American Horror Story
Though each season in the anthology series is received a little differently, American Horror Story has become the backbone of modern horror TV.
The TV series was instantly a cult hit, with each season’s storyline combining chills with mounting tension, and has become known for its standout performances from the likes of Lady Gaga, Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, and James Cromwell.
While earlier seasons offered fresh, interesting takes on stock settings of the horror world, like the haunted house or the insane asylum, by Season 8 it’s clear they’re running out of ideas. The season, perhaps prophetically named Apocalypse, was a continuation of the first and third seasons’ plots, a hint that fresh material is getting thin on the ground.
We’ve got a ninth season on the way later this year and the series has been renewed for a tenth, set to air in 2020, so it’s obvious the series isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
One important thing to note about American Horror Story is that the series started long before the renaissance of horror movies we’ve seen over the past couple of years, with unique, powerful horror films like Get Out, Us, and Hereditary reinvigorating the genre.
Where AHS was once the bastion of horror watching, it now finds itself surpassed by film. This might be a good time for the series to bow out gracefully.
