Every 'American Horror Story' Season, Ranked from Worst to Best

When "American Horror Story" premiered in 2011, it was unlike anything on television. An old school anthology horror story, it featured A+ actors, cutting-edge make-up effects, and an obscene amount of sex and violence. Throughout the years, it has constantly reinvented itself, and is doing so again with the new season -- "Apocalypse," an uncanny mash-up of two previous seasons (at least) and so much more. As "Apocalypse" keeps us clutching our armrests, we look back at the stories that have come before it.

8. 'Hotel' (Season 5)

More often than not, the lesser "AHS: Horror Story" seasons can be described as "off" or "disappointing." But the fifth entry -- an overstuffed, modern day-set retread of the first -- was just out-and-out bad. Yes, Lady Gaga was devilishly captivating as The Countess, a villainous vampire at the heart of a ghostly establishment in downtown Los Angeles, but everything else about it was, in a word, dumb. This season is listless and uninspired, with a bunch of gonzo ideas ping-ponging around inside an incredibly empty, immaculately designed space, with nowhere to go.

7. 'Freak Show' (Season 4)

What made "Freak Show" such a letdown was the fact that it had so much potential. Everything was there, from the very beginning -- the period setting (1952 Florida), the cast of wonderful weirdos (Evan Peters had flippers, Sarah Paulson had two heads), and an intriguing premise of where things were headed (a violent confrontation between the freak show and the surrounding town), But instead of organically building to an operatic climax, it instead became a blood-soaked muddle, one full of supernatural asides and murderous mama's boys. But, oh, what could have been.

6. 'Roanoke' (Season 6)

The gimmick of Season Six was that its theme wouldn't be revealed until the very first episode -- elliptical billboards and advertisements showed off a myriad of possible scenarios, with a logo that formed a stylized "6?" When the first episode finally aired, the show took on the form of a faux supernatural documentary, with two sets of actors playing each character (the real person and the performer reenacting the scenario on the documentary). But even then, the true format of the season changed when, halfway through, the fake documentary was over and a new one was presented, with the actors and the real people reconvening in a haunted house near where the Roanoke colony went missing. The back half was way funnier and scarier than the first half (even if it was more conceptually chaotic), and it's a testament to the show's compulsively watchable nature that anybody stuck around through the extended experiment. It was also a shock to see Lady Gaga, the glamorous epicenter of the previous season, smeared in mud and portraying a barely recognizable wood witch. Hey, anything for the applause, right?

5. 'Coven' (Season 3)

Easily the most popular season of the series, "Coven" centered around a coven of witches in modern day New Orleans (led by a slithery Jessica Lange). The concept was undeniably delicious, with the coven serving as a black magic version of Xavier's School for the Gifted. And what's more, the entire season had a narrative engine that was lacking from all previous cycles (and pretty much every one since). While the fact that seemingly any character could easily return from the grave lessened some of the emotional impact, did that really matter when various plot threads involved voodoo, a menacing bayou demon, Danny Huston as an infamous ax murderer, and Stevie Nicks playing herself? Didn't think so.    

4. 'Murder House' (Season 1)

This is the one that started it all, a season built around a very haunted LA home and the very screwed up people who move into it (among them: Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton and Tessa Farmiga). There's a sense of exploratory newness to the season, with creators Murphy and Falchuk really trying something different and unproven with the format, cramming in as many ghosts, supernatural creatures (long live the Infantata!), and surprise subplots as they could conceivably squeeze into a single 12-episode arc. For most of the season, it's an absolute blast and the idea that characters that we've been exploring for the entire show could turn out to be ghosts (revealed in later episodes) was a genuinely nifty conceit that never felt forced or overwrought. By the time the season concluded, though, it had badly stumbled; instead of ending on a triumphant high note it just kind of fizzled out. Still, that wasn't enough to dampen the enthusiasm for both the show and the series. "Murder House" is, for better or worse, the haunted foundation for the rest of the show.

3. 'Cult' (Season 7)

This seemed like the riskiest season yet. Not only was there going to be no supernatural activity whatsoever -- a hallmark of the series since the first season -- but it was also going to be based, in part, on the 2016 election, something that most of us feel is far more terrifying than any horror conceit. As it turns out, "Cult" is the most quietly unsettling season yet. Bit by bit, it has built into one of the more audacious and effective installments. Then things start to really unravel. Not only did Murphy and his collaborators (including an unprecedented number of female directors) vividly recreate election night with even more terror, but they succeeded through a combination of thoughtful characterization and shocking thrills.

2. 'Apocalypse' (Season 8)

Somehow, "Apocalypse," which mashes up two of the most beloved seasons ("Murder House" and "Coven") has already managed to outshine both. The set-up is deceptively simple: a nuclear holocaust has wiped out most of humanity, save for a small group of chosen few who are secreted away to an underground bunker. But that conceit (as delicious as it is) quickly mutates into something worse, as we're introduced to Michael Langdon, the grown version of the demonic baby from "Murder House." And then (a-ha!) some of the witches from "Coven." This season pays suitable homage to the seasons that came before it (hello, "Hotel!") while forging its own wicked path. Even the narrative switcheroo feels like a more refined (and much more successful) version of the rug-pull from "Roanoke." We cannot wait to see where this thing goes (crazy, is our guess).

1. 'Asylum' (Season 2)

If "Murder House" was an interesting lark, well, than "Asylum" was the transcendent pop culture moment. Set in a mental institution in 1960's Massachusetts, this featured Jessica Lange in her series best role as Sister Jude, a deeply flawed nun trying to maintain her sanity -- and the sanity of those around her (through some rather unconventional means). Somehow, this season pulled together wildly disparate elements (Anne Frank, aliens, diseased mutants, a serial killer named Bloody Face) into a singular, cohesive storyline about otherness and acceptance.