As American Horror Story: Delicate comes to Disney Plus, we rank every season of the show from best to worst-Rebecca Sayce-Entertainment – Metro

American Horror Story fans don’t have long to wait until the latest spooky season arrives on our screens.

Delicate, the twelfth (technically fourteenth) installment in the AHS universe, will follow the story of a young successful woman struggling to conceive and the sinister twists and turns of the process.

The latest episodes, set for release on September 20, will see Kim Kardashian in her acting debut alongside fellow newcomer Cara Delevingne and AHS royalty Emma Roberts.

Based on Danielle Valentine’s book Delicate Condition, the cast also includes Matt Czuchry, and regular AHS cast members Billie Lourd and Zachary Quinto.

And this isn’t the only new outing of the franchise this year with a fresh season of spin-off American Horror Stories set for release on October 26 with five new chilling tales.

Since the horror franchise began we have gone to the circus, joined a coven, and witnessed the end of the world across 138 episodes.

But which bewitching tales ranked supreme, and which fell victim to its more cutthroat peers? Here, we rank every season of American Horror Story and American Horror Stories from best to worst ahead of the franchise’s return to our screens. Get your cushion ready to hide behind.

13. Double Feature

Macaulay Culkin made his AHS debut in Double Feature (Picture: FX)

We kick off our list with 2021’s Double Feature, the tenth season of the hit horror franchise.

Double Feature is split into two parts, with the first, Red Town, focusing on a family who move to Provincetown, Massachusetts, and meet the mysterious locals. The second, Death Valley, follows a group of camping students who stumble upon an extraterrestrial conspiracy.

Lourd, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Lily Rabe, Finn Wittrock, Frances Conroy, Leslie Grossman, Adina Porter, and Angelica Ross all returned to the series, alongside newcomers such as Macaulay Culkin, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Neal McDonough, Kaia Gerber, Nico Greetham, Isaac Powell, Rachel Hilson, and Rebecca Dayan.

Double Feature was beset with delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic and received mixed to positive reviews at the time of its release, with the finales to both parts often proving lackluster among fans and critics alike.

While the series is never shy with the gore and tackles some interesting concepts, it ultimately has a lot of ideas that do not feel fully fleshed out leading to an underwhelming conclusion in both.

12. Roanoke

Roanoke was based on the real-life mystery of Roanoke Island (Picture: Frank Ockenfels/Fx/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)

In 2016, season six, Roanoke, was released following the story of a family living in a haunted house in North Carolina under the guise of a documentary.

Plenty of AHS talent returned to the fray, including Kathy Bates, Cuba Gooding Jr., Andre Holland, Denis O’Hare, Cheyenne Jackson, and Angela Bassett who were not present in Double Feature.

Inspired by the real-life mystery of the disappearance of a colony at Roanoke Island in the 16th Century, the series is darker than its predecessor, Hotel, opting for a more eerie found footage feel.

However, much like Double Feature, the culminating episodes of the series failed to land with many fans leading to another slew of mixed reviews.

11. 1984

The 2019 season of AHS plunged us into classic eighties horror films (Picture: FX)

Season nine of AHS, 1984, was the first time mainstays Paulson or Peters weren’t involved in the casting.

The season did see plenty of returning stars, however, as well as newcomers Matthew Morrison, Gus Kenworthy, and Zach Villa as well as Ross.

Set in Los Angeles during the eighties, the show focuses on the staff of a summer camp reopening after a massacre 14 years prior.

A loving homage to slasher films such as Halloween, Friday the 13th, and Sleepaway Camp, 1984 is filled with references horror fans are sure to love as well as strong performances that elevate the somewhat unremarkable narrative.

10. Freak Show

2014 saw AHS take a trip to the circus (Picture: FX)

The fourth season of AHS, Freak Show, was released in 2014 and marked the first in the franchise that was not strictly anthological, with Rabe, Naomi Grossman, and John Cromwell reprising their roles from Asylum.

Set in Jupiter, Florida, the season follows a travelling freak show, one of the last of its kind, as the performers fight for survival as their way of life is threatened.

Wittrock and Michael Chiklis made their debut in this series, which garnered a total of 20 Emmy Award nominations and became FX’s most-watched program ever at the time.

So, why so low down on the list? Despite its glorious weirdness and vaudevillian charm, the series’ sense of horror often falls by the wayside of its carefully crafted style, meaning the story and its characters never seem to reach their respective full potential.

9. Hotel

Lady Gaga stunned fans in her AHS debut (Picture: FX)

Lady Gaga made waves among the fanbase when she joined AHS in season five, Hotel, in 2015.

Alongside the Born This Way hitmaker, Jackson made his debut on the show with Wes Bentley, Matt Bomer, and Chloë Sevigny among the returning faces in the season connected to both Murder House and Coven.

It was the first to not feature Jessica Lange and Frances Conroy, one of the glaring changes that divided the viewers upon its release.

Hotel is centred around the mysterious Hotel Cortez in Los Angeles and tells of the disturbing and paranormal events that take place within its walls concerning both its guests and staff.

As well as snatching eight Emmy Award nominations, Gaga won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Mini-Series or Television Film, while Hotel received a nomination for Best Mini-Series or Television Film.

The stylish, sultry series is packed full of twists, turns, and buckets of blood, but much like some mentions already of this list, this often overshadows the inner story which fails to garner interest.

8. NYC

The latest series of AHS hit screens in 2022 (Picture: FX)

AHS’ latest release, NYC, came in 2022 with Russell Tovey, Joe Mantello, and Charlie Carver joining the cast alongside Patti LuPone and Sandra Bernhard.

It takes place in 1980s New York City, as the title suggests, and focuses on a string of killings involving gay men and the emergence of a new virus that may or may not have supernatural roots.

Despite receiving mixed to positive reviews, it became the first iteration of the series not to be nominated for any Emmy Awards.

However, NYC successfully blends classic horror tropes and chilling themes of real-life terror leading to some of the most bleak scenes in the AHS back catalogue.

7. Cult

Peters became a cult leader in season seven of the show (Picture: FX)

The seventh season of the franchise came in 2017 with the release of Cult.

Alison Pill and Lourd joined the ensemble cast for this outing set in the fictional suburb of Brookfield Heights, Michigan, as a cult terrorises its residents after Donald Trump wins the presidential election.

Paulson, Peters, and Porter received Saturn Awards nominations for their performances in Cult. Additionally, Paulson and Porter were nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie respectively at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Additionally, Peters received a nomination for Best Actor in a Movie or Limited Series at the Critics’ Choice TV Awards.

Another offering in which AHS blends real-life horror with something otherworldly, the political themes in Cult prove a double-edged sword as it grounds the gritty season in reality, but also left many who wanted a break from political commentary feeling worn out.

6. Apocalypse

AHS tackled the end of the world in 2018 (Picture: 20th Century Fox/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)

Once again branching out into the wider world of AHS, 2018’s Apocalypse features crossovers with Murder House, Coven, and Hotel.

Cody Fern joined the cast as the Antichrist, whom witches from the New Orleans coven battle as they face the end of the world.

It was the first time AHS did not qualify for the Limited Series category at the Emmys, instead moving to Drama and scooping nominations for five categories, including Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for Lange in her triumphant return.

While the series lacked much of the horror that AHS was known for, it leaned into the drama full throttle and its links to other series expanded the world fans had fallen in love with. And, not to mention, it included an incredible guest appearance from Joan Collins – what more could you want?

5. Asylum

Asylum begins our top five countdown (Picture: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock)

Into our top five, we start with season two of AHS, Asylum.

Released in 2012, Asylum takes place in 1964 and follows the stories of the staff and inmates who occupy the fictional mental institution Briarcliff Manor.

James Cromwell, Joseph Fiennes, and Lizzie Brocheré all joined the cast following its successful first season, with Asylum receiving a whopping 17 Emmy nominations.

The series blurs the lines of shock and sensuality in its truly horrific plot set in a dark and imposing Asylum filled with even more terrifying characters.

It is lifted with mind-bending musical numbers that make it even more macabre and unforgettable – not to mention its beloved characters who make comebacks in future seasons.

4. American Horror Stories: Season one

Fans were treated to a new story every episode instead of just one in the first AHS spin-off (Picture: FX)

In 2021, AHS creators Brad Falchuk and Ryan Murphy released the spin-off American Horror Stories.

The anthology series tells a different story with each episode, with its first season paying homage to the iconic Murder House in some of its instalments.

Bomer, Grossman, Lourd, and O’Hare all returned to play new characters alongside Celia Finkelstein, John Carroll Lynch, Charles Melton, Chad James Buchanan, and many more.

Its first season sees the return of the Rubber Man (or woman), a bloodbath at the drive-in cinema, and enters the world of video games in a collection of fresh, terrifying tales.

While some of the stories don’t quite hit the mark, the deviation from the traditional series proved overall successful in reinvigorating AHS in the eyes of fans and critics alike.

3. Coven

Coven is often revered among AHS fans (Picture: FX)

Our top three kicks off with Coven, the third series of the show and arguably the most iconic.

Set in 2013 New Orleans, the show follows a coven of witches facing off against a Voodoo queen and other supernatural threats.

Taissa Farmiga, Gabourney Sabide, Jamie Brewer, and Stone are young witches learning to control their powers while fighting to become the next Supreme as Fiona Goode (Lange) reaches the end of her reign.

It features some of the best performances in AHS history, garnering 17 Emmy nominations, five of which were for its acting for Lange, Paulson, Bassett, Conroy, and Bates.

Not only does the season feature horrors from the 1800s until now referencing the real-life Salem witch trials and the LaLaurie House, but it also blends it effortlessly with teen drama and some of the most memorable lines of the entire franchise.

2. American Horror Stories: Season two

American Horror Stories upped the ante with its second series (Picture: FX)

In 2022, Stories returned with eight fresh tales for fans to enjoy.

This time, we entered the twisted world of a dollhouse, got up close and personal with Smallpox victims, and learned the dangers of a smart home device.

Season two of Stories ironed out the kinks presented in its predecessor and offered up seven hair-raising short stories that included more horror than some of AHS’ full series.

With a third season slated for release next month, fans are sure to be excited about what chills and spills will come from the Halloween special.

1. Murder House

AHS began with the one, the only, Murder House (Picture: 20th Century Fox Television/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)

In our number one spot, we go back to where it all began.

AHS arrived on our screens 12 years ago with Murder House, introducing us to Lange, Peters, O’Hara, and Farmiga alongside Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott.

The series follows the Harmon family, who, after dealing with infant loss and infidelity, move to a restored mansion in Los Angeles, unaware that the ghosts of its former residents and those killed inside haunt the house.

Murder House encapsulates everything that is great about AHS. The drama, the horror, the complex characters, and the gorgeous cinematography hooked fans and led the franchise to garner more than 100 award nominations, including a mammoth 94 Emmy nods.

The iconic faces of the series made their first appearances here, and strong ones at that as they delivered Murder House’s most shocking and heart-wrenching scenes.

While we’ve seen plenty of groundbreaking AHS moments since, Murder House provided the formula leading to its success and cemented its legacy.

American Horror Story: Delicate part 1 airs on FX on September 20.

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