The Most Terrifying Seasons of ‘American Horror Story’ For People Who Love Horror
American Horror Story has a lot of — you guessed it — horror. For true fans of the genre, some seasons aren’t as exciting as others because that freaky, creepy aspect isn’t as prominent every year. However, for the most part, each season has some terrifying moments. Recently, we did a breakdown of which seasons to watch if you hate horror, but for anyone craving a good fright, here are the most terrifying seasons to enjoy.
‘Asylum‘ — Season 2
Starting with Asylum, this season is the definition of “freaky.” It’s the second season overall, and in the anthology structure, it has the theme of aliens. Well, actually there are a lot of things interwoven to create this season, but aliens is a big one. So is religion, religious institutions, and (of course) an asylum. Back in the ‘60s, when this took place, mental institutions were absolutely real-life nightmares, and that’s portrayed pretty well here.
It’s probably the mix of science fiction with aliens, and real-life faith structures like the Catholic church, that makes this season so horrifying. The juxtaposition of sins, Satan, and demons possessing children alongside aliens doing whatever they want with humans is too terrifying. Not to mention, it’s all shot in a horrific way. This season will make your skin crawl.
‘Murder House‘ — Season 1
Murder House is just straight horror. Every single thing that you associate with horror films — ghosts, jump scares, psychological mind-tricks, and messed up characters — is amped up times 100. The effects bring these things to life in a way a lot of horror movies don’t, and also has great writing. This first season created such a great basis for the series and made everyone hooked.
If you love classic horror, that relies on some gore but mostly on ghostly aspects, Murder House will be a favorite for you.
‘1984‘ — Season 9
1984 is an ode to the ‘80s slasher film, and that’s what makes it one of the scarier seasons. There’s a lot of gore. That’s to be expected with the “slasher” genre, but it also adds ghosts. So almost like what makes Murder House great is flipped for this one. It’s definitely not a bad thing, though.
Now, if you’re talking about the best seasons overall, this might not make the top of the list. But, if you want edge-of-your-seat suspense and you’re a gory horror fan? This is the perfect season for you.
‘Coven‘ — Season 3
Yes, interestingly, Coven made the list of best seasons to watch if you’re not into horror. But it’s quite versatile and can go on this list too. Hear us out.
So, Coven is very character-driven and focuses a lot on the writing of these characters along with the overall story. This makes it easy to forget the terrifying parts or easier to make peace with them. But, if you do love horror, that just makes the scary bits all the better. None of the American Horror Story seasons are cheap, or badly written for the most part. And Coven might be one of the best in this aspect.
And for horror fans, you get the added bonus of some seriously dark evil stuff in this season. There are also witches, and spells, and even zombies. It can really get into your bones if you dwell on it too much, which is like candy for horror fans.
‘Roanoke’ — Season 6
Roanoke mixes two big draws for horror fans: gore and ghosts. It’s a story within a story, and a bit more off-the-mark than other seasons. But it can be scary. It mixes a lot of the ghostly aspects of the first season. It brings things back like the pig-faced guy and the idea of the lost colony of Roanoke. And it has a lot of gruesome deaths. A lot. So if gory horror is more your style, get ready for the guts with this season.
‘Freak Show‘ — Season 4
Freak Show is another that had a lot of potential and just didn’t work for fans. However, Twisty The Clown is here to haunt each and every one of your dreams, which is why horror fans will like this one. Before It made a comeback with Pennywise, Twisty the Clown was out here with his dirty, painted face. He was truly terrifying, but he, unfortunately, isn’t around all season. So it’s kind of 50/50 with this season. Some horror fans might love it, with the creepy circus vibe it comes with. But others might not like the overall season.
Here are the least horrifying
The remaining seasons — Hotel, Cult, and Apocalypse — are on the other list for the best seasons to watch if you’re not into horror. Out of these, Apocalypse might be the best written season, and well worth the watch if you loved Coven because it brings back nearly all of the main characters from that one. And Cult is very into real-life phobias, along with rehashing the 2016 election. And Hotel focuses on vampire-life creatures starring Lady Gaga, and a hotel you can’t leave if you die. All in all, if you like the show these are worth it, but some are better than others, as with anything.
