Tate Langdon. Sister Jude. Marie Laveau. Twisty the Clown. The Countess. The Butcher. Kai Anderson. Michael Langdon. American Horror Story is a fascinating anthology series that brings deeply memorable characters, drama, history, and scares all into one specific setting each season. The series covers infamous serial killers; witches; vampires; and, of course, ghosts. With nine seasons under his belt so far, Ryan Murphy is seen by many as a horror genius. The following is how I would personally rank each season, from worst to best, in the most biased way I possibly could.
9) ROANOKE: Would you like me to describe it in one sentence? Let's go with, "Oh God, no." This season was a struggle to get through. While I understand the concept of holding a reality show within a scripted show is unique, I believe it fell flat in its delivery. The scares were minimal and the constant back and fourth with reality and fiction was a bit much. The one concept I did enjoy was the Butcher actress losing sense of reality and desiring to become the actual modern-day version of the Butcher.
8) 1984: Did anyone else crack up seeing actor Cody Fern go from the antichrist who desires to end the entire world in season 8 to a 1980s aerobics instructor in season 9? No? Is it just me? I would say this season is an optimistically reminiscent setting marred by unfortunate predictability. Seeing promos for this season reminded me of traditional horror movie and television settings, such as Cabin Fever, Friday the 13th, and Dead of Summer. Though the trailer was promising, this season did not reach the same level of camp horror that we were anticipating. Every time a "surprise" occurred, I felt as though I was let down. Did I know Mr. Jingles would be revealed as a misunderstood character accused of things he did not do? Yes. Did I know Margaret Booth was the actual killer? Yep. I did, however, enjoy the twist involving Montana's brother and Brooke's wedding. I am left asking myself why the Night Stalker was even a part of this season. It was a quite forced to include the infamous nonfiction Richard Ramirez. A redeemably quality of this season is the nod to "Hotel" with the concept that once you die there, you become a ghost and can never leave.
7) FREAK SHOW: How did we end up here? I want to know how we went from the best of the best (Murder House, Asylum, Coven) to FREAK SHOW? I am so disappointed to learn THIS was chosen as Jessica Lange's final season. I could not help but think during the entire season, "Please, Lord, make the singing stop." Twisty and Dandy were the only redeeming qualities, as it was otherwise heavily boring.
6) HOTEL: I have said it once, and I will say it again - Lady Gaga is iconic. Somehow a vampire-ghost who longs to be a mother is what kept me watching. I, of course, need to give a shoutout to Liz Taylor. She was a remarkable character whom I will never forget. The stories of her past and present brought soul to an otherwise soul-draining lineup of evil characters. (I do have to say... My love for Evan Peters was a bit damaged by James Patrick March's makeshift accent, but I shall let it slide just this once.) But why on earth was Sally a character? The incredible Sarah Paulson deserved better.
5) APOCALYPSE: While there is technically no need to watch the anthological seasons in order, I am certainly glad I did so that I could enjoy this season so much. I personally loved how it tied in "Hotel," "Coven," and "Murder House." I had absolutely no idea how they were going to do it, but the creators were very successful. The backstory of what happened to Michael Langdon since season 1 was so enticing. I love that the series is an anthology, but going back in time to previous seasons in this way was revolutionary.
4) MURDER HOUSE: WE LOVE PLOT TWISTS; YES WE DO. WE LOVE PLOT TWISTS; HOW 'BOUT YOU? This season, argued by many as the best that will ever exist, is truly surprising from start to finish. I would like to argue this is because he did it. Ryan Murphy created a lovably horrific character we will soon never forget. His name, of course, is Tate. Now, I have an assessment I must entertain. Raise your hand if you were absolutely SHOOKETH when you found out Tate was the father of the antichrist. Another plot twist was discovering Tate's dark past, which made us question our deep love for him. Now, with all this love, why did I rank this season fourth? I actually thought it was a little hard to follow. Hate me if you desire.
3) ASYLUM: This has the BEST ending of any season, hands down. But before we get there, I think we should discuss the one and only Sarah Paulson. Her role comprised of one character across various generations of life. Her character, Miss Lana Winters, went from being an abducted and tortured prisoner of Briarcliff to becoming one of the most recognized faces in journalism history. Following her journey to freedom, defeating Bloody Face, and closing down the petrifying asylum were fascinatingly terrifying to watch. Perhaps the most satisfying part of the season, however, was when we come to understand the relationship between Kit and Sister Jude toward the latter's end of life. Although tumultuous, given the tragedies and torture she had endured, the way in which Kit opened his home to Sister Jude when she was finally set free of her wrongdoings was very touching.
2) CULT: SURPRISE! I bet you didn't see this one coming. Let me start off by giving you a glimpse into why this season really hit me. I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder. (I am also coincidentally terrified of clowns, but that is besides the point.) I found it utterly captivating how the viewer was just as anxious as the main character. In this beautifully well-written case of when fear meets reality, I was just as unsure of what was real or fake in the show as Ally was. Therefore, because I had no idea what to believe and I felt an extreme urge to scream at Ally to run away, I found myself flying through this season when watching on Netflix. Another remarkable aspect of this season goes way deeper than superficial scares. It shows viewers how dictators can rise to power through careful and specific manipulation of their followers. At first, it seems impossible a blue-haired extremist like Kai Anderson could gain followers, let alone be an elected government official. Yet, this season shows, from the very beginning, how a deviously charismatic person can cause great destruction.
1) COVEN: Is this season about cauldrons and potions? Not so much. Does it involve raising people from the dead and fighting off racist zombies from the 1800s? Indeed. This season was full of modern-day witches, as well as olden-day and modern-day racism. This season remarkably tied in the instance of racism of the past and present in a unique way. Seeing Delphine LaLaurie (I refuse to refer to this nonfiction serial killer as "Madame.") from the 1800s awoken and set in the 2010s was interesting because it showed racism has been around for centuries and is unfortunately STILL very much present in the modern world. I have to say, her watching Roots and crying did bring a tear to my eye. Having been to New Orleans last year, I remember viewing the tomb of the real Marie Laveau herself. This is part of the reason why the voodoo in this season captured my attention immediately. Besides, who would have thought the perfect character foils would be witches vs. voodoo queens?
