American Horror Story: My Roanoke Nightmare episode 2, review: More old school chills than Blair Witch

FX's anthology show has been taking a surprisingly traditional approach to its new series - unless it's hiding something

*WARNING: SPOILERS FOR AMERICAN HORROR STORY SEASON 6*

Two episodes into American Horror Story: My Roanoke Nightmare and I still have absolutely no clue what's going on; truly, the show's stayed true to its initial air of mystery, even now the grand theme reveal has come and gone. What's clear, however, is that the season appears to be sticking very much to the tone and flavour of its premiere episode; with old-school chills taking their place front and centre.

It'll be hard for fans not to see My Roanoke Nightmare - and Matt and Shelby's housebound nightmare - as a kind of Murder House 2.0, but it actually feels like American Horror Story has cranked its tone back through all the seasons and past Murder House - into a kind of restrained approach unseen for the usually operatic series.

It's surprising how traditional the show's felt so far in its horror, with episode 2 absolutely packed to the brim with the usual tropes and structures of modern Hollywood horrors: there are mirror jump scares, disbelieving police officers, and a young child's creepy invisible friend (this one's called Priscilla). The show even continues its coincidental rivalry with the new Blair Witch film after last week's stick creations, courtesy of Elias Cunningham (Denis O'Hare)'s creepy 1997-era shaky cam footage unearthed by the couple.

As a straight horror, it's entirely serviceable and largely elevated by the (always) excellent cast; yet, it's in the brief moments where My Roanoke Nightmare returns to its usual nightmarish glee that the show really sparks, and delivers the kind of ghoulish thrills we've all been waiting for. Notably, it's in the re-telling of the home's morbid history; the site of demented nurses Miranda and Bridget's series of gruesome murders staged in their care home for the elderly.

The fact they chose their victims based on their names so as to carefully spell out the word, "murder", combined with the airily sweet and sinister tones of their voices - like haunted dolls - is exactly the kind of brilliantly on-the-nose storytelling I've always loved this show for. Those are the moments that are what American Horror Story feels like at heart: an almost Tarantino-esque approach to the horror genre, liberally applying homage with a sly wink.

Episode 2's major drawback is that its traditional run of the haunted house narrative does end up feeling a little muted for the show's usual glorious chaos; the episode doesn't appear to offer much in itself outside of acting as a building block towards - hopefully, presumably - the dramatic trigger that will turn the entire season upside down and into the vaults of madness.

In fact, there's something very telling about the way the show has so coyly introduced Lady Gaga's character, briefly seen leaping out of the shadows or hovering behind Kathy Bates, considering almost the entirety of Hotel was anchored around her presence and star power. American Horror Story is playing its cards very close to its chest - and it's hard not to feel like there's a trick hiding up its sleeve.

American Horror Story airs Wednesdays at 10PM in the US on FX, and airs on FOX UK the following Friday at 10PM.