Like the changing of leaves, a cool breeze in the evenings, and things that go bump in the night — a few things are synonymous with autumn and the switch to spooky season. One of which is the hit anthology series that keeps us up at night, American Horror Story.
The FX series from Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk is a can’t-miss for fans who have followed the stories through 11 seasons now, and with a 12th on the way, there’s no better time than the present to start a rewatch. Each season, as all anthologies do, stands on its own — but we still love the idea of starting over from the beginning and revisiting the characters we first loved (and loathed) and the stories they helped tell.
From the murder house that invited us in, capturing a piece of our spirits forever, to the campy throwback 1984 that took us deep within slasher frenzies in all of their glory, AHS has a season for all fans of spine-tingling and sometimes quite grotesque horror.
With a new season on the horizon, exciting names attached to the story, and the most incredibly delightful season of all knocking at our doors, here is a list of every AHS season in order, so you can either do an entire series rewatch or pick a few of your favorites to dive back into before American Horror Story: Delicate begins airing later this month.
All AHS seasons in order
Murder House
In the first season of AHS, Murder House introduced many viewers to its actors for the first time in a thrilling tale of a family who relocates to Los Angeles for a fresh start. Murder House was the perfect way to introduce fans to the unique style of thriller drama that the show has maintained throughout its run, and induct a cast many of whom would make repeat appearances, including Evan Peters, Lily Rabe, Zachary Quinta, and Frances Conroy.
Asylum
Asylum is a worthy follow-up to the success of Murder House, this time taking place — as the name suggests—in an Asylum where a journalist enters seeking a story that would become her big break and propel her career. Asylum is one of the seasons most praised by fans, with AHS stalwart Sarah Paulson putting in an incredible performance as Lana Winters.
Coven
After two seasons where the paranormal became evil, Coven switches things up, giving us the perspective of a group of young witches in a witchcraft school in New Orleans whose ancestors had survived the Salem Witch trials. This season is a coming-of-age tale full of creepy thrills and plenty of frights along the way, and even an appearance by the magical Stevie Nicks.
Freak Show
Being the “weirdest” of all of the seasons, the Freak Show theme might have made new viewers a little unsettled, but amongst its strange visuals and story are plenty of scares, a solid narrative, and some memorable scenes and characters. To be quite honest, this one is actually pretty fantastic.
Hotel
Lady Gaga tiptoeing into AHS? Sign us up; while Hotel wasn’t a season in which fans fawned over the way the powers that be might have initially hoped for, it has aged well, with many fans enjoying the project more now than they did before. Similar to Murder House, this season focuses on a haunted hotel, and it’s one you won’t be rushing to check into.
Roanoke
Taking a different approach from other seasons, Roanoke brings its unique style of thrilling storytelling alongside a true-crime format, which makes for a compelling season with a much spookier tone than recent entries. Roanoke is the perfect watch during spooky season or any time of the year when you’re missing an excellent, unnerving feeling.
Cult
It shouldn’t take too much explaining to reveal what this season is about. Set in more modern times with an emphasis on the current political climate, Cult is full of scares, clowns, and occasion story holes that defy logic. It’s also sort of frightening that people like Kai really exist in our realm today… and while we love Evan Peters, we’re not sure we’d want to be co-workers with a guy like his AHS counterpart this season.
Apocalypse
After many seasons of American Horror Story, the creators chose to make its most ambitious cross-over yet, bringing back not only the child from the show’s first season but also the young witches from Coven to help deal with the event of the Apocalypse bought upon by the antichrist himself.
1984
The most well-received by critics and many fans, 1984 pays perfect homage to ’80s horror and the tropes that came along with it. If you’re a fan of old-school slasher films, this season is the one for you. If you only have a bit of time to rewatch AHS before the new season premieres, we recommend ensuring this is on your must-watch list.
Double Feature
When fans sat down to watch Double Feature, one thing stuck out above the rest to fans of true crime: this seemed to serve as a nod to the Cape Cod Vampire, Antone Charles “Tony” Costa. The season was frightening in and of itself, as it also put a spotlight on the lengths people are willing to go to ensure that their dreams will come true. When is the price too high, and what are you willing to risk?
New York City
AHS: NYC is a story that highlights a few frightening and unsettling themes, and it almost felt like a callback to a season of life that actually took place not too long ago. One of the central themes highlights gay men going missing in the city — which can definitely be seen as a callback to the last call killer — and there’s also the discovery of a new virus, a nod to the all-too-real and devastating AIDS epidemic. It’s another season that leaves you feeling more frightened because of the truth behind the fiction, and how awful it must have been for those who had to fight not just stigmas — but for life itself.
Delicate
While Delicate has yet to begin airing, we have a feeling that this one will be an essential addition to the AHS library. Emma Roberts, Cara Delevingne, and Kim Kardashian will star in this season based on Danielle Valentine’s book, Delicate Condition. We’re actually currently reading that as part of a spooky book club we’re involved in, so let us inspire your intrigue by saying this: you won’t want to miss a second of the twists and turns that will soon unfold.