‘Scream Queens’ deserves a spot on your fall binge list — even if you scare easily

When it comes to horror, I’ll be the first to admit: I’m a freaking coward.

I flee a room at the sheer sight of a bug, I over-analyze sounds of rustling leaves and howling wind at night, and I casually assume I’m about to be murdered whenever an unexpected visitor rings my doorbell. While I respect the fright-filled genre, it’s simply not for me. But when Ryan Murphy’s deeply deranged horror series, Scream Queens, premiered in 2015, I bravely tuned in for the pilot and wound up watching until the end of the second and final season.

The satirical slasher comedy — brought to us by Murphy and his Glee co-creators Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan — initially lured me in with a stacked cast that includes Emma Roberts, Lea Michele, Keke Palmer, Abigail Breslin, and Billie Lourd. Roberts mesmerizes as Chanel Oberlin, the head rich bitch on campus and president of Kappa Kappa Tau, a sorority at Wallace University that’s targeted by a serial killer dressed in a menacing red devil costume.

The queens are screaming.
Credit: FOX IMAGE COLLECTION VIA GETTY IMAGES

Season 1 follows Oberlin and her sisters as they struggle to stay alive and race to unmask the Red Devil, who’s murdering classmates and loved ones left and right. The Red Devil’s killings are gruesome — involving knives, chainsaws, axes, and other more unlikely weapons — so if you’re not a fan of fake blood you’re going to want to skip this one. (Or at least be prepared to cover your eyes.) The characters’ quick-witted dialogue and exaggerated reactions add such a level of absurdity to the murders that they hardly awaken relatable, real-world fears though.

While Chanel and her minions, as she calls them, regularly flaunt award-worthy wardrobes (I’d watch a show on Oberlin’s closet alone), their lack of basic human decency can be downright ugly at times. At its worst, the show’s attempts to provide comical commentary on serious issues like race, gender, disability, sexuality, and class cross the line from playfully mocking to straight-up offensive. At its best, the razor sharp vitriol spewed by Murphy’s insufferable characters sets up laugh-out-loud lines and feels so authentic that you’ll find yourself wishing the Red Devil would appear and finish them off. The show is far from perfect television, but it keeps you questioning which character is awful enough to be a serial killer until the end.

The drama on Scream Queens is always dialed up to 11, which makes for an admittedly ridiculous show, but that’s part of its charm — like a Hallmark holiday movie that’s so bad it’s good. The characters are laughably flawed and the definition of extra, but every actor gives a standout performance. Did we mention that horror queen Jamie Lee Curtis shines as Wallace University’s dean? And familiar faces like Nick Jonas, Ariana Grande, Glen Powell, Niecy Nash, and Nasim Pedrad also grace the screen to play beautifully unhinged characters as well.

Dynamic duo Keke Palmer as Zayday and Skyler Samuels as Grace. (Oh yeah, and Abigail Breslin as Chanel #5.)
Credit: FOX IMAGE COLLECTION VIA GETTY IMAGES

While Season 2 isn’t nearly as enjoyable as the Red Devil-driven storyline, it’s only 10 episodes, so you might as well go for it. You’ll reunite with some Season 1 favorites; meet eccentric new characters played by John Stamos, Taylor Lautner, and Kirstie Alley; and encounter a chaotic new villain called the Green Meanie.

Fans of Murphy’s work may notice a few similarities between Scream Queens and American Horror Story (as well as some overlaps in casting), but the former promises a far more lighthearted viewing experience. While it’s not without its problems, Scream Queens is a unique binge for serious slasher fans and a perfect horror primer for people like me, who can handle gore but have a Disney Channel original movie-level tolerance for terror. And of course, it’s a must-see for anyone who considers themselves a fan of the Ryan Murphy-verse.

Scream Queens is now streaming on Hulu.