American Horror Story veers between horror subgenres with a zealous abandon that continues to enchant viewers.
AHS is always eager to investigate horror in fresh and exciting ways, from diving into the realm of witches too, most recently, turning to an old-fashioned double feature of monsters and aliens.
Those who are just interested in particular types of horror or who aren’t interested in the big intertwining of stories and characters over seasons may want to check out what other viewers had to say about each season before starting.
Fans may get a clearer notion of which seasons are must-sees and which can be skipped by averaging IMDb episode ratings.
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Season 1: Murder House
This season got a rating of 8.2. The first season of American Horror Story focuses on the haunted home, a traditional horror genre. The Harmon family strives to stay together despite being haunted by the spirits of everyone who has ever died in the home, which turns out to be quite a list.
This season received rave reviews from fans, with even the poorest episodes receiving an 8/10 rating. While some viewers thought the program was ridiculous, the majority of viewers appreciated the horror material, which had fresh shocks, escalations, and payoffs with each episode.
Season 4: Freak Show
This season got a rating of 8.05. Elsa Mars and her company of ‘freaks’ struggle to maintain their position in the entertainment business as television and other forms of simple entertainment gain hold.
They bring in conjoined twins Bette and Dot in a bid to generate attention and funds for their company, but their appearance is eclipsed by fresh terrors arriving in town. Honorable mention here includes twisty the clown as well as Finn Wittrock, Kathy Bates and Constance Langdon who was in this season of AHS.
This season is praised for its sophisticated storyline and emotional moments, but critics point out that the season is complicated by a large number of villains, which is exacerbated by the elimination of the greatest villain first.
Despite this flaw, the season managed to elicit strong emotions from viewers, making them laugh, weep, and shudder with dread.
There were a lot of musical numbers performed in the first half but also in the second half of the season by Connie Britton, Kai Anderson, and other iconic characters. The last season prior to this spent so much time focusing on the ghost story rather than the freak show.
Season 8: Apocalypse
This season got a rating of 8.11. Because Apocalypse is the most crossover-focused of all the AHS seasons, viewers may want to start with Murder House, Coven, and Hotel to ensure they don’t miss anything.
The season’s title says it all: this season is all about the Apocalypse, how it occurred, and how it may be reversed. There will be many references to previous seasons, as well as a strong, albeit petulant, Antichrist.
This season received overwhelmingly positive reviews, with many critics hailing “Return To Murder House” as the finest episode of American Horror Story to date.
Many fans were relieved to see the program return to previous characters and topics after worrying that it had lost its way in recent seasons.
The season spends a lot of screentime digging into the past to explain how things got the way they are, dragging down the arc that fans wanted to sink their teeth into, according to the scathing reviews.
This season focuses on an anthology series and just like season 3 coven of witches it has a lot of parts where plot twists occur. There are different stories told by John Carroll Lynch and Ben Harmon as they learn how to play the name game.
Season 3: Coven
This season got a rating of 8.07. Coven is set in a New Orleans magic school where witches are taught about their abilities and judged to see who will be the next Supreme.
The season also explores the intertwined history of magic and slavery in Louisiana, examining how culture influences magical tradition and gifts. This season ranks high as lot of actors were considered for the golden globe.
Fans are split on whether the season’s lack of horror material was an advantage or a drawback, but in any case, it is the most approachable season for those who are frightened of the show’s more serious horror themes.
Cody Fern and Michael Chiklis from North Carolina had a better idea and a better option than the earlier seasons. There were lots of callbacks in the previous seasons of American Horror Story. The firsthand look was amazing according to reviewers.
Angela Bassett and Jessica Lange have both been cast in this season, and viewers are excited to see what they can do. The one recurring problem is that many critics thought the conclusion to be underwhelming in relation to the rest of the season.
Season 9: 1984
This season got a rating of 7.73. The film 1984 tells the tale of a summer camp with a shady past. The camp, which was created as a tribute to the slasher genre, has been plagued by psychotic murders and camp counselors who conceal far too many secrets for comfort in the past and present.
The issue with this season, according to spectators, was that it had a great narrative but was just too short to fill a whole season. So, although the concept was sound, it went on for much too long and had far too much fluff. The program, on the other hand, does a decent job of paying tribute to 80s slashers and is an exciting journey for viewers.
Season 7: Cult
This season got a rating of 7.6. Cult is the first season to heavily reference real-world events, beginning with the town’s reaction to Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election.
As a result of this victory, an alt-righter starts to gain authority of his own, which corresponds with a resident being terrified by clowns. The fundamental question of the season is whether she is insane or whether there is a Donald Trump-supporting clown-dressing cult in town.
The season lost popularity with fans when it began inserting filler episodes that diverged from the season’s narrative to contain conflicting portrayals of sexism and misandry, with ‘feminist’ organizations tearing men apart and women-hating politicians seeming to be the superior alternative in contrast.
With that said, for most of the season, there is strong suspense and storyline twists, providing the psychological horror fans anticipate from a cult season. Honorable mention is that in the countess and death valley as well as the haunted house of the serial killer, Lady Gaga makes an appearance.
Season 2: Asylum
This season got a rating of 8.8. Asylum stars Sarah Paulson as journalist Lana Winters, who chooses to visit Briarcliff Manor, a mental institution for criminals. During Lana’s stay in the asylum, she and the other patients are exposed to supernatural and medical horrors.
The second season of the program is widely regarded as a fan favorite and the most terrifying and consistent season of the whole series.
Even the lowest episode is competent, according to reviewers, while the finest is characterized as “one of the most amazing episodes of television I have EVER seen” by reviewer dirty lemons. Asylum is widely regarded as the pinnacle of American Horror Story’s run.
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