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Sep 22, 2015 By Zach Hollwedel Web Exclusive

In 1995, a pregnant pledge gave birth and died at a Kappa Kappa Tau party at Wallace University. Now, 20 years later, someone (or ones) is stalking the sorority, killing off its current and aspiring sisters one at a time in darn bloody fashion.

Scream Queens is the latest show from team Brad Falchuk and Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story) and Ian Brennan (the duo’s co-creator on Glee), and I’m in no way ashamed to admit I liked it. It’s campy, it’s out there, and considering its place on one of the main broadcast networks, it’s surprisingly gory. (Scream Queens’ two-hour pilot is a lot bloodier than the debut episode of MTV’s Scream, another small-screen slasher that debuted earlier this year.)

Emma Roberts leads the sorority as Chanel Oberlin, KKT’s demanding, needy, petulant president. An overwhelmingly dominant personality, her sisters/minions don’t even warrant their own names. Ariana Grande is Chanel #2, Billie Lourd is #3, and Abigail Breslin is lowly Chanel #5 (there is no #4). Of course, given the rate at which the bodies fall, assigning them numbers rather than names is just as well. The biggest challenge to Chanel’s social rank comes in the form of pledge Grace Gardner (Skyler Samuels), a freshmen whose long-deceased mother was a KKT sister back in the day. Jamie Lee Curtis co-stars as Dean Cathy Munsch, the university administrator who wants but does not yet have the grounds to shut KKT down. Perhaps the upcoming string of cadavers will give her the ammunition she needs.

The Scream Queens aesthetic is very much reminiscent of American Horror Story, in particular Coven. Fans of that season should respond well to Scream Queens, which offers the perfect blend of humor and horror. Is it highbrow entertainment? No, and it’s not meant to be. It’s cheeky and lighthearted escapism perfect for unwinding on a Tuesday night. Give it a chance—you might be pleasantly surprised. (www.fox.com/scream-queens)

Author rating: 6.5/10