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multifandombabesworld · 1 year

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SOME THINGS ABOUT ME: GET TO KNOW ME

First things first my name is Mary. I prefer you call me that but if you have any cool nicknames or anything like that, you would like to call me please ask. Do not call me anything without my permission first

I go by She/Her/Hers and I am bisexual. I have a preference for girls and I like redheads…random I know but it’s true

I’m 16 years old and I’m a junior in high school

My favorite color is purple and I like black as well

My Hogwarts House is Slytherin

My favorite movie genres are horror, comedy, thriller, and musicals

I’m a theatre kid. My favorite musicals are Hamilton, Annie, Into The Woods, and Heathers

I like different types of music genres. But I mostly listen to Pop, 80s, Rock, & Old Time music (like 50s-60s and even 90s)

I have two cats. A Russian blue named Sophia and an American short hair named Savannah

My top 5 favorite shows are Stranger Things, American Horror Story, Riverdale, The Vampire Diaries, and The Umbrella Academy

My top 5 favorite movies are Beauty and the Beast, Harry Potter, Descendants, Carrie, and IT

I have like a million celebrity crushes…here’s some of them: Evan Peters, Cody Fern, Dove Cameron, Taissa Farmiga, Billie Lourd, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Florence Pugh, Scarlett Johansson, Sarah Paulson, Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire, Finn Wittrock, and such much more. (Like literally it’s at least a whole fucking twelve pages)

I have an older brother who is 20 years old, and has autism

I’m huge nerd!! (I’m a huge ass nerd when it comes to the shows and movies I like…lol)

I like to read all different types of books. My favorite ones I have read are Carrie, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Dork Diaries, Whatever After, IT, and anything Stephen King

I have an obsession with anything chocolate and anything with cookies

My favorite cookies are snickerdoodles and sugar cookies

I don’t like dark chocolate or white chocolate that much (I’m more of a milk chocolate gal)

I like to write about different things so send in something. (I write fluff, angst, happy things, cute friend stories, and….sometimes smut. The last one I wrote was two years ago and it was so fucking bad….but yeah…)

And that’s all…..I think….there’s probably more about me but….that’s all I can think of. If you want to suggest anything or ask me something, feel free to message me.

Love you all!! Have a good night/day!! 💕

#all about me #facts about me #facts #about my life

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langdxn · 4 years

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I'm soooo curious how others perceive Cody, like his personality and stuff! Do you think you could write something where the reader is a fellow actress on ahs, and the moment Cody and her meet, the tension is heavy and sparks are flying, and after a while of getting close and hanging out Cody confesses his feelings? You can write it as a fic or as headcannons and add smut it's all up to you! I'm just so curious now hkgjfkfjjd 💕💖❤️

asdfghjkl this has ruined me 💕💕 I’ve never tried headcanons before so this probably sucks but here goes! I’m so sorry this is so long 😭😭😭

The first read-through for a season is terrifying enough, nobody knows who’s returning, who’s not returning, who the newbies are, what to expect.

You’re new this season so you turn up early just to introduce yourself before all the chaos ensues.

You’re the first one in the room and once you’re settled at your named seat, your handbag scooted neatly under your desk, the door creaks open and a heavily-ringed hand curls around it. Cody peeks round the corner and he’s already beaming from ear to ear before he’s seen who’s in the room.

Your heart doesn’t know whether to soar or sink like a stone because Cody freaking Fern just walked in smiling like a soft boi.

He’s stood in the doorway squealing with glee, he’s back for another season and he wasn’t dreaming it! He throws a “oh my god this is actually happening” in your direction.

He can’t decide whether to run over and greet you or sit down before everybody piles in and things get crazy. He settles for the latter because he’s shy as heck, so he saves himself the nerves by waving happily across the room. “Hey, you’re new here! Nice to meet you, I’m Cody!” His Michael rings glint in the early morning sunlight — he must be a morning person.

His Aussie accent is drop dead GORGEOUS by the way, there’s nothing that can change my mind about that, I don’t make the rules.

He spots his seat directly across from you and flings his bag on the table, pulling out his chair and sinking into the (indescribably uncomfortable) plastic chair.

So the read-through goes okay, Sarah Paulson’s front and centre smoking and Evan Peters is slumped in a chair in a dark corner.

Scanning through the script, you searched the pages for any scenes where you and Cody are together. From page one, you’re noticing his name above yours A LOT.

You looked over to him and you find Cody gazing back at you, wearing such a warm smile he lights up the whole fucking room.

You quickly looked back down but you couldn’t help looking again and this time he’s winking.

Or blinking really.

It’s a wink.

But he can’t wink.

So he blinks.

Turns out Cody’s character is hopelessly in love with yours and your character bats him off daily.

So when you’re on set, you never know whether he’s gazing at you longingly because he’s getting into character or it’s real.

You’re just lucky he’s not caught you staring at him back.

Yet.

One day before you settled down for filming, you swore you caught him and Leslie Grossman giggling and gesturing towards you. In any other situation you’d think it was a bad thing but they’re too kind to be malicious, especially not behind someone’s back.

Sometimes you’d sit together at lunch and he’s aaaalways reading, he’s nose-deep in philosophy books 24/7 and he’ll read some paragraphs out loud to get everybody talking.

Well, not quite everybody... Gus doesn’t even bat an eyelid.

Every day he’s wearing a different extravagant ring. The costume department must be out of jewellery because he’s always trying them on and ‘testing them out’.

He’s a people person. If he’s not talking, he’s listening, asking questions and actively getting to know everybody.

He’s forever the most popular guy during breaks in shooting, he’s always swamped by people, cast and crew trying to speak to him. That’s why it’s so hard to catch five seconds to speak to him one-on-one... not that you’ve got any courage for that, at least not yet.

“Ask me who I’m wearing,” he shouts over to Billie, gesturing at some out-of-this-world outfit he’s got ready for a photoshoot later. “BALENCIAGAAAAAA!”

Seriously, he LOVES dropping AHS references. It’s obvious he’s a superfan and he tries to restrain it but he’s just so happy to be where he is, living the dream.

Asking him for feedback on your performance in certain scenes is just impossible, he’d never say a bad word about anybody.

DID I MENTION he tries to wink at everybody but... it’s just not happening. He’s working on it.

Weeks later, you’re filming a scene where Cody has to try and kiss you and you brush it off.

His hands are resting on your hips and he’s towering over you, his lips are hovering so close to yours and his gorgeous blue eyes are pleading with you to let him touch you.

You keep messing up the scene because you’re shaking and blinking frantically, it’s not that you’re not a professional but he’s literally right there begging you to capture his lips and melt into him.

Cody laughs it off and tries to calm you down by whispering that it’s okay to be nervous... like that’s not how you calm a girl down but bless him for trying.

A bunch of takes later, you were shaking so much your lips accidentally brushed together and finally that contact was all you needed to snap you out of your nervousness.

You nailed the next take and the directors finally called it for the day so you all head back to your dressing rooms.

Just as you’re about to leave, Cody taps you softly on the shoulder and takes you to one side.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” he nervously flicks his hair back from his forehead, looking down at his feet. “I was nervous too.”

“What’s there to be nervous about?” You enquire feeling a little intrusive at first but as you’ve got him in private, it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

“Haven’t you seen the way I’ve been looking at you ever since the read-through? I can’t take my eyes off you, I can’t stop thinking about you.”

It’s like someone just smacked you with a brick, you’re totally dumbstruck.

“I—I thought that was just method,” you stutter, shaking your head nervously and some of your hair falls in front of your face.

Cody reaches to brush your hair behind your ear, his azure irises burning into yours like he can plunge right into your soul and pluck out your deepest desires.

“Is this method too?” He whispers.

He gazes at your lips as if he’s making a mental map of your face, knowing full well they’ll be the first thing on his mind in the morning and the last thing at night.

You dare to look down at his, he’s caught his bottom lip ever so slightly between his teeth.

Without another word, his fingers snake gently around the back of your neck and pull you in.

Cody’s lips press so softly against yours, begging you to let him know you feel the same.

Your eyes are closed but it’s like fireworks are dancing all around your vision, like a watercolour masterpiece forming in your mind.

You break away from his lips to breathe deeply and open your eyes to see his eyes glistening, a loving, fulfilled spark ignited by finally, finally kissing you.

You lean back in to sink into his lips, drawing into him deeper and deeper, you feel him smiling so hard against you — he took a risk on you and it paid off.

His large, gentle hands ghost down to your waist and pull you close until you’re flat against him, feeling his heart beating so frantically in his chest it might burst out.

You wrap your arms around him and he breaks your kiss for a moment, drinking in the sight of you flush up against him and feeling you still shaking in disbelief.

“You don’t need to be nervous anymore, Y/N,” he coos, “I’m falling for you.”

#cody fern #cody fern fanfiction #cody fern headcanons

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wanderlustgemini · 5 years

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AHS 1984 Thoughts (So Far)

I love the horror film cliches

Also how did they not hear the killer in the cabin?

Cody Fern. Do I need to say more?

Chet is hiding something

As someone who ignores obvious signs. Maybe take the gas attendants advice and not go to redwood? Maybe? I don’t know?

Did nobody learn from Angelica? Nothing? Okay. Go swimming I guess.

Mr. Jingles just wants keys? Why doesn’t he just go to a key making place? Killing for keys is little too dramatic?

I love Rita

“I have suspicious nature” Same

She’s just going outside after being chased? Smart.

I’m curious to see how this season will be without Evan Peters and Sarah Paulson carrying the show?

The show is pretty good so far. I love the characters and the soundtrack. I want to give it a few more episodes before I judge the season. We’ll see how I like it at the end if the season.

#If you’ve seen it what do you think about it so far?#ahs #ahs 1984 #american horror story

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gregstarroyco · 5 years

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I am getting BOMBARDED with bad news this week

first, I hear evan peters is dating halsey, THEN I see on Twitter that jessica lange is not going to be in ahs or tv AT ALL (hello ma’am the politician season 2), and to top it off I have to watch ahs 1984 every week without them or sarah paulson. it’s kind of upsetting. but cody fern is here to revive me

#ahsfx #ahs 1984 #evan peters #sarah paulson #jessica lange #the politician #american horror story #cody fern

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constantlyirksome · 5 years

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AHS: 1984 Successfully Steers into the 80s Skid, but How Long Will the Novelty Last? (9x01 Review.)

I’m part of a minuscule group of people who believed that maybe, just maybe, after eight seasons, it’s two leads Evan Peters and Sarah Paulson leaving might give the show the revitalizing kick it needs. They have given us some of the most iconic horror characters in history, (Tate Langdon, Mr. March, Lana Winters, Cordelia Goode), but after a while, it’s possible all these characters could start to run together. To inject the show with a new theme, a new core cast and a new vibe might just be the thing to bring back some of the show’s originality, but the first episode of American Horror Story season 8 never really gets where it wants to be.

The first episode of season 9, AHS: 1984, certainly does feel different. While the first scene is your typical mysterious murder blood bath, a pile of impaled teens with chopped off ears, it’s followed by a colorful, campy, 80s synth-pop workout video starring the show's core young cast. Coupled with a catchy tune and neon pink title cards (with character names like Xander, Chet, and Montana) the scene firmly placed us in the decade of leg warmers and crop tops.

The firm placing and over the top recreation of the 80s cultural landscape is the premiers most entertaining, fun, novel component. The costuming (neon, scrunchies, crop tops, windbreakers) and puffy hair, the music, and the dialogue are so campy and over the top that it works. It’s a love affair with classic 80s slashers of the time, down the season’s summer camp setting. It even changes it’s the usual style of gore, favoring the simpler visual effects techniques of the era were the blood is just red corn syrup that flies in every direction, even out of peoples eyes.

However as the plot is also incredibly cliché (group of hot youngsters works a summer at a camp haunted by a serial killer) it’s quite possible that all these fun, campy dressings won’t hold the people's interest for very long. The classic character tropes (nerdy virgin, oversexed barbie, hot-headed roid monster, overtly sexual gay guy) and camera angles (peeking out of the bushes as if someone is watching the campers) are all a loving tribute to the 80s, but also quite boring. As the seasons Big Baddie “Mr Jingles” chases Emma Roberts through the woods, at a glandular pace, she trips multiple times, get’s hit with falling branches and falls into some mud, using some very well used tropes in the slasher, you have to wonder how long these familiar scenes will work. The gore isn’t enough to excite, as there isn’t very much of it in the premier, just the initial scene and one other killing tell us that this is a horror show at all and not a coming of age movie.

Hope lies in the season’s core actors Billie Lourde, Emma Roberts and Cody Fern, all returning after last seasons nostalgic “Apocalypse”, with new characters and mannerisms. While they may not have the same pull or raw power in scenes that Evan and Sarah once had, they’re talented in their own right. Emma has to really stretch herself to play Brooke, a non-blonde who is also not a raging bitch like all her other characters, and is surprisingly good at it. Billie plays glam rocker Montanabr, an 80s sex siren who loves aerobics and headbands, and is a fair bit more animated than we’ve seen her previous characters. Fern plays Xavier, an outlandish, effeminate aerobics instructor who convinces everyone to work at the dreaded camp. I expect these three will do a lot of the emotional heavy lifting, as Gus Kenworthy plays a character who never wears a shirt, and Matthew Morrison’s character only has one personality trait, and that’s that he has a big dick. Those jokes got boring after about thirty seconds. Leslie Grossman play a delightfully repressed ex victim of Mr Jingles, who’s religious zealot ways are sure to make her snap at some point, and the delightful Angelica Ross plays Nurse Rita. Zach Villa is set to become more central as the local psychopath who attacks Brooke, the newest on the long list of heartthrob killers to sexually confuse people.

As the season moves forward the most important thing the show could do is not getting too bogged down in the 80s schtick which, while fun, will limit the shows potential to surprise and entertain. Whether the show can sustain itself without Evan and Sarah is yet to be seen, this season could just end up feeling more like season 3 of Scream Queens.

#american horror story #ahs: 1984 #ahs #american horror story 1984 #cody fern #billie lourd #Gus Kenworthy #emma robert #angelica ross #brooke thompson #montana duke #xavier plympton #zach villa

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peachyromanoff · 5 years

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American Horror Story: 1984 (Trailer Opinion)

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The official trailer for the newest season of American Horror Story dropped just last Monday. Unlike the seasons before, this one will be focused on 1980’s horror films. It’s most prominent influence is seemingly Friday the 13th, due to the camp setting and... well, everything else. There’s a psychotic mental patient on the loose, an off putting camp counselor, and a group of twenty/thirty year olds pretending to be younger than they actually are. God, don’t you just love 80’s movies? This season will also be featuring recurring actors: Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Leslie Grossman and Cody Fern. Though the show’s prominent players, Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters, will not be joining the cast. To be completely honest, I’m glad they’re taking a well deserved break from the show, especially after that last season. Although, it surely won’t be the same without them. Aside from the actors, the trailer itself looks interesting. I’m looking forward to Ryan Murphy’s spin on 80’s clichés, though I am weary, again, because of the last season. It had so much promise, so much potential, but was done so, so wrong. Though, I suppose I could write a whole blog post about that mess. Right, anyway, back to AHS 1984. So, this season is set to air September 18th, and as much as I hate to admit it, I’ll probably be viewing it then as well. I have hopes, they’re not very high, but they are there—mainly for the cast. Final note? Don’t disappoint me, Ryan Murphy.

#american horror story #ahs #ahs 1984 #sarah paulson #evan peters #billie lourd #cody fern #emma roberts #horror movies #tv shows #opinion #movies #review

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pussymagicuniverse · 5 years

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American Horror Story Seasons Ranked from Best to Mediocre

Practically every TV series has a season that you don’t feel overjoyed about. Very few shows that have multiple seasons will impress you every time, unless you’re a super fan that finds no wrong even in what you love. It doesn’t make you less of a fan to critique and notice what could have been done better.

With American Horror Story it’s a different experience in regards to critiquing each season because it’s an anthology series. Despite American Horror Story: Apocalypse’s crossover with American Horror Story: Coven – every season has its own theme, plot, and characters. That alone brings on a plethora of possibilities each season, especially when we’re given weird teasers and minimal information.

Despite my love for AHS, there have been seasons that were quite sloppy or just not my speed. Below you’ll find my own personal ranking and if you’re a fan then you’ll understand all of what I’m saying.

1. Coven (2013)

While it may not seem like it, this season gets bashed on occasion. Some arguments on why it wasn’t the best were valid, but not enough to change my mind about this season.

Was it perfect? No, but nobody can say this wasn’t a nail-biting season. Not only did it have bad ass witches but Angela Bassett (Marie Laveau) and Jessica Lange (The Supreme, Fiona Goode) stole the damn show! A lot of the memorable moments featured one or both of them. Unless Stevie Nicks’ cameo appearances are more your speed. Which, in my opinion, were iconic and can’t be touched.

All in all, the season explored racism, what it’s like being black and a witch, depictions of Marie Laveau, Madame LaLaurie and the Axeman, as well as other topics. In my opinion, this season deserves better treatment than it’s received.

2. Murder House (2011)

This season was the perfect one to rope us in for this anthology series. It gave us the right amount of drama and plenty of horror. Of course, Jessica Lange (Constance Langdon) was stellar in this season, but the performances from the rest of the cast were on point as well.

The Harmon Family, which this season focuses on, keeps us on the edge of our seats throughout. Not many things will have you saying “totally saw that coming,” from the twists and turns to what transpired in that spooky ass mansion. While there were a handful of things that still disturb me, it’s still a top season for me and is undoubtedly a successful one within the series.

3. Apocalypse (2018)

Having Murder House and Coven crossover is something I have to applaud Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk (the show creators) for. Not only that but casting Cody Fern as Michael Langdon (aka the Antichrist ) was a big thumbs up. His performance throughout is no joke and it held me til the end, even when his character had me unimpressed, which unfortunately happened more than I’d like to admit.

Some parts of this season were dragged out to me and some characters felt pointless by the end. And that’s just some of what could have been done better in my opinion. Nevertheless, seeing my favorite witches again and witnessing many explicit scenes and having certain gaps filled helped the slow parts of the season.

4. Roanoke (2016)

Weird as hell. That’s the easiest way to describe the overall vibe of this season. In the beginning it seems confusing because of the set up. Though soon enough you come to the conclusion that it’s a TV show within a TV show.

It starts off being about an interracial couple, Shelby (Lily Rabe) and Matt Miller (André Holland), Matt’s sister, Lee (Adina Porter) and their experiences in a farmhouse that’s situated on the land where the Roanoke Colony disappeared in the 1580’s.

It was an interesting way to explore a real-life mystery and bring something new to the table for the series. What can be considered memorable is how many times Matt’s name is said from start to finish, the crazy ass ghosts, Scáthach or that British accent from Sarah Paulson in the final few episodes.

5. Hotel (2015)

This season is one that you either really didn’t like or you liked for the most part. For me, it’s re-watchable and holds my interest every time, even with the jacked up and bizarre happenings that occur in the Hotel Cortez. Though, I’m one for weird and batshit crazy stories, so maybe that makes me slightly biased in this instance. Mostly the season focuses on serial killers, supernatural occurrences and beings and a whole lot of mystery.

Lady Gaga, who had never appeared on the show before, gets to show off her acting chops as The Countess, a vampire who’s endured decades of the Hotel Cortez, and it’s creator. She can’t be compared to Jessica Lange but she wasn’t a disappointment either. Essentially she brought a different flavor that you either like or don’t. Regardless, it may not have been amazing but it wasn’t the worst either.

6. Asylum (2012)

This season does way too much and it overall feels like the wrong type of chaos. Whether it’s the alien abduction, “Bloody Face”, the consistent bullshit Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson) endures, Briarcliff Manor overall, the demonic possession, or the other craziness within this season.

I just can’t bring myself to actually consider this season the best one. Meanwhile, other fans most certainly will give it that title. The cast does help keep the season afloat and that does help save the season for me. Without a solid cast, this season would been a huge dumpster fire, which is the short way of saying it. If anything, it’s very much memorable for “The Name Game” scene, as well as watching a possessed nun act high-key explicit.

7. Cult (2017)

Ahhh, the results of the 2016 presidential election. I despise thinking about the rigged and undeniably corrupt results. The same ones that made that orange fool the president. We already deal with this reality and the horror of it all. So having this season be so realistic was... awful.

Instead of wacky serial killers, vampires, possession, bad ass witches, ghosts, or anything else that American Horror Story has given us – we get the horrors of our present day, such as: violence coming from Trump supporters and the right-wing in general to how progressives are painted as too radical and sensitive. In addition to how even white progressives can flip.

Not much about this season is unrealistic, which made it hard to watch. Normally I would be all for symbolism and realistic aspects, but Cult wasn’t as gripping as previous seasons. Not even Evan Peters (whose character I really hated in this season) helped.

8. Freak Show (2014)

Unfortunately there’s not much to take away from this whack season. Yes, the title should have given it away. Though it was given the benefit of the doubt and became a let down.

Maybe the first episode showed some potential, yet from there it was just a weird chain of events within the plot. No one was prepared for a choppy story or the most irritating character that is Dandy Mott (Finn Wittrock).

This season is indefinitely my least favorite and not even a few re-watches can change my mind. Not even the gay content within this season made it any better, which is saying a lot. So it makes the bottom of this list, will stay at the bottom, and won’t crawl up from the abyss.

Vanessa Maki is a queer writer, artist & other things.

She’s full of black girl magic & has no apologies for that. Her work has appeared in various places like Really System & others. She is also forthcoming in a variety of places. She’s founder/EIC of rose quartz magazine & is involved in other literary spaces as well.

Follow her twitter & visit her site.

#american horror story #american horror story analysis

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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The Divisive Power of American Horror Story, Ten Years on

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Some days, it’s hard to be a Ryan Murphy fan. The minute American Horror Story comes up, people have a knee-jerk reaction. It’s either love or hate, no in-between. And that’s been going on for a decade now.

But there must be some grotesque alchemy behind this lifespan. Many horror TV series have never quite achieved the liftoff and cultural imprint that AHS has. In 2011, when the first season premiered, the only horror-themed TV show on a major network was The Walking Dead. While there is a rich and under-explored tradition of anthology horror shows (Masters of Horror, The Twilight Zone) which fall into the tradition of the standalone TV movie, often anchored by a horror host, AHS was aiming for something that sat between prestige television and Grand Guignol.

The first season, Murder House, created a blueprint for some of the elements that remain at the dark heart of American Horror Story: a coarse smoothie of true crime history, distinctly American moral panics, and a love of horror movie traditions, all wrapped up in grotesque violence and over-the-top horniness. It’s a horrific live-action version of The Sims, each season completely unpredictable and totally familiar at the same time.

Over the last decade, Murphy and Brad Falchuk have created a horror equivalent of the MCU: an expanded universe with shared rules, shared spaces, and a repertoire of recurring characters and actors. And in 2021, they’ve expanded it even more with the standalone series American Horror Stories, which takes on elements from previous seasons but has a new cast and new story every episode. The 10th season of the show, Double Feature is airing now.

What makes AHS so enduring? At the start of the show, every season was billed as a standalone story with a distinct beginning and end, usually anchored by a place that implies creepiness and has a long-standing presence in horror history (a haunted house, an insane asylum, a dark forest, a summer camp, a haunted hotel, a witches’ coven). From Freak Show, the show’s fourth season, the series started becoming interconnected, with characters from previous storylines popping up or being referenced. The show’s eighth season, Apocalypse, functions as a double-sequel, both to the story of Coven’s witches and to the fate of the demon-child from season one.

Even though every season of American Horror Story, regardless of how they are connected, explores a distinct theme and has its own separate set of characters, there are elements that are recognizably Murphy-esque.

The show is concerned with Otherness. Rather than hide its monsters in the closet or in the basement (although it has, quite literally, done that), it puts them front and center and often makes them the lead character. In Murder House, Tate Langdon (Evan Peters), the ghost of a teen school shooter, is arguably the main character with the most compelling arc. In Hotel, the entire world and all the other characters gravitate around glamorous vampiress The Countess (Lady Gaga). And in Apocalypse, the antichrist Michael Langdon (Cody Fern) isn’t held back until the climatic face-off; he’s the main attraction. AHS takes all the distinctively American outsiders and builds stories around them, zeroing in on our shared, somewhat morbid curiosity about them and infusing those stories with empathy. In AHS, serial killers can be heartbroken and witches can be insecure. At its most successful, the show asks us to empathize and connect with the most monstrous of characters, peeling back the curtain to reveal the real monsters are not who we think they are.

Monsters make for juicy roles. One of AHS’s superpowers is its repertoire of actors, some of whom have found mainstream recognition and success through their work on the show and other Ryan Murphy productions, including Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters. AHS is also often credited with bringing a new audience to established older actresses like Jessica Lange, Angela Bassett, and Kathy Bates. The former, in particular, has been a staple and a shining star of the American Horror Story universe, playing Southern belle bitches and grand witches. After a period of inactivity and lesser roles, Lange’s creative partnership with Murphy gave us some of the most despicable and watchable female characters in horror. The entire fourth season, Freak Show, which marked Lange’s last full season as a principal cast member, was an extended love letter to the actress.

This approach to casting AHS is, essentially, a take on the Old Hollywood studio system of casting, where actors would be cast into roles based on their looks and what expectations those looks communicated to the audience. On AHS, the same actors are recast every season, but each time it’s a radically different character. Additional faces are added into the repertoire and become staples of the show, like Cody Fern (who first worked with Murphy on The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story), Matt Bomer (who went from a bit part on Freak Show to a leading role in Hotel), Angela Bassett (who has appeared in every season since her turn as Marie Laveau in Coven) or Finn Wittrock (whose first major role was as the psycho man-child Dandy Mott on Freak Show and has since become a go-to player in the troupe).

This creates an interesting meta-dynamic between the audience and the show. With every passing season, we want to see how far the cast will flex their acting muscles. Will they be a lead or a supporting character? Will they play a historical figure? Sometimes the same actor will play two or more roles in the same season, even the same episode. Evan Peters, who appeared in every season since the very first episode, played not only the lead antagonist of Cult, but five historical characters on top of that. Murphy has also known exactly when to deploy smart stunt-casting, most notably giving Lady Gaga her first major screen role as The Countess in Hotel. Her theatricality and sultry charisma are perfect for a role that requires everyone who comes into contact with the glamorous vampire to become instantly, supernaturally obsessed with her.

There is heaps of sex, but contrary to horror traditions it seldom leads to death. In fact, it’s often intertwined in ways that make sex the only respite from the onslaught of murder and dismemberment. In Murder House, the character of Moira, initially presented to us as a Halloween-shop version of a slutty maid (played by both Frances Conroy and Alexandra Breckenridge) is only seen as alluring and promiscuous by the men who are incapable of seeing her as a person. Being seen this way is her own version of hell after she is murdered by the wife of her boss who tried to sexually assault her.

Horror has often provided meaty roles for actresses beyond the reductive “scream queen” term. AHS has, over the past decade, done not only that but also smuggled in difficult subjects for them to explore underneath all the camp. Throughout its run, AHS has tried to delve into ideas of motherhood, abortion, aging, power, sexuality, disability, and race. It hasn’t always succeeded (Coven, despite the glorious, spiky dialogue and fine performances, is extremely problematic in its attempt to discuss racism and its traumatic legacy).

The recurring centering of the Other, and the deliberate pushing of boundaries squarely places American Horror Story in the tradition of the Grand Guignol.

It’s a slicker, sexier version of the horror theatre. It takes everything we know about horror movies and infuses it with some old school Hollywood glamour, without the training wheels.

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While the self-aware theatrics can be grating on some horror fans, that’s precisely the charm of AHS. We don’t come to AHS for nuance, we come for extreme violence, to see every possible taboo grotesquely defiled—and then giggle at the bitchy barb that follows.

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