this ambience to help tell the story quickly, showing the audience what the mood is instead of having the writing or the acting tell us directly. I think this stylistic choice also helped subvert the scary ghost trope adding much needed depth a typical haunting story.

In terms of the writing, I enjoyed the quick character development and how the story wraps up in the end is very satisfying! American Horror Stories is feeling more and more like classic Twilight Zone episodes as the show goes on, which has been difficult for other shows to achieve.

Another excellent episode!

[hnt_dnl · 9/10 · 29 July 2022]

Season 2 of AHStories is proving to be much better written, focused, and presented than Season 1. Collectively, these first 2 episodes are so far making the sophomore season exceed the freshman one. While I think Ba'al and Dollhouse are still the best so far, this second episode AURA is a strong addition to the AHS-universe and is probably the third best of the series overall at this point. This episode stars AHS alum Gabourey Sidibe (who first premiered as Queenie in Coven, then a different character in Freak Show). Sidibe acquits herself very well here as Jaslyn, a meek married woman who also runs her own online jewelry service. Jas and her successful husband Bryce (well played by Max Greenfield) have just moved into an affluent gated community and for an extra level of security, Jas buys a new and popular home security app-controlled device called "Aura" which is placed on the front door and allows the resident to see potential intruders. Jas has bad memories from a childhood trauma so the Aura device gives her personal comfort. She is visited by an eerie old man one night and calls the cops, but the neighbor's camera system shows that no one had visited her, so no one believes her, including her husband. But the intruder keeps appearing on her phone and at the door, so the episode plays out as a mystery as to what is going on. The writing does a good job of not giving away anything too early and plays out as a solid mystery with satisfying conclusion akin to such iconic anthology sci-fi/horror series like Tales from the Crypt and Black Mirror. My one minor gripe is I feel like the writing had perhaps a few too many MacGuffins, but most of it made sense. Two episodes into Season 2 and Stories is all of a sudden looking very promising anthology series after a dismal first season.

One of the best AHStories episodes so far

[nonbinaryisaliveandbreathing · 10/10 · 29 July 2022]

I might be in the minority but I enjoy this episode more than Dollhouse. This is the first time in years that AHS actually makes me scared and the twist was really unexpected. I'm loving season 2 so far.

Worst Chemistry Ever

[fruhatlemark · 2/10 · 13 August 2022]

Gabourey Sidibe is awesome as usual, but casting Max Greenfield as her husband was such a terrible decision. He has zero chemistry with her, and quite frankly can't play straight to save his life. I say that as a proud member of the gay community. The writing for the plot was lackluster as well, just no passion or fun in it.

Absolutely loved this episode

[kendall_star411 · 10/10 · 27 August 2022]

The best American Horror Stories episode so far. I loved the plot so much. The Aura door bell is a knock off of Ring doorbell, which made it even cooler. The concept of ghosts being able to speak with us through the doorbell was an awesome idea and worked so well in this episode. It was so intriguing and I wish it went on for longer!! The pacing was perfect and it felt like I watched a whole 1.5 hour movie in only 45 mins. Nothing felt cheesy, over done, or too obvious. It was an awesome concept and executed perfectly. So happy Max Greenfield played this role. He's always plays the happy, positive character, so I loved that he got to play something different. Gabourey Sidibe did an amazing job as well. Love the plot twist in the end. #Women. Write and direct more episodes like these!! I would watch all the time. I didn't realize how long of a review you have to write to be able to post. 600 is so long and I'm still not there yet. Disregard this last part I'm just trying to make this long enough so it can post. Can you tell I loved this episode?

Abysmal

[pixih-15048 · 28 July 2022]

A cheap copy of Black mirror? Seriously guys? Be original and stop trying to capitalize off of trends all the time and then maybe you'll be in for success.

AHS at it's best

[draadityabajaj · 9/10 · 31 July 2022]

The couple itself was horror enough. Lol.

The lead pair was odd.

They were a lot scarier than the ghoul.

Jk Jk Really nice episode. Very scary indeed.

Nice neighborhood too. Gated community and all.

Creepy

[agent-spy-59317 · 9/10 · 4 August 2022]

I really like how they did this one. Creepy with a twist and a satisfying ending. Just as you would expect from AHS. They pulled in some good actors for this one as well.

Corrupt Security System

[ZegMaarJus · 8/10 · 26 April 2023]

This Episode begins with a commercial of Aura, Jaslyn comes back home. Jaslyn bought Aura in the store. Jaslyn is brushing her teeth at the bathroom. Dayle wants to enter Jaslyn her house. Jaslyn called the cops because Dayle wanted to come into her house. Hwan had footage that nobody was standing in front of Jaslyn's door. Jaslyn tells to Bryce that she knows Dayle from her past, he was the concierge on her high school. Jaslyn visits Dayle his sister, she didn't know where he is. Dayle walked into Jaslyn her house. Dayle his body has been found, all the conversations with Jaslyn was just a imagination. Bryce throws the Aura camera system in the litter bin. Bryce admits that Mary was his fiancee. Mary her ghost walks into the house. Bryce admits that he killed Mary, she was pregnant. Bryce got killed by Mary's ghost It is three months later and Jaslyn moved to another house. Nice Episode of American Horror Stories Season 2, really great story about a broken security system. Just nice!

An unfortunate swerve...

[killercards · 3/10 · 28 July 2022]

... essentially right off a cliff shortly after the second half of this episode began. Little made sense, and the timeline didn't match up. 2002 was 20 years ago. And yes, the technology displayed shows the episode did not take place in the past. So, no, the deceased woman wasn't his fiance. Is he eternal? Apparently not. Though I would still appreciate an explanation on why a human turned to dust for no reason. Anyway, the writing wasn't very good, and they had to force the acting to try to cover it up. Clearly, there is good & bad about having each episode stand alone vs an entire season of the same story.

I really liked this episode

[gedikreverdi · 8/10 · 8 August 2022]

The old janitor looks really creepy and so is the murder of the pregnant fiancée. The ghost of the fiancée killed her ex who killed her while his wife is watching but the ghost of the husband finds him in her new apartment's aura. I believe we will have closure to this some day.

Stories hits it Stride

[christoffergaddini · 9/10 · 14 August 2022]

Aura and Dollhouse set the bar for what this serious can deliver. Original, timely, and kept me guessing until the end (hard to do for this hardened fan). Bravo AHS, keep em' coming!

Too cliche

[icebrg313 · 1/10 · 29 July 2022]

Ok. No. I can't watch another show where the husband doesn't believe the wife, even after he's seen the same scary dude. This "not believing the spouse" routine is so old and overused. I'm so disappointed in AHS.

Who is writing these reviews?

[crosshatch · 1/10 · 5 August 2022]

Have you ever even watched television before? How can anyone even watch this stuff? Like a fool, I still watched the one after this...and it takes talent to get worse than this one or the first. Bad. Just bad.