A horror story is believed to be a tool to cope with anxieties. According to experts, when you see a horror movie, you control your emotions so that you can feel both fear and enjoyment at the same time. There are lots of horror story shows made but none of them is as multi-dimensional as the American horror story.
This show is never just about witches, aliens, or haunted houses. It exemplifies society’s worst fears and stirs up discussion of current racial, gender, and socioeconomic issues. It provokes thought which is perfect not only for American audiences, but the show has swept across continental audiences too.
The American horror story has a variety of themes in each season. Lots of viewers had been rating the show’s seasons from worst to best, but now I’m going to give you new insights into ranked. How about we ranked each season from scary to the scariest?
Some say that American horror stories are more creepy than scary, that the only scariest is the opening credits parts where visuals of mutilated babies, mouths being sewn, etc. are shown, but there’s more actually than that. For lovers of horror stories, the suspenseful music, jump scare, and exaggerated faces are menial stuff to get scared of. There’s more than those that gravitate toward the effect of fear, and in American Horror stories, it’s the struggles of every character in defeating their monsters.
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So, from that perspective, let’s list down the American horror story seasons ranked from scary to scariest:
AHS Seasons Ranked From Scary to Scariest
1. Coven – Season 3
This American horror story ranked at the bottom. I think this is one of the best AHS seasons but this is more badass than scary. Though some visuals are creepy it’s not really the kind that would make your heart pump. So, I think, this American horror story season ranked on the bottom list of the scariest yet I would tag this as one of the best seasons of American horror stories for its charming characters.
Witchcraft serves as the main theme of AHS season Coven. The season story also features voodoo, zombies, blind intuition, bestiality, serial killers, being buried alive, torture porn, and an anti-witchcraft cabal. There are some gruesome scenes, but I think it’s tolerable even for non-horror viewers because it’s not scary at all.
2. Hotel – Season 5
This American Horror story ranked second to the bottom list. This is also one of the best AHS story seasons but this is more entertaining than scary, so I place this on the second to the bottom list. This AHS season is considered the most stylish, and perhaps the scary elements in this season lie in the series of mysterious murders that are going on around the hotel.
So, when you watch this season you’ll get more surprised by the revelations than getting shocked by the scenes. Vivid graphics of violence and bloodbaths are present, but I guess that’s what adds the horror element to this story which is tolerable for audiences who are used to watching a horror story. This AHS season centers around the spooky hotel in Hollywood, murderers, and vampires which includes disturbing paranormal events.
3. Freak Show-Season 4
This American horror story season ranked third to the bottom of my list. Yeah, this is the best American horror story season in the sense that the twisted figures are remarkable. If you are afraid of freaky clowns, this season would creep you out. The entire American horror story season isn’t really scary but one of the characters is, like the twisted clown, Dandy. This AHS season’s plot turns toward body horror. Also, it has emotional scenes and a great storyline.
The story of this AHS season begins in the tranquil town of Jupiter, Florida. It is the year 1952. The sudden arrival of a dark monster that viciously threatens the lives of both normal citizens and freaks coincides with human curiosity. This is the tale of the performers and their harrowing struggle for existence in the crumbling American carny industry.
4. Cult – Season 7
Who would not get scared of creepy clowns? This American horror story season ranked 7th on our bucket list. These seasons are packed with jump scare scenes, but I guess, what will hold your breath were scenes where Sara Paulson is having triggers of her phobia and a series of mysterious horrific murders.
The season finale opens with Kai, the cult leader being in prison. He is using some spell to place who he likes under his command, including the security guard and one of the prisoners who handed him a curvy blade, which he used to slice their throats in that confrontation scene in the restroom.
So, the bloody murders in this American horror story season are just the beginning of the scariest scenes to come ahead.
5. Roanoke – Season 6
This American horror story season ranked 6th to the bottom list. This is one of the fresh American horror story seasons. This time they are different from the previous seasons. This AHS season ranked 6th among the scariest. The theme in this season of American Horror story is inspired by a mythological lost colony.
This American Horror story season is unique, dark, and psychologically disturbing. So, now if your tolerance of horror films is at an average level, then I suggest you watch this AHS season with lights on. Who would not jump out from their seats in terror with the piggy man?
The piggy man is the third scariest figure of this AHS season.
The piggy man was once a colony deserter who stole food from the colony’s storage. The colonists discovered him at the edge of the wood after Scáthach had scalped him and took him back to the Butcher for punishment.
He died as a sacrifice to the Old Gods and is now a spirit with the ability to hurt. The Butcher killed him by letting him wear a pig’s head, fastened a pig’s tail to his own tailbone, hogtied him to a spick, and roasted him like a pig as penance for his betrayal. When he died, his ghost haunts the Roanoke House grounds as a half-naked man covered in burns and soot wearing a mask made from the severed head of a pig.
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6. Murder House – Season 1
This American Horror story season has more generic horror elements, so this American horror story ranked number 5 on the list. Murders and supernatural elements collided in this AHS season.
This season’s story unfolded about a family’s difficulty dealing with their new house, internal family issues, and new environment. The house seems to be haunted and includes a past of horrific killings and demonic occurrences.
Perhaps what’s scary in this AHS season is that you’ve got to witness the family’s encounter in the haunted house while battling to maintain their emotional stability. You might get unprepared for the degree of horror in this season which may hook you further to this horror story.
7. Double Feature – Season 10
This is the American Horror story’s last season. So, in this AHS season, they’re giving the viewer a two-episode part. The first part is Red Tide, and the second part is Death Valley. Either each part, I think this American horror story ranked at number 4 on our list from scary to scariest.
Though each part has two different characters to play, the storyline was centered around the horror story of human sacrifice. The Red tide follows a story of a struggling writer who hungers for success and takes a mysterious black pill that gives him a shortcut to it only to wake up one day with the urge of feeding from fresh human blood. In the later part when he completely loses his human nature he then realizes what success had cost him.
The second part of this AHS season was still about the black pill, but now events are centered around a group of college students who went on a camping trip only to be swept by a deadly and horrifying conspiracy in the making. This AHS season is scary in the sense that cannibalism, murder, and shock were all incorporated in this season. Plus, it’s all filled with a jump scare and suspenseful scenes. However, as you go through watching this season, the sympathy you’ve got for the characters’ lives is I think what will hold your breath hanging.
8. Apocalypse – Season 8
This is my favorite season. I think this is the best season of American horror stories because some elements of the previous seasons are loaded up in this season. This is best but not scary enough, so this American horror story season ranked number 3. The witches are back, also the religious and cultic themes, plus disaster-centered conflicts. This AHS season is like an all-in-one package. There are lots of scary scenes too, gruesome visuals, and torture. But I think the scary appeal in this season was not done in the jump scare or suspenseful way, but again it’s your favorite characters whom you’ll get fear about like you’ll fear about them getting killed or betrayed.
The story of this American horror season is set after a nuclear holocaust. The world’s chosen elite to survive the world’s end and the new world is ruled by two rival groups: Cooperative and Outpost. The two groups have different perspectives on humanity. One is trying to redeem civilization while the other is the opposite.
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9.1984- Season 9
The American horror story goes with classic horror in this season. I think the deep setting in this season is what makes it scary. Imagine getting chased by Nightstalker in the woods, getting trapped in darkness without communication like what we have now since the story was set in a time of 1984. So, this American horror story season ranked at number 2.
This is also one of the best seasons of the American horror stories, fusing the look and humor of the 1980s with some genuinely terrifying scenes. This season, American Horror Story follows a story about the traditional concept of a serial killer at a summer camp, on Friday the 13th. While Emma Roberts, a survivor of past killings, had to deal with further trauma when a murderer turned up at the summer camp where she was a counselor.
10. Asylum – Season 2
Scariest is when you’ll have nightmares about a horror story. This season gives that kind of feeling. This season of American horror will not give you a jump scare, but you’ll feel internal fear and horror in every scene. It’s not the gore that makes the season scary but the atmosphere. So, this is the American horror story ranked 1! The asylum is the scariest season of American horror story.
This AHS season is a psychological thriller with some religious themes. Some say that, for them, this is the best season of American horror. The asylum in this AHS season is Briarcliffe, a religious facility for criminally insane people where the staff is more disturbed than the inmates. The inmates were treated with cruelty and torture. Until Lana Winters, a young journalist played by Sarah Paulson was exposed to what was happening inside the asylum.
Perhaps what added to the horrific atmosphere in this season was the villain’s gruesome activities, Dr. Thredson, the Bloody Face. His sadistic, horrific way of murdering women is disturbing to watch. At the end of the season, Lana and Thredson’s son becomes the imitator of Bloody face.
Actually, if we were to talk about what the best seasons are, then it would be difficult to rank. Each is the best season of American horror stories. American horror story isn’t only about the scare, but it’s deep and meaningful too, showing some real issues in our society behind fictional storytelling. And, I guess this is what makes this horror story loved by many audiences. Now, many are waiting for its comeback, and there has been news all over that the show will have its season 11 this fall.