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American Horror Story

  • TV Series
  • 2011– 2011–
  • TV-MATV-MA
  • 1h
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
307K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
111
10
Episode guide
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
V Nixie in American Horror Story (2011)
Mamie takes matters into her own hands. The fate of the future is revealed. Watch AHS: Double Feature Wednesdays at 10p on FX, next day #FXonHulu.
Play trailer0:36
99+ Videos
99+ Photos
  • Drama
  • Horror
  • Sci-Fi

An anthology series centering on different characters and locations, including a house with a murderous past, an insane asylum, a witch coven, a freak show circus, a haunted hotel, a possess... Read allAn anthology series centering on different characters and locations, including a house with a murderous past, an insane asylum, a witch coven, a freak show circus, a haunted hotel, a possessed farmhouse, a cult, the apocalypse, a slasher summer camp, and a bleak beach town and de... Read allAn anthology series centering on different characters and locations, including a house with a murderous past, an insane asylum, a witch coven, a freak show circus, a haunted hotel, a possessed farmhouse, a cult, the apocalypse, a slasher summer camp, and a bleak beach town and desert valley.

IMDb RATING
8.0/10
307K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
111
10
  • Creators
    • Brad Falchuk
    • Ryan Murphy
  • Stars
    • Lady Gaga
    • Kathy Bates
    • Angela Bassett
Top credits
  • Creators
    • Brad Falchuk
    • Ryan Murphy
  • Stars
    • Lady Gaga
    • Kathy Bates
    • Angela Bassett
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 893User reviews
    • 207Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 16 Primetime Emmys
      • 128 wins & 393 nominations total

    Episodes116

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated

    Videos217

    What Horror Movies Terrified You as a Kid?
    Full Episode 3:18
    What Horror Movies Terrified You as a Kid?
    This Week on TV: A Slasher Send-Up, a Super Season 2, and Some Famous Ferns
    Full Episode 4:17
    This Week on TV: A Slasher Send-Up, a Super Season 2, and Some Famous Ferns
    All About Alexander Dreymon
    Clip 1:30
    All About Alexander Dreymon
    The Rise of Evan Peters
    Clip 4:01
    The Rise of Evan Peters
    A Guide to the Work of Ryan Murphy
    Clip 5:35
    A Guide to the Work of Ryan Murphy
    IMDb's Top TV Shows of 2018
    Clip 2:41
    IMDb's Top TV Shows of 2018
    American Horror Story: The Complete Fourth Season
    Clip 1:25
    American Horror Story: The Complete Fourth Season
    American Horror Story: The Complete Fourth Season
    Clip 1:30
    American Horror Story: The Complete Fourth Season
    American Horror Story: AHS 1984: Montana Meets Bobby
    Clip 1:54
    American Horror Story: AHS 1984: Montana Meets Bobby
    American Horror Story: AHS 1984: Jingles and Jr.
    Clip 2:13
    American Horror Story: AHS 1984: Jingles and Jr.
    American Horror Story: AHS 1984: Jingles Begs
    Clip 2:27
    American Horror Story: AHS 1984: Jingles Begs
    American Horror Story: AHS 1984: Brooke Turns the Table
    Clip 2:38
    American Horror Story: AHS 1984: Brooke Turns the Table

    Photos3475

    Lily Rabe, Megan Franich, Mark Casimir Dyniewicz Jr., Heather Wynters, and Shannon Berry in American Horror Story (2011)
    Jessica Lange and Heather Wynters in American Horror Story (2011)
    Megan Franich in American Horror Story (2011)
    Lizzie Brocheré and Heather Wynters in American Horror Story (2011)
    Sarah Paulson, Zachary Quinto, Lizzie Brocheré, Evan Peters, and Mark Casimir Dyniewicz Jr. in American Horror Story (2011)
    Sarah Paulson in American Horror Story (2011)
    American Horror Story (2011)
    Sarah Paulson, Frances Conroy, and Emma Roberts in American Horror Story (2011)
    Lizzie Brocheré in American Horror Story (2011)
    Frances Conroy and Evan Peters in American Horror Story (2011)
    Evan Peters in American Horror Story (2011)
    Evan Peters in American Horror Story (2011)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Lady Gaga
    Lady Gaga
    • The Countessas The Countess…
    15 episodes15 eps • 2015–2016
    Kathy Bates
    Kathy Bates
    • Madame Delphine LaLaurieas Madame Delphine LaLaurie…
    58 episodes58 eps • 2013–2018
    Angela Bassett
    Angela Bassett
    • Desiree Dupreeas Desiree Dupree…
    48 episodes48 eps • 2013–2018
    Sarah Paulson
    Sarah Paulson
    • Lana Wintersas Lana Winters…
    96 episodes96 eps • 2011–2022
    Evan Peters
    Evan Peters
    • James Marchas James March…
    101 episodes101 eps • 2011–2022
    Denis O'Hare
    Denis O'Hare
    • Spaldingas Spalding…
    65 episodes65 eps • 2011–2022
    Lily Rabe
    Lily Rabe
    • Misty Dayas Misty Day…
    61 episodes61 eps • 2011–2021
    Frances Conroy
    Frances Conroy
    • Myrtle Snowas Myrtle Snow…
    59 episodes59 eps • 2011–2022
    Jessica Lange
    Jessica Lange
    • Constance Langdonas Constance Langdon…
    53 episodes53 eps • 2011–2018
    Emma Roberts
    Emma Roberts
    • Madison Montgomeryas Madison Montgomery…
    46 episodes46 eps • 2013–2019
    Cheyenne Jackson
    Cheyenne Jackson
    • Will Drakeas Will Drake…
    43 episodes43 eps • 2015–2018
    Billie Lourd
    Billie Lourd
    • Winter Andersonas Winter Anderson…
    37 episodes37 eps • 2017–2022
    Adina Porter
    Adina Porter
    • Beverly Hopeas Beverly Hope…
    37 episodes37 eps • 2011–2021
    Leslie Grossman
    Leslie Grossman
    • Coco St. Pierre Vanderbiltas Coco St. Pierre Vanderbilt…
    36 episodes36 eps • 2017–2022
    Taissa Farmiga
    Taissa Farmiga
    • Zoe Bensonas Zoe Benson…
    32 episodes32 eps • 2011–2018
    Finn Wittrock
    Finn Wittrock
    • Dandy Mottas Dandy Mott…
    32 episodes32 eps • 2014–2021
    Wes Bentley
    Wes Bentley
    • John Loweas John Lowe…
    25 episodes25 eps • 2014–2016
    Cody Fern
    Cody Fern
    • Michael Langdonas Michael Langdon…
    22 episodes22 eps • 2018–2022
    • Creators
      • Brad Falchuk
      • Ryan Murphy
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Physical and psychological horrors affect a decomposing family, workers and residents of an insane asylum, a coven of witches, a cast of circus freaks, the employees and guests at a struggling hotel, a family who moved into a mysterious farmhouse, the members of a small suburb in Michigan, the surviving members of the Apocalypse and the counselors of a creepy summer camp in this haunting anthology series, focusing on the themes of infidelity, sanity, oppression, discrimination, addiction and exploitation.
    • anthology
    • serial killer
    • male objectification
    • infidelity
    • serial murder
    • 89 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Get committed
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Horror
      • Sci-Fi
      • Thriller
    • Certificate
      • TV-MA
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Sarah Paulson's reporter walk-through scene in "Asylum" was pulled directly from actual footage of Bill Baldini's exposé piece on Pennhurst Asylum in Spring City, Pennsylvania. Baldini's work led to the closure of Pennhurst and the release of all of its patients. Pennhurst is now the location of a seasonal haunted house and has been featured on numerous shows, due to the reported extreme paranormal activity in Pennhurst's buildings.
    • Goofs
      Frances Conroy ("Old" Moira O'Hara) is right-eye dominant. Many times you can see that she, as Moira, is focusing on the object she's looking at using her "blind" right eye instead of her left eye.
    • Quotes

      Cordelia Foxx: In the absence of the council, as reigning Supreme of this coven, I hereby decree... for the murders of our sister witch, Cecily Pembroke and our college, Quentin Fleming... you... Myrtle Snow, are hereby sentenced to death by fire.

      Myrtle Snow: Delia, my sweet daughter, I have never been more proud.

      Cordelia Foxx: Any last words?

      Myrtle Snow: Only one. BALENCIAGA!

    • Connections
      Featured in The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2012)
    • Soundtracks
      American Horror Story Theme
      (uncredited)

      Written by Cesar Davila-Irizarry and Charlie Clouser

    User reviews893

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Thoughts on 1984
    A pitch-perfect homage/parody of summer-camp slasher movies, AHS/1984 is, for me, the best season of American Horror Story since the exceptional second season, Asylum. However, there's no denying it's divisive, and AHS purists probably won't be overly impressed. For one thing, it's a dark and camp comedy before it's a thriller or a horror. For another, it leans very heavily into '80s clichés and slasher movie tropes. On the other hand, it's consistently hilarious, it doesn't take itself seriously, and despite the ridiculousness of the plot and the twists layered on top of twists, it manages to elicit quite a bit of empathy for a couple of characters who were introduced as one-dimensionally irredeemable. And the soundtrack, wardrobe, and hairstyles have more '80s cheese and excess than you could ever imagine.

    LA, 1984. Montana (Billie Lourd), a fiery devil-may-care extrovert; Xavier (a superb Cody Fern), a self-serious aspiring actor; Chet (Gus Kenworthy), a professional athlete who has been suspended from Team USA for the 1984 Olympics after failing a drug test; and Ray (DeRon Horton), a friendly man with a troubling secret, are heading to work as counsellors at a newly reopened summer camp called Camp Redwood. They ask their new friend Brooke (Emma Roberts) to join them, but she declines. However, that night, she's attacked by Richard Ramirez, aka the Night Stalker (a brilliant Zach Villa). She fends him off, but the incident convinces her to join the others. At Redwood, they meet Margaret (an exceptional Leslie Grossman), who survived a massacre there in 1970 and now owns the camp; Rita (Angelica Ross), the nurse; Bertie (Tara Karsian), the chef; and Trevor (a hilarious Matthew Morrison), the activities director. Meanwhile, Benjamin Richter, aka Mr Jingles (a scene-stealing John Carroll Lynch), the former groundskeeper at Redwood and perpetrator of the 1970 massacre, escapes from a nearby mental facility and heads to the camp.

    The first thing you'll notice about 1984 is how immersed it is in slasher movie references and tropes, with a particular preference for Halloween (1978) and, especially, Friday the 13th (1980), both of which are referenced throughout the nine episodes. Not quite a post-modernist reimagining of the genre, the season could stand as a respectable slasher story in its own right, and in this sense, the tone is absolutely pitch-perfect. Take the opening credits. Whereas previous AHS sequences are usually unnerving, the opening to 1984 is a thing of tacky '80s beauty - shot on VHS in 1.33:1 (the recording even has some visible tracking lines from time to time), the pastel-infused credits are made up of shots of aerobics, tape decks, gaudy fashion, dodgy '80s video graphics, VCRs, Ronald Reagan, and roller skates. Meanwhile, the unsettling AHS theme music is here reproduced on a synth. It's horrible, cheesy, about as unthreatening as you can imagine, and awesome.

    The show goes on to hit classic genre markers such the campfire scene used to provide heavy exposition, the clichéd chase scene where the girl being pursued keeps tripping and falling over, the characters continually splitting up for various (dubious) reasons, and the plethora of pseudo-POV shots from behind trees.

    Having said all that, however, there are certainly elements of postmodern-esque deconstruction at play; the girl with the huge breasts becomes the guy with the huge penis, the black characters survive beyond the opening act, the quintessential shower scene upon which someone is spying involves not women but men, and there's a fascinating pseudo-meta defamiliarisation of the clichéd notion that despite being flesh and blood humans, serial killers in slasher films are notoriously difficult to kill.

    A vital element of any season of AHS is humour, and so too 1984. Usually, the best laughs come from the earnestness of the characters, who are blissfully unaware of how ridiculous they sound. So, when Brooke meets Xavier, he tells her, dead-pan, "I trained with Stella Adler. I'm method". Later on, he discusses the dangers of being in a coma by referencing the song, "Coma Chameleon". After one of the characters is badly burned, an argument breaks out and when someone tells this character to breathe, they proclaim, "I have breathed the fire of a thousand white-hot suns". Discussing Billy Idol, a character points out to Ramirez, "You can't sing "Rebel Yell" and not be a rebel", a point he concedes as pretty reasonable.

    Thematically, despite its campiness, 1984 does actually have some things to say. The most obvious issue is media commodification of serial killers. Whether it be by making a movie or putting their face on a magazine, serial killers and mass murderers sell, and there's something inherently wrong about that; why do we give serial killers cool nicknames and then endlessly engage with them in every way imaginable, thus giving them exactly what so many of them want - infamy. And, of course, it wouldn't be AHS without looking at gender issues. Here we see a critique of the notion that female victims of male serial killers are celebrated as "feminist heroes", as if they'd rather be an icon than be alive. There's also a nicely written reformulation of the serial killer trope whereby women are not believed as they fight male monsters.

    In terms of problems, on the one hand, there is too much time spent on explaining things the audience already knows and hitting character beats we've already hit. On the other, there is a disorienting and not entirely successful time jump between the second to last and last episode, and it feels almost like there was an episode skipped between the two, especially insofar as the finale ill-advisedly introduces an entirely new character (this sense of truncation isn't helped that the season is only nine episodes - AHS's shortest yet). Some viewers will also undoubtedly find the humour too camp and too frequent, undermining the horror element, whilst some will find the plethora of references nothing more than pastiche, intertextuality for its own sake.

    All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this season of American Horror Story. It's not the most thrilling or unnerving, but it is the funniest and most self-reflexive. Strong characters, typically tremendous acting, and some genuinely heartfelt moments combine with great costumes, foolish hair, and a soundtrack of so-bad-they're-great songs to produce a season that might mean little to those born post-1989, but to the rest of us is an ode to the achingly familiar.
    helpful•26
    10
    • Bertaut
    • Jul 22, 2020

    FAQ6

    • Is the series available to own?
    • I have not seen previous seasons. Can I watch later seasons?
    • What are the various seasons/settings

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 5, 2011 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official Instagram
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • American Horror Story: Asylum
    • Filming locations
      • New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
    • Production companies
      • FX Network
      • Brad Falchuk Teley-Vision
      • Ryan Murphy Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 16:9 HD

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