What is the theme of the second part of ‘AHS: Double Feature’, ‘Death Valley’?

As if the words Death Valley weren’t spooky enough, this part of America has enough spooky lore to fill an additional 10 seasons of american horror story. It takes its name from a group of pioneers who were on their way to find gold. Nicknamed the The Lost 49ers because of the year this happened (1849), many died taking a shortcut from Salt Lake City en route to California. The Barker Ranch, the temporary home of the Manson family, is also located in Death Valley. Plus, it’s riddled with ghost towns.

In a trailer released on September 23, we see a cavalcade of cars driving through the desert. The picture is in black and white. Neal McDonough, who plays former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, arrives at an undisclosed location. He is called in to watch something that causes him to say “Oh my God” to himself.

If you haven’t seen anything else in the trailer and are a history fan, you would know that this scene probably refers to a infamous moment in Eisenhower’s presidency. On February 20, 1954, President Eisenhower was on vacation in Palm Springs when he was suddenly recalled. According to a spokesperson, he chipped a tooth on a chicken wing and had to make an emergency trip to see a dentist. Many believe he went to Edwards Air Force Base to visit two aliens.

The trailer then switches between color and black and white, suggesting that the show will spend time in the past and the present. We come across footage of medics performing an autopsy on what appears to be an alien. In modern shots we see a car stuck in a searchlight on a stretch of road and someone being injected with something. At one point, Neil McDonough begs a woman “to stop what you’re doing until we can come to an agreement.” It smacks of forced experiences and revenge.

Although it seems anything but taken for granted that Death Valley will be very present on aliens, knowing that the story of its namesake means there could be many more in store. As there will be different decades, it is likely that each decade will have additional themes.