Ryan Murphy's anthology series introduced the witchy women of Miss Robichaux's Academy in 2013's American Horror Story: Coven whose stories include influences and Easter eggs from iconic horror movies. As an avid fan of the genre, season 3 showcased the director's vast knowledge and just how impactful horror movies are on creating American Horror Story.
AHS: Coven features an impeccable cast with several series regulars including Sarah Paulson, Emma Roberts, Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Evan Peters, Denis O'Hare, Taissa Farmiga, Lily Rabe, Angela Bassett, and Frances Conroy. Cordelia Goode (Paulson) runs Miss Robichaux's Academy where Zoe Benson (Farmiga) is sent to control her powers. When she arrives, she meets Queenie (Gabourey Sidibe), Nan (Jamie Brewer), and Madison Montgomery (Roberts). This season in particular assisted in creating several connections to past and future characters that results in every season of American Horror Story existing on the same timeline. For instance, it is theorized that Madison Montgomery may be related to the Montgomery family who built the home in AHS: Murder House, which also features its fair share of horror movie references and Easter eggs.
While season 3 serves as a popular mode of connecting characters, it utilized several popular movies about witches and witchcraft to create real-world connections. AHS: Coven features famous creatures, the real history of zombies, and the Salem witch trials. Each movie choice is intentional, making the characters and their environment historical as well as horrific. Here's every reference and Easter egg in AHS: Coven explained.
The Craft
Andrew Fleming's 1996 cult classic horror movie The Craft features four young witches who are bonded together as a coven. It forms once Sarah (Robin Tunney) arrives at her new Los Angeles high school and meets Nancy (Fairuza Balk), Bonnie (Neve Campbell), and Rochelle (Rachel True). When AHS: Coven begins, Zoe is leaving her home to join three other teenage witches at the academy. Her character resembles Sarah in several ways: she is soft-spoken, only wants to use her powers for good, and falls in love with a man who her friend attempts to take for herself. The dynamic between Zoe and the first three witches she meets sets up the same dynamic as Sarah and her coven in The Craft.
The Beyond
Cordelia Goode goes blind in episode 5, "Burn, Witch. Burn!" after being attacked with acid. In Lucio Fulci's 1981 Italian gothic horror movie The Beyond, a woman's eyes turn completely white after the evil inside of her fully develops and possesses her. While their stories aren't similar, the two women look the same with their entirely white eyes along with them taking residence in Louisiana.
There are a few nods to the movie throughout AHS: Coven but they are not as direct as others. For instance, witches are believed to commune with the devil based on their lore and The Beyond is about a hotel that contains the portal to Hell. In fact, Miss Robichaux's could be considered a portal to Hell considering how many witches live there.
The Serpent And The Rainbow
Related: Lovecraft Country's Smartest (& Scariest) Plot Compares Different MonstersWes Craven's The Serpent And The Rainbow features the Haitian origins of zombies. While the living dead are mostly associated with George A. Romero's masterful works, the zombie's true history is woven into traditional rural lore in Haiti. It is believed that the dead were brought back to life by sorcerers or witches. Marie Laveau sends zombies to Miss Robichaux's Academy in episode 5, "Burn, Witch. Burn!" by using her magic based in Haitian practices, it is entirely influenced by Craven's The Serpent And The Rainbow.
Eve's Bayou
Kasi Lemmons's Eve's Bayou tells the story of Eve Batiste, portrayed by Lovecraft Country's Jurnee Smollett, as well as her two siblings Poe (Jake Smollett) and Cisely (Meagan Goode). The three live in Louisiana during the 1960s surrounded by magic. When Eve discovers that she has her own set of psychic abilities, she gets thrust into the world of historically Haitian magical practices.
It is known for its feminist undertones, which were utilized by Murphy to assist in crafting Queenie's characterization when she joins Marie Lavaeu. Eve's Bayou is known for being culturally and historically significant. It comes as no surprise that AHS: Coven would feature some of its most iconic portrayals of Haitian magic in scenes featuring Black witches, especially Marie Lavaeu's talents with the craft.
Haxan
Benjamin Christensen's 1922 documentary-style Swedish horror movie features some of the most unsettling imagery of witches and demons. The cards used to introduce the Seven Wonders are a direct reference to the black and white style from Haxan. It is one of the earliest movies about witches and, as such, it was destined to be featured in AHS: Coven. The fact that the movie is so old and the practice of the Seven Wonders is as well, by referencing Haxan, the series establishes just how important it is to witch culture.
The Crucible
Arthur Miller's play The Crucible was adapted by Nicholas Hytner in 1996. It is based on the 1690s Salem witch trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts. Starring Winona Ryder as Abigail Williams, The Crucible finds a group of young women participating in witchcraft with the help of Tituba (Charlayne Woodard). After bizarre events begin to occur, the group starts to point fingers at innocent people for being witches to avoid suspicions about them.
The witches in AHS: Coven share similar, if not the same, last names as some of these historical characters. Tituba was a real person who was the first to be tried for witchcraft. According to Queenie, she is a direct descendant of the witch. Fiona Goode is taken from Goody Osborne. Each witch in season 3 is a direct descendant of someone from Salem. While the names used in The Crucible aren't entirely based on real people, they are utilized in AHS: Coven to reference Miss Robichaux's students and their familial history.
Frankenstein
After Madison Montgomery flips a fraternity bus, she and Zoe go to the morgue to put Kyle (Peters) back together. The two use various parts from other men to create their own version of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Boris Karloff is known for depicting Dr. Frankenstein's monster who is violently confused about how he came to life. Kyle is unable to speak in coherent sentences until Fiona Goode casts a spell on him but he does grunt and react in a way that resembles the monster.
Evil Dead
During episode 5, "Burn, Witch. Burn!," Zoe uses a chainsaw to hack through the living dead. It is a direct reference to Sam Raimi's Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) from Evil Dead. The zombies depicted in AHS: Coven also resemble deadites, which are the undead in Raimi's movie. It was one of the most notable references to a cult classic.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Denis O'Hare's Spalding is inspired by none other than The Rocky Horror Picture Show's Riff Riff (Richard O'Brien). The 1975 horror musical features space aliens who are cannibalistic, as well as knowing how to choreograph amazing dances and dress to impress. The near balding Spalding is an obvious Easter egg to the captivating Riff Raff, who goes against his master's rule and overthrows him.
Carrie
In episode 1, "Bitchcraft," Madison Montgomery is sexually assaulted by a group of fraternity brothers. Her building anger towards her tormentors leads her to flip their bus. Her telekinetic powers are reminiscent of Carrie White's from Frank Darabont's Carrie. While it is a subtle reference, it is an undeniable parallel between the two telekinetic women.
Teeth
The final reference and Easter egg in AHS: Coven is Zoe's power. During her first sexual experience with her boyfriend, Zoe's vagina causes him to have a brain aneurysm. Mitchell Lichtenstein's 2007 horror movie Teeth is about a young woman who discovers that her vagina is full of razor-sharp teeth that she then uses to her advantage against abusive men. Zoe's first kill isn't a direct reference to the movie but her second kill is. She enacts her revenge against on the fraternity brother that started the assault on Madison by having sex with him, causing his death. American Horror Story: Coven's horror movie Easter eggs are intentional in crafting the characters, the situations they're in, their history, and even Zoe's deadly vagina.