American Horror Story 1984: The 10 Best Quotes, Ranked

The newest season of American Horror Story is set in the mid to late ’80s and has been dubbed 1984. This season brings so many references from the culture of America in the ’80s, making it as campy as possible to feel authentic.

From aerobics classes to Friday the 13th inspired camps, this season goes all out for what may be one of the greatest American Horror Story seasons in awhile. The season introduces some slasher killers, and real-life killers (such as Richard Ramirez, The Night Stalker) and twists everything with the backdrop setting of the haunting Camp Redwood.

10 “Pain is all I’ve ever known. Pain is how the world’s always talked to me. Why shouldn’t pain be the way I talk back?”

Richard Ramirez is literally the black spot on this rainbow infested season. No matter how dark all of the characters are inside, they still reside in the hip, neon-centered world of 1984. Richard, always cad in black, is a bit different.

This season of American Horror Story really amps up the “dark comedy” aspect as it doesn’t take itself too seriously, something that feels pretty refreshing for this series. But The Night Stalker is always series. Even when he’s being comical, it’s funny because he is serious while saying pretty twisted stuff. The quote above is an excellent example of this.

9 “You don’t have to fear the worst when it’s already happened.”

Poor Brooke Thompson, she definitely has had it rough. She enters the show and seemingly appears to be the “virgin” of the Camp Redwood cast. She is kind, sweet, and always tries to make sure the others are okay. But as the show progresses, it seems like Brooke has had a dark past.

Brooke’s quote “You don’t have to fear the worst when it’s already happened,” is the perfect summary of how the character is. She’s jaded and she only keeps getting hurt throughout the series, but this just seems to make her stronger.

8 “It’s 1984, Margaret. They’re building co-ed showers in the West Hollywood gym. Ever hear of the sexual revolution? Sex won.”

Xavier is definitely one of the comic-reliefs of this season. He is an aerobics-obsessed teen who is best friends with Montana. Apparently, the two dated for a hot minute before agreeing to just be friends with one another.

Xavier as a character seems to symbolize the ’80s, from everything he does. What he wears, what he believes in, and even how he speaks. For one, he is a firm believer in the sexual revolution and is the first one to say so in front of Margaret.

7 “I heard serial killers become more active in the summer months when it’s hot.”

It’s pretty ironic when Brooke claims that she has heard that serial killers become more active in the summer months, considering her setting. Richard Ramirez and Mr. Jingles both arrive on the scene during this fateful summer.

It is like she was purposely trying to jinx her and her fellow camp counselors, breaking yet another rule of horror movies. Hopefully, Brooke has now learned not to foreshadow her serial killer attack.

6 Worker: Hey man, who are you with? / Richard: Satan. / Worker: Right on.

This exchange between the devil-worshipping Night Stalker and a random worker for Margaret’s event is pretty hilarious. The employee sees Ramirez walking around near the band’s RV when he stops him and asks him who he’s with.

Ramirez stops and shows him his pentagon and claims he is with Satan, to which the worker responded “Right on.” This scene is comical in the same way that “Hail Satan” from Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is.

5 “There’s a constant feeling of emptiness and longing, but that’s pretty much how I felt when I was alive, so!”

While Montana dominantly has a pretty happy-go-lucky personality the majority of the time during 1984, she still manages to slip in these moments that show her true colors of her emotional state.

Montant definitely has a dark side, that much is clear when she goes on murderous rampages. But there is more to her than aerobics and blue eyeshadow. She acknowledges that she had a deep and everlasting emptiness and longing that cannot be fixed, not even while she was alive.

4 “Don’t feel like you have to change to fit into the world.”

Ray Powell was one of the sweetest characters in 1984 and definitely did not deserve his fate, which is even commented on later in the season. Ray says this quote to Brooke, in a heartfelt moment when he tells her that she doesn’t need to change who she is just to fit in with everyone else and the wild culture of the 1980s.

Ray and Brooke developed a pretty nice friendship before he was killed, and so when she sees him again in Camp Redwood, she says “I’m sorry if you have to stay here. You don’t deserve this either.”

3 “They really should bring back the guillotine. I would’ve paid good money to see her head roll.”

Margaret Booth was really the main antagonist of this season, in more ways than one. She was the secret killer behind everything, but she also was just a super vile person. This quote captures Margaret in the latter half of 1984 perfectly.

On top of being a murderous liar, she also was hungry for popularity and money. She was a rich snob who only wanted even more success. After the killings in Redwood, Margaret pins everything on Brooke, who then goes to jail with the death sentence. Margaret makes this comment while watching Brooke’s execution in the most cold-hearted of ways.

2 “Hey Rambo, my class isn’t for posers. This is aerobics. It’s serious. “

Montana, and many of the 1984 characters, were totally obsessed with aerobics. To them, this is what the ’80s were about and this is what defined the sexual revolution. It wasn’t just working out, it was so much more. Montana was one of the instructors and so she says this line with total earnest, just like the latter half of the quote, “This is serious.”

The mention of adoration of aerobics in 1984 is super hilarious and really sets the time, as they swear that it is the greatest thing, but it is no longer popular in the current day and age like they predicted.

1 “You’re gonna be famous! You’re gonna die by the hand of the Night Stalker!”

One of the coolest twists in American Horror Story 1984 was the fact that they incorporated Richard Ramirez, The Night Stalker, in with the main plot of the series. American Horror Story has introduced characterized versions of mass murderers and true crime events before.

In Hotel, Devil’s Night was pretty much all killers based on real people. In Asylum, Dr. Thredson was loosely based on Ed Gein. And in Cult, Kai insists everyone “drink the Kool-Aid” like in Jonestown. So for this season to center around The Night Stalker, without advertising it much in the pre-season trailers, was a rather cool twist.

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