Every American Horror Story Season, Ranked from Worst to Best

This tenth season of “AHS” has a lot going on. Split into two parts— “Red Tide” and “Death Valley”— “Double Feature” is hard to follow, ultimately confusing and disjointed. Part 1 follows talentless artists who wind up being successful thanks to a magic pill, which also has a pesky side effect that turns them into vampires. Part 2 introduces a four-episode premise surrounding aliens, impregnated men, and strangely enough, President Eisenhower. The historical figures’ incorporation was likely an attempt to intrigue the audience, but it really just added to the errant strangeness. Though certainly not simple or boring, the season’s disconnect and complexity left us mostly disappointed.

Lady Gaga’s portrayal of the glamorous, vampiresque Countess is pretty much the one good thing to come of “Hotel.” Similar to “Double Feature,” many plot points and storylines make the season feel like too many ideas to keep up with. Inspired by real-life horrors associated with Los Angeles hotels, the season is especially dark with portrayals of infamous killers like Jeffrey Dahmer and John Wayne Gacy. The subsequent intensity resulted in mixed critical reception, with many arguing that season five is more ostentatious than it is scary. Not to mention, this was the first season missing “AHS” favorite Jessica Lange, likely contributing to its perceived inferiority.

Drawing inspiration from the controversial 2016 US presidential election, “Cult” is the topical “AHS” season that addresses current events in America. At the center of the story are Kai Anderson and Ally Mayfair-Richards, politically-inclined individuals on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. Kai is a radical far-right cult leader, and Ally is a progressive lesbian spiraling as extreme ideologies surround her. The seventh season does well in terms of building suspense and giving us some creepy clown scares, but political generalizations weren’t the most well-received. Given the fact that “Cult” was released so soon after the real election, the inclusion of politics was bound to generate a negative response.

After three widely celebrated seasons, Season 4 was the first that seemed to disappoint more of the “AHS” fandom. Living up to its name, “Freak Show” is all things crazed and unhinged as a circus troupe struggles to survive desperate times and terrors. Inevitably, the portrayal of the so-called “freaks”—all of whom have distinct attributes— can easily be considered insensitive and stigmatizing. Though the season started promisingly, a multitude of emerging threats and simultaneous storylines take away from whatever message “Freak Show” is trying to convey. However, the season does give us Twisty the Clown, one of “AHS’s” most memorable and terrifying antagonists.

Now this one is tricky. “AHS” seasons always take us on a rollercoaster journey, but as we’ve learned, it’s sometimes just too much. “Roanoke” is the best example, as it’s essentially a show within a show that confuses us with a switch from depicting the making of a paranormal documentary to a found-footage format. Despite its intriguing concept of a couple’s haunted farmhouse experience, the sixth season is not as riveting as others. Inclusion of the “Piggy Man” seemed to be added for the sole purpose of shock value rather than advancing the narrative, often leaving us wondering what exactly we’re watching.

With classic horror flicks serving as source material, “1984” is a tad predictable. Set in the titular year at a summer camp, the ninth season takes us back in time, but with a fresh lens. Extensive inspo to draw from makes the episodes pretty chaotic, but the slasher scenes are done justice. As per usual, the casting is right on point, as evidenced by Billie Lourd’s portrayal of the manic Montana. But we must admit that Sarah Paulson’s and Evan Peters’s absences were missed. “1984” is also thus far the only “AHS” season set in an alternate universe, making the ‘80s homage nostalgic viewing for those who appreciate the slasher genre.

Season 8 immediately caught our attention thanks to returning characters from seasons past—whose storylines we were already invested in. There’s definitely a noticeable deviation from the typical horrific scares of “AHS,” as focus is more on exploring the inter-season crossover. But this shift was long-awaited and delivered in terms of engaging viewers in a way we’d not seen before. The returning characters, their continued stories, and their connections to others were equally compelling and entertaining. Some may have missed the terror invoked in scarier seasons, but we think “Coven’s” witches trying to stop “Murder House’s” antichrist from ending the world is a respectable swap.

The season that started it all remains one of the best. We’re first introduced to a seemingly predictable premise surrounding your usual haunted house, but we quickly realize there’s much more to explore and digest. In a lavish L.A. mansion, a newly moved-in family unwillingly discovers years of horror, pain, and trauma that former residents and victims endured. Ridden with ghosts—one of which hilariously takes the form of a maid—the murder house is filled with chill-inducing frights, emotional turmoil, and a slew of riveting historical accounts. Even if you think later seasons trump the premier installment, there’s no denying that Season 1 is the one that got us hooked.

Sarah Paulson is a standout in each season she appears in, but her performance as Cordelia in this women-dominated season is next-level. Leading a coven of witches in New Orleans, Cordelia helps young girls harness their craft and survive external threats. Though not intensely horrifying, Season 3 is chock-full of refreshing humor, pop culture references, and stellar acting that make the female coven especially compelling and memorable. “Coven” is also the season that gave us this iconic meme, further solidifying its place among the best of “AHS.” And as if it wasn’t elite enough, Stevie Nicks makes a cameo. Enough said.

“Asylum” is the epitome of complex “AHS” storytelling done right. Set in a haunted 1964 mental institution, a dictating nun oversees the treatment of “criminally insane” patients. Introducing much more serious source material like mental illness, homophobia, and religion, the season tackles real-life constructs that are done justice by a perfectly assembled cast. Aside from the seriousness, “Asylum” gifted us the legendary number, “The Name Game,” which still lives rent-free in our minds a decade later. Riding off high expectations from the success of “Murder House,” “Asylum” is the follow-up that delivers an equally entertaining mix of eeriness and the delightfully bizarre. Even though it’s the much older second season, it still reigns supreme.