Despite not really being a ratings juggernaut, American Horror Story has catered well for fans of the horror genre, and, as a result, a tenth season has even been announced. Season nine only managed to bring in an average of 2.13 million viewers, which was the lowest so far.
However, American Horror Story is still a hit with critics. Several cast members get award nods each year. So far, Jessica Lange is the most nominated cast member with 31 award nominations and an impressive 11 wins. The following are the best and worst episodes of the anthology series, according to IMDb ratings.
Best: Orphans (8.8)
Season four goes by the title 'Freakshow," and the tenth episode finds Pepper angry and inconsolable when Salty passes away after suffering a stroke. The two had great adoration for each other. Elsa also informs Desiree that the first freak to be recruited was Pepper. This was after she opened her own show.
There is also a flashforward scene that shows where Pepper ends up living after her time in the orphanage. Meanwhile, Maggie also decides it's the perfect time to open up to Desiree about her budding relationship with Stanley.
Worst: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (6.9)
Season seven's second episode mirror's Stephen King's IT on some occasions. First, Ally is greeted by the sight of a clown lying in bed, so rushes downstairs. She tells Ivy who inspects the bedroom but doesn't see any clown nothing. Kai also announces his intention to run for a city council position, but Beverly Hope accuses him of assault.
The Wiltons later move into a house that previously belonged to the Changs. Harrison also confesses to Ally and Ivy that he has always been gay. Roger is later discovered hanging on a hook inside a meat storage facility.
Best: I Am Anne Frank: Part 2 (8.9)
In the fifth episode of the second season, Sister Jude is beaming with Nazi-phobia that's directed towards Dr. Arden. She thus hires a renowned Nazi hunter named Mr. Goodman to look into the doctor. Goodman informs her about a secret scheme known as "Operation Paperclip" through which American government officials helped Nazis relocate to the West by creating false biographies for them.
Goodman also informs Sister Jude that former Nazi officers have tattoos of their blood type on their arms and that's how she can really tell if someone was loyal to Hitler. Later on, the true identity of Bloody Face is also revealed.
Worst: Soujourn (6.6)
There were a couple of cultural references in this episode. For example, Madelyn raves about the perks of joining Satanism. For her, she gets to sleep with Ryan Reynolds every Friday. She also adds that she has Brad Pitt in her bed every Tuesday night. Ms. Venable also mentions Mark Zuckerberg and Rihanna as their business associates.
The episode mainly revolves around Michael, who, after the death of some of the closest people in his time, goes on a vision-quest to discover where his place truly is in this world. The disciples of his unholy father then point him toward his true destiny.
Best: Could It Be... Satan? (9.0)
The fourth episode of season eight sees Michael Langdon reminiscing about his early years with a Satan-worshipping caretaker named Miriam Mead. He remembers how she had killed her last three husbands by poisoning them. Interestingly, Langdon confesses that Mead made his life fun.
Back in the Outpost, Madison Montgomery and Myrtle Snow try their best to explain to a newly resurrected Mallory, as well as Coco, that identity spells were blocking their memory. These spells have been placed for their own good in order to protect them.
Worst: Election Night (6.5)
There is a real-life reference in this episode, as Winter Anderson briefly mentioned Lena Dunham. Lena is the actress that plays Valerie Solanas in the episode "Valerie Solanas Died For Your Sins: Scumbag."
In "Election Night," the announcement of Donald Trump's election victory has all kinds of effects on the people of Brookfield Heights, Michigan. A killer gang full of clowns also emerges and begins terrorizing residents, resulting in the death of the Chang family.
Best: The Name Game (9.0)
"The Name Game" finds Monsignor Howard recovering from the wounds that were inflicted on his body, but Sister Mary Eunice decides not to give him peace by continuing to torment him. He soon comes up with a plan to end the torment once and for all.
Elsewhere, Sister Mary Eunice lays out her plans for Sister Jude aka Judy Martin. The plan is a bizarre one that involves using a lethal dose of electroshock therapy to alter her memory.
Worst: Chapter 10 (6.3)
"Chapter 10" is the tenth episode of season six. It also served as the season finale. The episode marks the third time that Sarah Paulson portrays two different characters (Audrey and Lana) in a single episode.
In it, Journalist Lana Winters decides to come out of retirement in order to interview Lee. However, the interview doesn't exactly go as planned. Meanwhile, Lot Polk is still holding a grudge, so he plots vengeance against Lee and takes Flora.
Best: Return To Murder House (9.4)
"Return to Murder House" is the sixth episode of the eighth season of American Horror Story. It aired on October 17, 2018. In it, Behold and Madison make their way to Murder House to find out the truth about Michael Langdon's background.
They purchase the house by pretending to be a married couple who go by Mr. and Mrs. James. When they enter the house, they perform a couple of rituals to force all ghosts out of hiding.
Worst: Valerie Solanas Died for Your Sins, Scumbag (6.0)
With such a cool title, this episode ought to have been so much better. Events take place in 1968 and 2017. First, the self-proclaimed radical feminist Valerie Solanas storms into The Factory and confronts Andy Warhol, demanding that he gives her a script she wrote.
He lies that he lost it before claiming that a woman can never be a great artist. An angry Valeries decides to sell her body, but the man cons her by giving her $5 instead of $10. She uses the $5 to buy bullets before heading back to The Factory and killing Warhol.