Few series have had as long-lasting and as varied a run as FX’s American Horror Story. Across 12 seasons, we’ve been everywhere from a haunted murder house to a creepy hotel to the Roanoke colony, with plenty of memorable scares along the way.
The anthology show has crossed over so many genres and subgenres of horror that there’s something for everyone, which may be its biggest strength. And with the spinoff American Horror Stories (featuring a different storyline each episode) now part of the expanding universe, fans have a lot to enjoy from the franchise.
With Season 12 now behind us and Season 13 on the way — bringing the series back into witch territory in 2026 — it feels like the perfect time to look back at every chapter of American Horror Story so far. Which seasons truly terrified us, and which ones fell short? Below, we take on the difficult task of ranking them, factoring in both pure scare factor and the overall strength of each season’s wildly different storyline.
American Horror Story, Season 13, Halloween 2026, FX/Hulu
American Horror Story, Seasons 1-12, Available now, Hulu