Following an impressive television debut in 2011, Ryan Murphy's American Horror Story has become one of the most infamous television series of the last decade. The show's impressive run has birthed ten incredible seasons that consist of faces that many have become familiar with. Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Lily Rabe, Jessica Lange, Frances Conroy, Denis O'Hare, Angela Bassett, Emma Roberts, Taissa Farmiga, Finn Wittrock, and Kathy Bates are among the reoccurring cast members.Much debate has occurred over which season of American Horror Story is the best. Covering various topics and themes, the ten seasons of American Horror Story can be ranked on a few different scales. Given that the series is meant to startle its viewers, the horror elements of the show must be taken into account. With it is the overall narrative (which can be a hit or a miss with American Horror Story), character development, and the construction of each episode, including music selection and sound editing.
Double Feature
Starting with the weakest entry in the series, the most recent season of American Horror Story was composed of two parts. The first six episodes were part of Red Tide, while the last four were constructed within Death Valley. Both parts had interesting pieces to offer, as Red Tide focused on curing writer's block with a simple black pill. Death Valley took a few brief steps back in time, choosing to focus on alien abductions and a secret agreement between them and the United States government. The decision to compact both storylines in one season didn't benefit the potential of either story. Instead, both parts felt rushed and only partly dived into.
Cult
Despite starring Paulson and Peters, the seventh season of American Horror Story didn't win over many people. Centered around the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election, most went into the season with wary minds. Its inclusion of a woman with Coulrophobia and the birthing of a strange cult and an eccentric leader left many scratching their heads. The season encompasses a lot but ultimately does very little with it.
Roanoke
Roanoke is perhaps one of the most heavily criticized seasons of American Horror Story. Unlike the other seasons, Murphy wanted to keep the theme of the season under wraps until it premiered. What began as an interesting explanation for the lost Roanoke colony soon became a topsy turvy story that made it difficult to decipher what was real and what wasn't.
Those twists can and should be valued, as the three layers of the story made it one of the most innovative seasons of the show to date. Elongating the season for a few additional episodes may have assisted with the pacing and therefore the audience's reception, but Roanoke is still a valuable addition to the franchise.
Hotel
Inspired by the real landmark of the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles, Hotel is an incredibly grim season. The fifth season of American Horror Story is known for starring Lady Gaga as The Countess, and being the first season without Jessica Lange. Hotel isn't the only season to revolve around a haunted estate, but it does offer elements that make it unique. The twists include vampires and the hidden identity of the Ten Commandments Killer. A fully stocked season with a Fight Club-like twist makes up for the absences of a few notable faces throughout the season.
1984
A direct draw on the infamous Friday the 13th films, the ninth season of American Horror Story has everything a great slasher needs. It is armed with the setting of a camp with a dark history and a range of characters (including the real Night Stalker) harboring dangerous secrets of their own. There are plenty of mysterious killings and ghosts throughout the nine-episode season, adding to its slasher status.
While shorter than most other seasons of American Horror Story, 1984 manages to tell a concrete narrative that embodies not only the slasher films that helped inspire it but the 1980s it is set within.
Coven
One of the most popular seasons of American Horror Story is it's third. Focused on the struggling academy for young witches and the forces that work to unite and tear them apart, the chemistry the cast has with one another helps put it over the top. Like Asylum, Coven tackles a few intense themes in an earnest manner. It is also the first season to star Angela Bassett and Kathy Bates, who have gone on to play some of the franchise's most interesting characters, including their Coven roles of Marie Laveau and Madame Delphine LaLaurie.
Freak Show
Freak Show is the last season that features Jessica Lange in a main role, and its subject matter makes it one of the most frightening seasons of the show. It also contains memorable characters from the franchise including the conjoined twins Bette and Dot as well as Twisty the Clown. The eerie story of the circus and the serial killings occurring around them is counteracted by the heartwarming (and at times, heartbreaking) relationships the characters form with one another.
Apocalypse
Apocalypse is a crossover between Murder House and Coven, which are two of the most popular seasons of American Horror Story. The basis already gave the eighth season of the franchise a good standing with viewers, and by featuring the return of Jessica Lange, Apocalypse's popularity has only grown. It also features the highest-rated episode of the entire series with an outstanding 9.3 on IMDb.
Both Coven and Murder House stand well on their own and crossovers are always tricky to navigate, but Apocalypse does exactly what a strong crossover should. It expands on the stories shown in both Coven and Murder House while introducing a new batch of characters and circumstances. It makes Apocalypse one of the horror franchise's strongest seasons to date.
Murder House
The first season of American Horror Story has stood the test of time. The premise of a ghostly estate has been redone over the course of the series, and the Murder House has been revisited several times, including in the spin-off American Horror Stories. Its beautifully crafted storytelling between the ghosts, the house, and the humans that inhabit it make for a complex season full of insane twists.
Asylum
Asylum has proven itself as one of the most frightening seasons of American Horror Story because of the unique story it manages to tell with three seemingly unrelated layers. Aliens, a crazed killer, and a mental asylum birth some of the series' most humane characters, which goes a long way in making its second season the series' absolute best.
American Horror Story is now streaming on Netflix.