TV Series

American Horror Story

Name: American Horror Story
Released: 2011

2011 • Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi • 12 Seasons

Woke Score

out of 10

Series Overview

Physical and psychological horrors affect a decomposing family, workers and residents of an insane asylum, a coven of witches, a cast of circus freaks, the employees and guests at a struggling hotel, a family who moved into a mysterious farmhouse, the members of a small suburb in Michigan, the surviving members of the Apocalypse and the counselors of a creepy summer camp in this haunting anthology series, focusing on the themes of infidelity, sanity, oppression, discrimination, addiction and exploitation.

Overall Series Review

American Horror Story is a hyper-stylized anthology series that uses extreme gore and supernatural plots to engage in explicit cultural and political critique. The narrative structure in many seasons deconstructs and vilifies traditional American life, particularly the family unit and historical institutions, framing them as fundamentally corrupted or evil. Themes of systemic oppression, intersectional conflict, and the struggle of women and sexual minorities against a toxic patriarchy are central to the major story arcs. The show consistently positions women, often those defined by an alternative sexuality, as heroic figures who triumph over inept or malevolent male characters and established religious or political authority. Characters are frequently defined by their identity group and political affiliation rather than universal human traits.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics9/10

Characters are frequently defined by race, sex, and political ideology, which determines their moral alignment in the narrative. For example, a season centers its plot on a political division following an election, where the main antagonist is a privileged white male Trump supporter who becomes a psycho-killer cult leader. Another season explicitly attempts to balance a plotline about historical racism and the figure of Delphine LaLaurie. The narrative repeatedly favors the marginalized and oppressed groups over the traditional power structures.

Oikophobia9/10

The series' foundational narrative relies on the 'deconstruction of traditional family values' and American institutions. Haunted houses and asylums, which represent the home and established care systems, are depicted as sites of depravity and systemic evil, trapping and torturing the innocent. The show's overall theme is the exposé of the 'worst parts of human behavior' within the American social landscape, casting home culture as fundamentally corrupt.

Feminism9/10

Female rage is an overt and celebrated theme in several seasons. Female leads are consistently depicted as strong, competent, and ultimately victorious 'heroic protagonists' who achieve social and professional success by overcoming violence and male oppressors. Conversely, many men are portrayed as either bumbling, weak, emotionally disturbed, or toxic villains like serial killers, rapists, or incompetent leaders. The nuclear family is frequently shown as a source of misery, marital crises, and psychological trauma.

LGBTQ+10/10

Alternative sexualities and gender identities are centered and celebrated, often becoming a core part of the protagonist's identity and struggle. The narrative explicitly focuses on a white lesbian journalist fighting against the homophobia of a 1960s sanatorium. Another season features a progressive white lesbian couple as primary protagonists facing a political cult. Sexual identity is a major defining trait for many prominent characters, and the story directly frames homophobia and traditional family structures as oppressive forces.

Anti-Theism8/10

Traditional Christian institutions are directly framed as a source of wickedness, as seen with the 'evil structures of a Christian sanatorium' serving as the primary antagonist of one season. Another season's main plot revolves around the literal Antichrist, the demonic son of a human and a ghost, positioning a figure from Christian theology as the ultimate evil. This narrative consistently depicts faith and organized religion as either a corrupting force or a source of bigotry and oppression.