American Horror Story:Apocalypseis filled with witches, devils, and many disturbing moments.American Horror Storyis a loosely connected anthologyseries revolving around a different eerie topic each season. The show began in 2011 with the seasonMurder Houseand completed its twelfth season in 2024. The show’s eighth season, Apocalypse, was relatively well-received andwon five Emmy Awards.
The season takes place in a post-apocalyptic America, with new factions and villains forming, including an adult antichrist and the return of the witches from the show’s third season,Coven. Themany seasons ofAmerican Horror Storyhave been received with varying levels of success. For many, the iconic and disturbing moments andperformances inAmerican Horror Storyare unforgettable. Apocalypse is no different, with plenty of scary moments.
American Horror Story Apocalypse: Season 8’s Full Timeline Explained
American Horror Story: Apocalypse bounces around in time. Here’s a chronological look at everything that occurred in season 8 of the horror series.
Episode 3, “Forbidden Fruit”
American Horror Story Apocalypse ruins
Though mentioned several times, it is only in episode three that the outside world of the apocalypse is shown. It’s blue and hazy, covered with blowing dust and the remains of civilization. There are only a few survivors, and those who remain are well-armed, dangerous, and bloodthirsty.They have even become cannibals, roasting a human leg over a campfire. Though this is not a unique vision of the apocalypse and is reminiscent of many other post-apocalyptic films, it is still a frightening image.
A notable addition to the vision is the physical appearance of the survivors. Instead of just having minor wounds, many ofthe remaining people seem to have radiation scars and deformitiesfrom the nuclear bomb. These transformations are especially evident in their new hair, which has thinned significantly. After so much buildup about the world outside the Outpost, the blue-tinted apocalypse is suitably disturbing.
The 10 Best Post-Apocalyptic Movies, Ranked
No matter how the apocalypse comes, these movies exemplify the hallmarks and subversions of the genre with high-quality execution and skill.
9The Poisoned Apples
In episode three, Venable (Sarah Paulson) and Mead (Kathy Bates) decide to kill the other survivors. Using their positions of authority, they devise an evil plan that will trick everyone. They usea special shipment of uncontaminated apples to disguise their poisonand get everyone to enjoy them at a party. They even turn it into a fun game, making the residents bob for apples and eat them at the same time.
Immediately after eating the apples,the crowd gets violently sick, spasming and dying.The scene is drawn out and gross, with almost comically large streams of vomit. The poison is sourced from Michael’s (Cody Fern’s) snakes, with the venom extraction shown intercut with the apple bobbing festivities. The shots of the snakes being milked for their venom are eerie and disturbing on their own, and are only strengthened by the display of its effects.
8Burning At The Stake
Episode 7, “Traitor”
In this episode, the witches assert their dominance over the warlocks, burning them at the stake before they can kill the witches. For their crimes, they are burned at the stake along with Mead. The setup seems almost sacrificial, with the burning being well-planned and thorough. As she burns,Mead has a very creepy, almost knowing, smile on her face.This grin contrasts Ariel (Jon Jon Briones) and Baldwin (BD Wong), who both had their mouths removed by Cordelia (Sarah Paulson).
Many cast members play multiple characters across the seasons and episodes.
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The burning takes place in an eerie and empty post-apocalyptic setting. The sterile whiteness of the courtyard they are in adds to the severity of the act. Plus, it creates an almost beautiful image, withthe fiery stakes being some of the only colors in the stark landscape.The three victims recall a nearly biblical image reminiscent of Jesus on the cross. This scene is an eerie reminder of the show’s tone and brutality.
Episode 5, “Boy Wonder”
graveyard in American Horror Story Apocalyse
The episode begins with Cordelia having visions of the end of the world. In the dream, she is in a broken graveyard, where she sees a white-faced demon in a cloak, which may or may not be Michael.She is quickly attacked by zombies, who eat at her flesh in large, visible chunks. Though short, the scene is gruesome and bloody, as the figure laughs at her evilly. Cordelia awakes calmly, looking forlorn and resigned to the fate of the visions.
This scene helps reestablish the show’s tone and heighten the tension of the episode within its first few minutes.This isn’t immediately clear as a vision and is initially read as real-life events, especially since it is tinted with the same blue haze as the other post-apocalyptic scenes. This zombie attack is a little unusual, considering zombies are not a significant factor in the season, but since it is a dream, it is excusable.
6Return of Rubber Man
Episode 2, “The Morning After”
Rubber Man standing in the doorway in American Horror Story Apocalypse
Episode two sees the return of the man in the latex suit, who has been deemed Rubber Man. Since the beginning of the series,the suit has kept identities anonymous,for better or worse. In fact, before this episode, the suit hadn’t been seen since season one, when it was used for non-consensually anonymous sex. This scene in the first season leaves many viewers with a bad association with the suit. Its use is hardly less significant in Apocalypse.
Though Gallant (Evan Peters) and the Rubber Man have sex earlier in the episode, Gallant is still uncertain of the wearer’s identity. Assuming it to be Michael, Gallant stabs the Rubber Man when they reconvene later in the episode. To Gallant’s surprise, Michael is standing in the doorway watching, and when he looks down,he realizes he has stabbed his grandmother. It is later said to be one of Michael’s demons in the suit. Though the scene is scary, it is made more palatable by the soundtrack, which plays “Gold Dust Woman” by Fleetwood Mac.
Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks plays herself in seasons three and eight ofAmerican Horror Story.
Episode 10, “Apocalypse Then”
By episode 10, Mead returns in robot form, insistent on helping Michael. As Michael and Mead are about to fight the witches, Mead reveals a bionic arm to assist them. As this happens, Cordelia says an incantation under her breath, which seems to put a curse on Mead. She begins to malfunction, shaking violently, almost looking as though she is possessed.Even Michael looks confusedat what is happening.
Finally, the robot Mead explodes, causing a blast that launches Michael down the stairs. Her head lands next to him on the ground, covered in a sickly green goop.The head continues to sing an eerie songand blink as Mead dies in Michael’s hands. Madison picks up Mead’s bionic arm and uses it as a machine gun to shoot Michael, which stuns but doesn’t kill him.
snake in soup in American Horror Story Apocalypse
Snakes are a big part of Apocalypse since they are associated with the Devil. In the pre-intro scene of episode two, Emily (Ash Santos), one of the members at Outpost 3, finds her room infested with snakes. Mead and her associate, The Fist (Erika Ervin), enter the room and begin to decapitate and kill the serpents, planning to eat them as a source of protein. Though it doesn’t sound appetizing,their uncontaminated meal options are limited.
At the dinner table later, the steamed snake soup is served to everyone at the Outpost. Though people are hesitant to try, the snake pieces look relatively harmless. The soup is ladled out and covered with lids while being served. However, as the cloches are lifted,the snakes are once again whole and alive. The scene is jarring and makes the audience and Outpost members wonder what is real in this new world.
3The Black Mass
Episode 6, “Return To Murder House”
In the season, Madison (Emma Roberts) and Behold (Billy Porter) return to season one’s Murder House, where they encounter many of the past character’s ghosts. While there, they learn about Michael Langdon’s past, ashe was raised at the Murder House by his grandmother Constance(Jessica Lange) after the first season’s events. Part of Michael’s backstory is the Black Mass ritual, which is shown in a scene in episode six.
In the scene, Mead offers a young woman a ride in the rain. Though there are strange warning signs of evil in the car, the woman accepts the ride since Mead seems non-threatening. Mead takes her to the Murder House, where the woman is awoken to her own sacrifice as Michael’s followers cut her open.Once they remove her beating heart, Michael takes a bite of it.As he enjoys the organ, the shadow of Satan appears on the wall behind him, showing that Michael knows and embraces his family origins.
2The Babysitter Killer
Devan on rocking chair at end of American Horror Story Apocalypse
At the end of the season, Mallory goes back to 2015 to kill Michael and reverse the apocalyptic events. With Michael gone, it seems as though everything will resolve itself peacefully. The show then follows Timothy (Kyle Allen) and Emily, who get together after all.Their romantic fate seems inevitable in every timeline, perhaps caused by unseen influences. Years go by, and they are revealed to have a three-year-old child together named Devan.
In the final scene of the season, Timothy and Emily get back from a date night to see that the babysitter died, with Devan covered in blood. As they begin to panic, a knock at the door reveals Mead and her associates. They offer to help with the child, believing him to bethe second spawn of Satan. It ends on a cliffhanger, since the next season is set in the 1980s and doesn’t explore Devan’s fate further.
1Season Opening Scene
Episode 1, “The End”
Before the season descends into absurdity and campy plotlines, the first scene proves to be the most disturbing. This is partly because it is based in realism. Without witches or the Antichrist,the scene preys on the real fear of nuclear warfare. Within a minute of opening at a hair salon, the phones show a ballistic missile threat alert for Los Angeles. Some think the threat is a joke, which only furthers the realism of the situation. A panic shortly follows.
While the rest of the season takes a dramatic twist, exploring the new world’s rules, this initial scene is grounded in real fears of the real American fear of the apocalypse.
The scene is scary becauseso much is unknown, yet it is still weirdly realistic. No one can tell who launched the missile or why, leaving all motives and villains ambiguous. While the rest of the season takes a dramatic twist, exploring the new world’s rules, this initial scene is grounded in real fears of the real American fear of the apocalypse. Though there aren’t as many scary moments in this season as earlier ones, the plot ofAmerican Horror StoryApocalypse itself is based around a deeply rooted modern fear, making it inherently frightening.
American Horror Story
Cast
American Horror Story is a Horror Anthology series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. The franchise has seen stars like Connie Britton, Jessica Lange, Denis O’Hare, Zachary Quinto, Evan Peters, and Dylan McDermott. Each season follows a new premise and spans an array of horror genres like witches, ghosts, serial killers, and more.
