I have watched American Horror Story for years. The latest season has come out as part of the 2024 TV premiere schedule, and while I don’t think it was nearly as gory as some of the other seasons, it was still enjoyable to watch. However, if you’re like me, and you’ve been watching American Horror Story since the very beginning, you and I both know that there’s no cap to the shock level of this franchise.
Seriously. I’m the kind of person who loves the best horror movies out there or the best horror TV shows, but sometimes, this series finds new ways to shock even me – a young woman who has spent most of her life desensitized to mindless violence. And today, I’m going to scar you too – hooray!
The Blood As Moisturizer (AHS: Coven)
So, I will be the first to say that I think American Horror Story: Coven is the absolute best season of American Horror Story, and I will stand by that to this day. As a Harry Potter lover but also just a nerd when it comes to all things witchy, I was living my best life when the third season focused on witchcraft.
But it definitely has its moments of pure creepiness, and that, my friends, starts with Delphine LaLaurie (Kathy Bates), who uses the sacrifices of her Black slaves and their blood as a moisturizer. Why, might you ask? Because of some superstitious attempt to keep her skin youthful and fresh. It’s horrifying in every way possible.
Nail Gun To The Head (AHS: Cult)
You know, I think I blocked out American Horror Story: Cult because it was coming out during such a volatile time of American history, but rewatching it now, yeah, this season is messed up. And this is one of those moments that got me.
Cult members are tested on their allegiance when they are forced to use a nail gun on R.J., but it turns out it takes a lot of nails to kill someone. So we just sit there for ages, watching someone get repeatedly nailed in the head. Good god, I’m getting nauseous just thinking about it.
That Demon In The AHS: Hotel Premiere (AHS: Hotel)
Look, man, I’m all for living your life and being with whoever you want and doing what you want, but this scene in American Horror Story: Hotel was just… disgusting. When a junkie gets high in the hotel, a waxy, disgusting demon-like creature appears and sexually assaults him with a dildo that happens to have a drill.
Yeah… I really don’t think AHS has topped this in a long time. And I don’t want to think about it anymore.
When Lana Gives Herself An Abortion (AHS: Asylum)
In terms of Sarah Paulson’s best characters on AHS, this is one of her best. Lana is assaulted while in Briarcliff, and she becomes pregnant. This is the '60s, and she’s already being held captive, and the man who attacked her is quite possibly the worst human alive. She feels she has no choice.
So she decides to take drastic measures and use a coat hanger to force an abortion because she can’t get the help that she needs. It’s a gruesome scene and painful to watch, and even more so, knowing that it’s because the resources were not available to aid her.
Maggie Getting Cut In Half (AHS: Freak Show)
Emma Roberts has appeared in many seasons of American Horror Story as a cast member, and one of her best characters was Maggie in AHS: Freak Show. Maggie is a fake fortune teller who falls into this world.
She winds up becoming a volunteer for a magic trick that turns bloody after she is sawed in half, but at that point, no one helps her because she has already tricked a lot of the freaks at the freak show. It’s still a gory and disgusting scene that was probably one of the most creepy so far.
Violet Discovers Her Death (AHS: Murder House)
The first season of American Horror Story, otherwise known as Murder House, feels tame in comparison to many of the others. But you want to know what wasn’t tame? Violet finding her own dead body.
I think what shocked me was just the way it was delivered – none of us knew she was dead until that moment, and it all came so quickly. And when we finally saw her corpse, covered in webs and bugs and all things disgusting, it certainly made you squirm and never want to watch the show again. But of course, we keep going.
Elsa’s Legs Are Cut (AHS: Freak Show)
American Horror Story: Freak Show is disgusting in many ways, but I do think that having Elsa as a character was great because she had a very, very interesting past. Not only was she a dominatrix, but she revealed a vulnerable part about her – that she lost both her legs in a torture porn video.
It’s a horrible moment that makes you feel bad for the woman, but it also made me truly question what the heck I was watching because it was so horrible.
Xavier Gets Roasted (AHS: 1984)
Ah, there’s nothing quite like watching someone get roasted alive. American Horror Story: 1984 reminds me of many slasher films of the past, and this moment, where Xavier is roasted in an oven, is pretty gruesome.
You’d think the show couldn’t get more bloody, but it does, and I don’t even want to think about how it leads to this because I’m getting grossed out. Blech.
The Guinea Pig’s Death (AHS: Cult)
I can’t get into this too much because it will genuinely upset me, but in American Horror Story: Cult, a guinea pig that is so sweet and innocent is in a house, but someone winds up putting the damn guinea pig in a microwave.
And they microwave it. And it explodes.
The sound…
Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever fully recovered from this, and I genuinely hope you never experience this either.
The Minotaur Sex (AHS: Coven)
American Horror Story: Coven has some fantastic characters that end up in fascinating and strange storylines. One of those happens to be Gabourey Sidibe’s character, Queenie, having sex with a minotaur.
Yes, you read that right. Things get kinky very quickly, and it’s a moment where I genuinely turned to my mom and asked, “Is this okay to put on TV?” Because even now, I still don’t know. But here we are.
There are probably many other moments I could point out, but these were just some that truly still shock me to this day, and maybe the next season of American Horror Story will find some new disgusting way to make me squirm.
