In season 7 of Ryan Murphy's horror anthology series, American Horror Story, he introduced a multitude of various serial killers, cult leaders, and real-life criminals to enhance the terrifying aspects of his primary antagonist, Kai Anderson. The character, portrayed by Evan Peters, created his own cult that abides by his rules, which were carefully constructed around the failures and successes of those before him. It's evident that Kai’s research on true crimes in American history as well as their influence on him were integral to the entirety of American Horror Story: Cult.

American Horror Story rarely includes more than four to five real-life crimes, events, and people. American Horror Story: Hotel included the season 5, episode 4, “Devil’s Night”, which featured a dinner with the Zodiac Killer, Jeffrey Dahmer, Eileen Wuornos, Richard Ramirez, and John Wayne Gacy, but this was confined to a single episode. Murphy also took inspiration from the political climate following the 2016 election, and transformed it into an absolute nightmare for series regulars Sarah Paulson, Emma Roberts, and Frances Conroy.

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While the series has featured real-life serial killers sporadically, season 7 was the first time Murphy included so many in order to sustain the momentum of one specific character and plot line. Kai Anderson symbolizes the charisma, intellect, and personality that could create a dangerous group of followers, but he couldn’t have done it without the influences of others who created cults, led a cult, or attempted to create one. 

How The Real-Life Cults Inspired Kai

Evan Peters as various cult leaders in American Horror Story Cult

American Horror Story: Cult featured cult leaders Charles Manson, Jim Jones, Marshall Applewhite, and David Koresh (all portrayed by Evan Peters). In season 7, episode 9, “Drink The Kool-Aid”, Kai discusses these leaders and places them on a pedestal for everything they did, regardless of their heinous crimes. He takes great pride in knowing that he could join them as a leader as long as he hones the skills that they displayed during their rise to power. Without the presence of these cult leaders in season 7, it would be virtually impossible to draw a connection between what Kai is attempting to do and how it's actually very possible to achieve.

Furthermore, the fact that Evan Peters portrays each of the cult leaders reflects how Kai sees himself in them. He wants to be their peer and have his story live on in a similar fashion. The character takes pieces of what each cult leader did successfully, such as Jim Jones’s use of poisoned Kool-Aid. Kai forces his followers to drink it to test their loyalty to him and the cult. In doing so, he establishes that his followers will live and die for him as well as do whatever he demands. He also took on their charismatic qualities that drew in a mass amount of followers by making promises and ensuring them that they’ll rise to the top with him.

The True Crime That Influenced Kai

Lena Dunham as Valerie Solanas With Zodiac Cypher

In season 7, episode 7, “Valerie Solanas Died For Your Sins: Scumbag”, Lena Dunham portrays the infamous woman who attempted to murder Andy Warhol. Valerie Solanas was famous for this event, but also for her writing of the SCUM Manifesto in 1967, a year prior to Warhol's attempted murder. The self-published manifesto tells women the reasons why they should overthrow society by ridding the world of men. While it is an important piece of history, in American Horror Story, it is used to build Kai’s following by adding women to his cult.

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By utilizing its rhetoric, Kai is able to build up his following with both men and women who feel a strong disdain towards one another. Bebe Babbitt helps Kai with this, but it ultimately makes his cult confusing, much like the season as it progressed. With women who hate men and men who hate women, it appears as though the cult is divided in half. This was not entirely expanded upon, but the inclusion of Solanas undoubtedly contributed to the overarching story line on Kai’s growth as a cult leader and killer. The Zodiac Killer makes an appearance in season 7 as well. Often thought to be a man, Bebe attests that Valerie Solanas was the Zodiac Killer, but she was not. It is a massive plot hole that holds no true weight in season 7. However, it does bolster to the female followers who put their faith in Solanas’s SCUM Manifesto and the power she had, which in turn leads them to Kai. 

Why Season 7's True Crime Elements Were So Important

Kai Anderson smirking in AHS Cult

With an abundance of true crime elements throughout its entirety, American Horror Story: Cult was able to craft Kai Anderson into the epitome of evil. He took the stories of each cult leader, killer, and attempted murderer to teach him how to become the best of them all. Without their inclusion, Kai would not have had the tools to build upon his preexisting political leanings as well as the disdain he had on the current state of society. Kai progresses through the series by beginning as a somewhat low-level threat, but swiftly rises the more he learns about America’s true crime history. This reflects how the famous cult leaders depicted all rose from a place of relative anonymity until they were thrust into the spotlight, gaining permanent notoriety.

Once Kai is able to form a sustainable number of followers, he reaches into history’s past and draws from David Koresh, Charles Manson, Jim Jones, and Marshall Applewhite to craft himself into the perfect leader. Without the presence of these individuals and their stories, his rise to power would have been a major stretch due to the fact that Kai isn't a believable leader at first—it's only through their power and influence that he becomes somebody.

Kai Anderson’s rise and fall could not occur without these true crime elements. If these stories hadn’t been told, it's likely that he could not develop fully as a character. Kai’s characterization relies almost entirely on the cult leaders, Valerie Solanas, and the Zodiac Killer. This is also telling because it shows how more often than not, a single person cannot rise to power without drawing from historical influence—often where others have failed. While American Horror Story season 7 may have featured an overabundance of true crime and historical figures, it did so with the purpose of making Kai Anderson the most sadistic character the series has ever seen.

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