American Horror Stories: Every Episode, Ranked By Scariness

The spin-off to American Horror Story, American Horror Stories has certainly proved divisive with fans. American Horror Stories is the first time fans have been welcomed into this universe since 2019, so it was strongly anticipated. It was particularly exciting to see some familiar faces from the main show make a return for the spin-off.

While each season of the main show focuses on a new story, (almost) every episode of the spin-off delves into a new horror story. Some of these stories were more humorous or puzzling, but others were true nightmare fuel.

7 Game Over (Episode 7)

For the season finale of American Horror Stories the writers decided to get meta. The episode begins with a couple arriving at the all too familiar Murder House; the viewers think they know what’s about to happen, only for the couple to start mentioning American Horror Story and their love for the show. 

Throughout the episode, almost every season of the original show is referred to in some way which should have been exciting. Instead though, the episode becomes confusing and convoluted and relies too heavily on nostalgia to carry it through. While Murder House is one of the best seasons of the parent show,  fans are so familiar with it by now that this episode lacked any new or original scares and instead reused many from the past.

6 Rubber(wo)Man Part 2 (Episode 2)

Continuing on from the first episode, Scarlett and her Dads continue to struggle with the evil of Murder House. For an anthology show, having three episodes set in the same location (already featured on the original show) feels excessive and the story here feels slightly stretched out over the two episodes.

The episode focuses more on Scarlett and Ruby’s twisted relationship than any real horror. In fact, the true horror of the episode comes from Scarlett’s lack of care over her girlfriend killing her parents. Any shock or scares seemed to come second to romance in this episode, which isn’t what most fans are looking for from a horror show.

5 The Naughty List (Episode 4)

Episode 4 was more satirical than scary; however, that was clearly its intention from the get-go. The main characters are purposely obnoxious and cringeworthy here; the viewers aren’t supposed to be rooting for them.

Although he doesn’t get much screen time in the episode, Danny Trejo’s Santa is a chilling antagonist. His stares at the camera and limited dialogue make him an intimidating antagonist; viewers will never think of ‘Ho, Ho, Ho’ the same again. Santa soon takes out the characters one by one in gruesome fashion, with the cruelest death being saved for the most sympathetic character of the episode (which isn’t saying much). The final shot of the Christmas Tree makes for a horrifying visual that nails down the horror in an otherwise humorous episode.

4 Rubber(wo)Man Part 1 (Episode 1)

The spin-off show begins in a very familiar way: a family moving into the iconic Murder House, which gives the feeling that the franchise has come full circle; the spin-off begins just where the original show did.

Scarlett’s strange connection with the familiar rubber suit is an engaging plotline. Fans were most likely expecting Scarlet to be the new Violet but instead, she becomes more like Tate, donning the rubber suit and murdering a group of her classmates with the help of The Infantata. The episode even features Adelaide’s first line from Murder House, ‘you’re going to die in there,’ which is always more of a promise than a warning when it comes to this house. While it’s a shame to revisit The Murder House and not see many of the original ghosts, there are some genuine scares with the ominous Rubberman lurking around every corner.

3 Drive In (Episode 3)

Once the series moves away from Murder House, it starts to feel exciting and fresh. With the reputation of Rabbit Rabbit, viewers are instantly anticipating something gruesome. As soon as Kelley and Chad arrive at The Drive-In, the atmosphere is tense. The tension builds slowly but once the movie starts, chaos breaks loose and there are some truly gruesome moments among the carnage.

Also, show regulars John Carroll Lynch and Naomi Grossman show up to portray some captivating and eccentric characters here. The horror of this episode mostly comes from the gore of the attack at The Drive-In but the surprise downbeat ending is also welcome. Fans are left wondering what the end of the episode means for the wider American Horror Story universe and viewers would be hard-pressed to forget the memorable first kill.

2 BA’AL (Episode 5)

The main character of this episode, Liv certainly steals the show and adds another to the list of characters Billie Lourd has played in the franchise. BA’AL really steps up the horror with Liv believing she is being tormented by a demon who is trying to steal her baby. The shot of the demon over the baby camera is truly chilling and the demon’s appearance is just as anyone expects: monstrous.

When the real Ba’al shows up and takes out Matt and the others, it’s both satisfying and gruesome to see the tables finally turn on the group. While the ending of the episode is more bizarre than scary, the episode as a whole is full of twists and creepy moments that leave the viewers on the edge of their seats.

1 Feral (Episode 6)

Although episode 5 is arguably the strongest, episode 6 is the one that will leave fans afraid to sleep. The disappearance of a child is a frightening enough note to start on, but it’s only when his parents return to the national park ten years later, the horror really begins. While the middle of the episode does slow down and is quite exposition-heavy, things really ramp up towards the end.

The end of the episode is enough to rival some of American Horror Story’s scariest seasons. Seeing show favorite Cody Fern torn apart by the grotesque ferals is gut-wrenching, but it’s the end of the episode that is truly jaw-dropping. Although it wasn’t entirely unpredictable to see an older Jacob as part of the ferals, him recognizing his parents only to feed them to his new family is terrifying and cements this episode as the scariest of the season.

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