American Horror Story Seasons Ranked From Worst To Best

For nine seasons (with more on the horizon) American Horror Story has taken deep dives into some very dark realms. The show, created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the FX network, is an anthology series, meaning each season is its own rollercoaster ride offering a new, distinct brand of terror. Haunted houses, serial killers, insane clowns, mental asylums, and sadistic doctors are only a handful of the myriad creepy components that make up the addictive show. 

Many of the show's actors appear in different roles throughout the series, including Sarah Paulson, Lily Rabe, Kathy Bates, Evan Peters, Lady Gaga, and Angela Bassett. It's enormously fun to watch these reoccurring actors tackle multiple characters and a variety of extremely different — and seriously heady — scenarios. American Horror Story's seasons also take place in different locales and in various time periods. In each, there's notable attention paid to the details required to transport viewers to another time and place, be it a dank mental hospital in the 1960s or a haunted, woodsy summer camp smack dab in the middle of the 1980s. 

For all the show's successes, however, not every season is a winner. Here, we look at American Horror Story's seasons, ranking them from the very worst to the absolute best.

American Horror Story's many reoccurring actors (a la Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters) are a beloved part of the show's terrifying tapestry. But they're not alone: Top-notch guest stars have always been part of the show as well. Season seven, Cult, has some stunners in this department, including Emma Roberts and Lena Dunham.

This season is set in 2017, in a Michigan suburb where residents become terrorized by a cult after Donald Trump wins the presidential election. Rather than relying on supernatural components and an ethereal air, Cult strides into no-holds-barred, ripped-from-the-headlines territory. No matter their political affiliation, Americans spent the Trump years rolling with the ups and downs of a very polarizing election cycle, and indeed, this season captures that chaos without fail. Perhaps its too-real mirror of reality is what made it unbearable for some viewers? The "Too soon!" vibe may have been at play here, for those looking for escapism in the midst of an onslaught of hard news and civil unrest.

In this season, the AHS crew tackles a nuclear apocalypse and its aftermath. A volatile mix of survivors end up in a bunker called Outpost 3: Wealthy and powerful folks mingle with people who have been deemed "perfect" due to their genetic makeup. Those who are genetically "inferior" are placed in servile roles. These circumstances, of course, lead to explosive interactions that range from adversarial to sexual. Things don't stop there — in typical AHS fashion, more characters are introduced, like Michael Langdon, who was born during the first season. Then there's the time travel and voodoo. Needless to say, there's a lot to focus on here.

As if the apocalyptic situation isn't enough, this is also a crossover season, bringing elements of Murder House and Coven into the mix. In particular, the witches from the latter season have a plan to reverse the apocalypse that involves them traveling back to season one. There's an inherent excitement in mingling characters from various points in time, but it makes this season a little cluttered and altogether too busy.

In Freak Show, it is 1952 in Jupiter, Florida, and a troupe of carnival performers and sideshow acts are at the center of the story. These performers include conjoined twins, a bearded lady, and a three-breasted woman. This season paints a vivid picture of carny life in a different era, layering it with kidnapping, murder, and bizarre acts of every possible nature.

This is a nightmare-inspiring, deeply bloody season, made all the more memorable for its elaborate sets. Then there are the killer clowns. They're are a scary sight for plenty of people, and Twisty, the grisly clown in Freak Show, is a particularly terrifying specimen. The bottom half of his face is obscured by a giant, toothy, painted smile — a look that won't quickly leave your mind. Joining him is Sarah Paulson, who plays both of the conjoined twins and brings their different personalities to brilliant life. It's a gruesome season, even by the standards of the show. But AHS manage to give it some necessary balance through flashy aesthetics, solid acting, and interesting ideas.

Asylum is the second season of AHS and a winner for audiences and critics alike. It has no connection to Murder House, and thereby defined the series as an anthology.

In one similarity to the season that precedes it, Asylum starts off focused on a couple who get involved with a new building. This time, it's Teresa and Leo, and the place they're exploring — set in the present day — is an old asylum called Briarcliff Manor, located in Massachusetts. Once they're inside, the flashbacks begin. The show shoots back to 1964, when Kit Walker (Evan Peters) is committed to the mental hospital after being accused of being a serial killer named Bloody Face.

The show jumps between the present day, where Teresa and Leo traverse the asylum being hunted by Bloody Face, and the past, where the accused murderer and other inmates interact and have experimental procedures practiced upon them. Jessica Lange plays Sister Jude, a stern nun who manages Briarcliff's disciplinary procedures. Of Lange's many AHS roles, this is one of the best. Many other cast members from the first season returned for Asylum, like Sarah Paulson and Lily Rabe. For Rabe, who has appeared on several AHS seasons, Asylum was particularly intense. Actors Chloe Sevigny and Joseph Fiennes joined the AHS cast as well this season, making it one of the most star-studded.