American Horror Story: 1984 Recap With Spoilers: “Mr. Jingles”

Previously on American Horror Story: 1984 a group of friendly acquaintances left Los Angeles to go serve as camp counselors at Camp Redwood, a summer camp that was the site of a horrific massacre in 1970. Unfortunately history may be poised to repeat itself with the killer having freshly escaped a mental institution and the Night Stalker killer Richard Ramirez also showing up. Things seem like they’re about to get really bloody at Camp Redwood, but who will survive tonight’s episode, “Mr. Jingles”?

We open with the Dr. Hopple driving up to Camp Redwood where she finds Margaret to alert her that Mr. Jingles has escaped, but Margaret isn’t afraid. Despite being warned to close the camp, Margaret refuses and then reveals that she has a gun and is prepared to kill him herself. Dr. Hopple leaves but doesn’t make it out of the camp. Mr. Jingles comes upon her with a flat tire and kills her and cuts off her ear.

In the counselor’s cabin, Brooke is still shaken from her experience last week when a news report reveals the gas station guy was murdered. The news attributes it to the Night Stalker, freaking Brooke out. Margaret busts the co-ed group of counselors, making the boys leave, continuing her push of morality onto the group. Montana tries to cheer her up, but Brooke says she’s already experienced the worst.

Turns out that last summer, Brooke was getting married but her controlling fiancé accuses her of cheating on him in front of the whole church and then kills two people, blaming it on her before shooting himself while holding her. Brooke says no one ever believes her and then Montana kisses her and Brooke goes out for air. Outside, the boys head toward the showers with Xavier having to go get his own towel and thus leaves the group around the time Margaret turns off the camp’s lights. Xavier is grabbed and thrown in a car by a guy named Blake. Turns out Xavier used to be an addict and that Blake has been pushing him into gay porn. Xavier offers to find a replacement and leads Blake to creep on the guys in the shower. When Xavier sneaks away, someone murders the peeping Blake.

Alone at the lake, Brooke discovers a body in the water and Richard Ramirez behind her. He tries to kill her, but she hits him with an oar and runs. He chases but is stopped by the hiker from last week. He tells Ramirez he doesn’t die here right before Ramirez kills him. In the infirmary, Nurse Rita encounters Mr. Jingles. Brooke tries to call for help but the lines are dead. Ramirez approaches but that hiker comes back again. Ramirez kills him again. His body vanishes, but Ramirez takes a card from his body. He was a counselor in 1970.

The guys find Blake’s body, Xavier and Brooke arrive as does Montana. Now Montana believes Brooke, but then they discover the missing ear and they flee. In Margaret’s cabin, Ramirez is waiting and inquiries about the hiker. Putting on some music, Margaret tends to Ramirez’s wounds as he confesses killing the hiker repeatedly. Margaret attributes it to Jesus and then gets him to tell him about his tragic life. Turns out Margaret and Ramirez bond and she tasks him with helping her — just no killing. The counselors attempt to escape but crash when Nurse Rita runs out.

She was attacked by Mr. Jingles, but escaped. They all decide to get out of the camp, some in Rita’s car and others on Trevor’s bike. They just have to get keys, so they split up. Margaret finds the hiker — his name is Jonas. He thinks it’s 1970 and all he remembers is running from the slayings and he remembers seeing Margaret, but he thinks he left her to die. He was hit by the truck Mr. Jingles was driving and then killed by Jingles. Yep. Jonas is a ghost. At the infirmary, one group tries to find the keys. At the boy’s cabin, the other gets keys but both groups are trapped when someone bangs on the doors.

American Horror Story: 1984 airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on FX.