Although each season is a standalone story, every season in American Horror Story has a couple of things in common with the rest – but American Horror Story: Cult broke a big tradition that made it the show’s scariest season. Created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, American Horror Story has become one of the most popular TV shows in recent years, especially in the horror genre, and it has been around long enough to create some traditions that have already been broken, and in some cases, that actually helped elevate the season.
Each season of American Horror Story is made as a self-contained miniseries, with each one addressing a different horror theme, beginning with the season retroactively titled Murder House, which was all about a haunted house and the ghosts living in it. Since then, AHS has covered a variety of themes and supernatural creatures, such as aliens, witches, and different types of vampires, and even though it’s an anthology series, the references and connections between seasons have created an American Horror Story universe. Of course, not all seasons have been well-received by critics, and among its most unpopular ones is season 7, Cult, which also broke a big tradition that made it better.
AHS: Cult takes place in the fictional suburb of Brookfield Heights, Michigan, in 2017, during the aftermath of Donald Trump winning the 2016 U.S. presidential election. At the center of the season are Kai Anderson (Evan Peters), a dangerous cult leader, and Ally Mayfair-Richards (Sarah Paulson), a woman suffering from a variety of phobias. Cult got a bad reputation for its use of the political division that came from the 2016 election, with many critics considering it was “too soon”, but through that and more, it broke a big tradition: Cult is the first American Horror Story season without supernatural elements, thus making it the show’s scariest season.
American Horror Story has relied on the supernatural since its first season, which is obviously not bad as the fear of the unknown is always an effective tactic in the horror genre, but Cult used more grounded, realistic fears. Leaving aside the political topic of it, which in itself evokes a dark and uncertain time in U.S. history (which also impacted the rest of the world) and is enough to trigger specific fears in some people, like Ally, cults are a real issue that has affected society for years. The influence and power of manipulation that cult leaders like Charles Manson, David Koresh, Jim Jones, and many, many more have had on people, especially on those who are easy to manipulate and who can be of some use to whatever plans they have, is a lot scarier than any supernatural (and fictional) creature because they are real, and anyone can fall for the dangerous charm of these people. The exploration of trauma and different phobias through Ally, as well as how she’s manipulated by the person closest to her (her wife Ivy), adds another layer of realistic horror to Cult that other seasons don’t have, and her fears – most of them triggered by the election’s results – make her one of the most relatable characters in AHS.
Leaving all possible supernatural elements aside for AHS: Cult was a smart decision as rooting it in real social issues and dangers ultimately made it the scariest American Horror Story season to date, but unfortunately, the political theme in it overshadowed the real horrors and message of an unfairly underrated season. American Horror Story: Cult didn’t need aliens, ghosts, or vampires to evoke fear in the audience, as just looking at how Kai’s evil mind worked, how he manipulated hundreds of people and took advantage of the weaknesses of many, and how Ally’s fears and trauma affected her and ultimately led her to be like Kai were enough to make a scary season.