"welcome to briarcliff" received generally positive reviews from critics and scored 64 out of 100 on metacritic based on 22 reviews. rotten tomatoes reports a 100% approval rating, based on 11 reviews. the critical consensus reads, ""american horror story" ushers in a new season as is to be expected: with a healthy dose of mysterious, gruesome fun." james poniewozik from "time" stated, ""ahs: asylum" feels like a more focused, if equally frenetic, screamfest. it's also gorgeously realized, with a vision of its '60s institution setting so detailed you can smell the stale air and incense."