American Horror Story Season 13 Review

American Horror Story Season 13 review: A Nostalgic but Chaotic Return (Warning Contains Spoilers)

One of the longest running horror TV franchises, American Horror Story has given us a wealth of characters and lore over the years.

From haunted houses to murder asylums, witches, vampires, cult leaders and apocalyptic scenarios, the series has given us something for everyone across its thirteen seasons.

However, this latest instalment attempts to bring together a large part of its history in an epic crossover event featuring many beloved characters.

The story takes place mostly within The Apollyon, a mysterious apartment block in New York that ties in many of the supernatural elements and characters from previous seasons.

The plot follows Ben DeSoto (Joey Pollari) a hospice carer that suffers from a severe phobia of the number 13.

His new role soon lands him in the middle of a dark mystery involving Satan, a century old celestial bet and a bunch of familiar supernatural characters.

On paper this looks like a dream come true for long time fans. Featuring appearances from Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters and Emma Roberts, many characters from Murder House, Asylum, Coven and more return.

However, the season does struggle at times to deliver on the magic of having these incredible actors together. Ultimately the grand scale becomes the downfall.

While there is lots of fun to be had with the nostalgia factor, and once the witches arrive the plot begins to flow, the confusing lore, fast paced plot and short runtimes mean Season 13 fails to deliver the scary, atmospheric vibe which made the franchise so popular.

A Franchise-Wide Reunion

The main selling point of Season 13 is definitely the star power. It is a huge accomplishment to bring so many recognizable stars and characters back, and seeing some of the most iconic faces of the franchise come together was exciting.

Jessica Lange is back playing Constance Langdon and she is linked to some of her most iconic roles from Sister Jude Martin to Fiona Goode and Elsa Mars.

Sarah Paulson returns as Cordelia Goode and Evan Peters plays multiple characters including some of his most well known roles as Tate Langdon and Kai Anderson.

Emma Roberts is also back playing Madison Montgomery and brings back her brilliantly sassy attitude.

Alongside these big names, Angela Bassett is back as Marie Laveau, Gabourey Sidibe plays Queenie, Frances Conroy is Myrtle Snow and Billie Lourd, Kathy Bates and lots of recognizable faces join the cast.

These actors are all very impressive and Lange, Paulson and Peters are some of the best actors the show has ever had.

This gives it a nice link back to the earlier seasons and helps it be a success. They all have lots of experience and can make basic scenes interesting even when the writing is over the top.

However, having too many characters return can be an issue. The show often brings back another recognizable character, another historical reference or another supernatural reason.

This can make the story feel a bit messy and just a collection of references to the franchise.

The Apollyon Mystery Takes Time to Find Its Purpose

The first few episodes follow Ben DeSoto and his unsettling experiences at The Apollyon. Whilst originally just seen as a personal quirk, it becomes obvious that his fear of the number thirteen does have a greater meaning.

Overall the premise is good. It works well as it’s a crossover and having a mysterious apartment block with links to various points in the franchise. Plus having Ben as an outsider means we have a character to learn the secrets with.

Unfortunately there is too much division in the story. In the first half of the season characters are often separated into their own plots with little explanation as to how they link.

This means it’s very confusing to work out what the main plot is due to constantly switching between familiar characters, historical references and supernatural elements.

The season becomes quite like a puzzle box. We are expected to know who the characters are and remember information from previous episodes.

Whilst this can be enjoyable if all the separate pieces are interesting and the reveal is satisfying, this was often confusing.

The main plot doesn’t really get going until the Coven get more involved. Once Cordelia, Madison and the New Orleans witches get involved things start to have a clearer direction.

The Coven Finally Gives the Season Some Momentum

Arguably the real highlight of Season 13 is the arrival of the witches. Having been introduced to various disjointed mysteries throughout the season, it’s finally given the returning cast a common goal.

With Cordelia and Madison in the mix, we have a clear focus to the story. Marie Laveau, Queenie and Myrtle Snow also bring in elements from the mythology which helped make Coven such a popular episode.

The chemistry between the characters is also a huge highlight. Madison provides us with her usual witty comments, Cordelia brings a more serious edge to the conflict and the returning witches add some personality.

The latter episodes also benefit from the returning actors being more involved. You aren’t left with just one scene featuring them which is mainly to invoke nostalgia but they’re actually involved in the bigger supernatural conflict.

With the seventh episode, ‘The Baddest Witch of Them All’, the story really begins to pick up. Everything feels more focused and the Coven are now playing a big role in fighting against Satan. The mystery of The Apollyon becomes easier to understand.

Unfortunately, it takes a long time for the show to get to this point. Whilst there are plenty of ingredients for an entertaining crossover, the writers have spent too long keeping them separated.

This means by the time they are working together, a large chunk of the season has gone.

A Cosmic Wager and an Overcomplicated Mythology

The strange happenings that occur throughout the season can be explained by the fact that God and Satan made a bet. Satan had to stay physically on Earth for 100 years.

This really ties the season together. Not only does it give purpose to the characters living in the building and the historical characters, but it gives a reason to why all the random things have happened.

Ben’s fear of the number thirteen becomes extremely significant as his triskaidekaphobia is explained. This ties him into the supernatural events that are happening around them due to the thirteen hour.

Although the mythology is ambitious it can be one of the most frustrating parts of the season. The writers have tried to tie everything together with more complex explanations.

Although some of these ideas are interesting they do feel like they’ve been put in just to make another reference.

One of the most difficult things to believe is the idea that Sister Jude was attacked by Satan and had twin babies linked to Constance Langdon and Fiona Goode.

This is the type of twist that can take away from the emotional aspect of the previous season. If you enjoyed watching Asylum and Coven then it can feel like they are trying to interfere with the story unnecessarily.

As the season is heavily focused around the mythology it takes away from the atmosphere. Previous seasons often let the mystery build up using creepy visuals, uncomfortable interactions and a slow build-up.

However Season 13 is so focused on explaining everything that there isn’t much time for the horror to breathe.

The Performances Are Better Than the Material

As much as this season has had to lean on its returning actors in order to keep things flowing with the script, there are plenty of great performances.

Jessica Lange is an obvious highlight for this season. Having returned as Constance Langdon, she gives the season a real link to the beginning of the franchise and she definitely delivers the same strong, commanding presence we have come to know and love.

She seems to be having an absolute blast doing her return and even the musical scene was apparently a condition for her return.

Sarah Paulson is also very much a highlight for this season. She plays a variety of roles and takes on a lot of the narrative.

She has always been one of the most versatile actress in the franchise and her ability to switch between characters is impressive.

Evan Peters also has a challenging role here. He plays 5 different characters and even has scenes where he has to play against himself.

Whilst this is an ambitious task for him, at times it felt like he was just playing around with his many roles.

Emma Roberts is having a lot of fun as Madison Montgomery. Her cynical attitude and witty remarks provide some of the most entertaining moments across the season, especially when she is paired with Sarah Paulson and the returning Coven actors.

Joey Pollari also has a challenging role here. He provides a good link to the audience through Ben DeSoto.

He is a sincere character who is often likeable. His fear develops throughout the first few episodes and gives a more relatable aspect to the show. However, at times he can feel overwhelmed by the larger than life characters.

Whilst the issue isn’t the quality of the actors, there are too many characters played by too many actors in this script.

This means very few characters actually get enough screen-time to develop any meaningful story.

Whilst it is lovely to see the returning actors, it often felt like this season wanted to show how many familiar faces they could include in an episode.

Short Episodes Undermine the Horror

Probably the most detrimental thing about this season is how short the episodes are. Many episodes are only around 20 minutes long meaning there’s very little time to get into the tension, character development and creepiness.

Horror needs to build up its atmosphere. This usually happened in the earlier seasons of American Horror Story due to the longer episodes. They would create their unique atmosphere before really getting into the shocking elements.

Season 13 rarely gives you this. Everything feels rushed, stories are introduced and forgotten and important character development feels fast paced. If there was an interesting concept in a scene it never really gets time to breathe due to the editing.

The short runtimes also make the confusing mythology hard to follow. There’s a lot to explain with the amount of characters and history, which means the season really needs time to set up its world. However, we often don’t get much time to take in any major reveals.

This is annoying since the franchise has proven they can handle big casts and complex storylines if given enough time. This format does not help and makes the already too busy story feel very disjointed.

A Finale Built Around Nostalgia

The season ends with Devil of a Good Time as the Coven and Ben come to a final showdown with Satan (Played by Paul Anthony Kelly).

The final scene brings us back to the main theme of Ben’s connection to the number 13. He sacrifices himself to send the light of righteousness into a curse created from the history of Salem.

The final scene definitely has a showy feel to it. The final showdown between the Coven and the familiar characters of the franchise gives the scene a large scale.

The scene is rounded off well with an excellent musical reference to Murder House. The use of the song Tonight You Belong to me helps create the circular connection between the beginning of the series.

Despite being a great scene for long time fans of the show, it shows how reliant the season was on nostalgia.

The scene didn’t create a fresh new horror scene that will be remembered as some of the best of the franchise.

Ben’s death adds more of a traditional emotional ending to the story. However his character development hasn’t always been clear enough to make this scene as impactful.

Whilst the ending helps provide an answer to the main mystery, it does not fully overcome the rushed nature of the story.

The Problem With Making a Greatest-Hits Season

It makes a lot of sense to want to celebrate the history of the American Horror Story franchise. There have been some amazing characters, incredible acting and some unforgettable moments throughout the years and it sounds like a great idea to throw them all into one season.

However, Season 13 shows the risks of creating a show based on nostalgia. The more characters and references there are, the less scary and original the season ends up being.

This season also acts as a unintentional comment on how much trouble the franchise has had creating content.

The show is obsessed with linking previous storylines, bringing back familiar characters and changing the existing mythos.

This causes a problem for the franchise as it leaves people wondering if they will ever be able to progress the franchise without always looking back at their previous successes.

While it is great to reward loyal fans, you don’t want to leave them feeling like they are just watching a complex list of references.

The best reunions use familiar characters to tell a fresh story. However, this season often does the opposite by basing the storyline around needing to bring back familiar characters.

What the Future Holds for American Horror Story

American Horror Story has been given a fourteenth season by FX. This means the franchise can go back to basics.

The way the show was received with Season 13 means that a change in story would be nice to see. The series needs to move away from the crossover stories and get back to the self contained stories.

A whole new setting, characters and clear horror theme would help to reset the story. Whilst the actors do not need to be completely changed, they would benefit from playing new characters.

They could take the anthology aspect and make it a bit more international. This would mean moving away from the American settings and bring in new folklore, culture and supernatural elements.

Above all else, the show needs to get back into the spooky vibe. Making longer episodes, better character development and allowing the mystery to play out slowly would be much more beneficial to the horror aspect.

The show still has some great show runners and actors to work with. Whilst Season 13 proves that the show is not completely run out of ideas, it shows that just relying on nostalgia will not cut it.

Final Verdict

American Horror Story Season 13 is an ambitious but inconsistent attempt to tie up the franchise and features many of our favourite actors back such as Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Emma Roberts, and much more. The later episodes do provide the character dynamics and Coven scenes we were hoping for.

Unfortunately, the positives are also the negatives. The large cast causes the plot to feel cluttered, the story becomes very complicated, and the short run time doesn’t allow much time for the atmosphere and character development needed for a horror series.

There are also some controversial references to previous seasons which feel like they were forced and risk taking away from the story.

The beginning of the season was confusing to follow. A long time was spent setting up the mystery which didn’t really have a clear point.

However once Cordelia, Madison and the witches got involved the story improved. Unfortunately this couldn’t make up for the issues with the story.

Overall the season felt more like a cast reunion than an actual horror story. Whilst there were some fun moments and plenty of nostalgia, the atmosphere, story and emotional impact wasn’t really there like in Murder House, Asylum and Coven.

Whilst it was enjoyable to see these actors in their roles for die-hard fans, it was a disappointing regression as a whole. American Horror Story needs to move on from constantly looking to the past and come up with fresh ways to scare us.