It’s officially spooky season! If it were a normal year, American Horror Story would be premiering its tenth season. Unfortunately, COVID delayed filming, so I must rewatch old seasons of AHS to fill the void.
Every season is different and some seasons are better than others. Below I present to you my definitive ranking of all American Horror Story seasons from worst to best.
9. Roanoke (Season 6)
As the name implies, this season was centered around the lost colony of Roanoke. This was my least favorite season of American Horror Story because the plot was difficult to follow due to the switching from documentary reenactment to found footage. Personally, I did not find the Roanoke storyline compelling.
8. Hotel (Season 5)
Before I begin my critique, Lady Gaga’s performance in this season was remarkable. She was a stand-out. But, this season did not feel like American Horror Story. Maybe it had too many subplots or it was all the new actors. Regardless, this season just did not work for me, which is unfortunate because the vampire theme was wasted.
7. 1984 (Season 9)
The most recent season of the show was a callback to the 80’s and slasher films. I loved the homages and the addition of real-life serial killer, Richard Ramirez, but the plot was hard to identify. It took quite a few episodes before I grasped what was going on. Finally, the twist of ghosts being stuck at the Camp was just overdone by this season.
6. Asylum (Season 2)
This is going to be a very unpopular opinion because people love Asylum, but I was not a fan. I did not like the religious take on the show and the odd addition of aliens that made for the most bizarre ending. However, this season gets points for Lana Winters and iconic moments like “The Name Game.”
5. Apocalypse (Season 8)
American Horror Story delivered their first crossover — Murder House meets Coven. Every fan, myself included, was waiting for a season like this. My only qualm was that I needed more. I expected for this season to be just Murder House and Coven, so I was a little disappointed with the new storyline that was a prominent part of the season. The storyline was messy.
4. Freak Show (Season 4)
I’m just going to preface this by saying I hate clowns, so I thought that a killer clown would totally lose me. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this season. I think that it was all of human curiosities or “freaks,” as they are called in the show, that made the season so compelling. I even cried during episode ten.
3. Cult (Season 7)
Cult was created in response to the 2016 presidential election. This season is probably the most realistic. It blurs the lines between fantasy and reality. Nonetheless, I still loved this season. It had an amazing plot twist that left me gasping and presented a modern day horror.
2. Coven (Season 3)
A season centered around witches in New Orleans. What more could you ask for? I loved that this season was female focused. Strong witches trying to survive as their numbers diminish. It was truly a great season that was made even better with the Stevie Nicks cameo.
1. Murder House (Season 1)
The first season of the show and arguably, the best season. The one that started it all. The first scene set the tone for what this show would be and what this season would become. Murder House truly had it all: ghosts, a crazy killer and Evan Peters playing an angsty (and evil) teenage boy.
If you have not already, I encourage you to watch American Horror Story. There is no better time to start binge watching than in the midst of spooky season!
