American Horror Storyhas been a popular terror franchise since its inception over a decade ago in 2011. Immensely favored in the terror genre, AHS gives its fans and aficionados a unique experience in the saturated sci-fi and superhero entertainment market. For those middle-of-the-road, occasional scare enthusiasts who don’t want prolonged nightmares, what would be the best version of theAmerican Horror Storycanon?
As horror fanatics andAmerican Horror Storyenthusiasts, in particular, salivate as they wait forthe premiere ofDelicate, we’ll take a look back at what’s gone before and explain the least scary season ofAHS!
Season One Perfection
Also known asMurder House, season one ofAmerican Horror Storywas inspired by the real-life events that occurred in the suburbs of a major American city in 1966. Richard Speck broke into a student nurse dormitory in Chicago and murdered eight young women, apocryphally heralding the event known as the origin of the term ‘serial killer.’ While that in and of itself doesn’t exactly scream ‘not scary,’ the first series of episodes set the stage and laid the groundwork for the rest of following AHS mythos.
The first season ofAmerican Horror Storysuccessfully blended theexisting urban legendsof Chicago and New York’s Upper East Side, combining the 1890s H.H. Holmes horror and Richard Speck serial killer infamy with creepy, surreal, and mind-bending cinematography and execution.
Ultimately, the first season is the least terrifying because the house ends up being the hero. While the main character has been afflicted with the potential of a deadly breach-birth, it is indeed the ghosts of the structure that emerge to aid her. As a supporting player notes, “She’s dying… and this house is trying to save her!”
This juxtaposition to find the main villain of a story – here, the Murder House – suddenly coming to the aid of the hero (a la 1982’s climactic ending scene inBlade Runner), this completely unexpected and satisfying moment makes the first season not only least terrifying but also portrays its villains in an almost sympathetic light – the hallmark of an exceptionally brilliant miscreant.
Related:American Horror Story: Every Season, Ranked
From Humble Beginnings…
A combination of urban legends,American Horror Story’s first season was not only inspired by Speck but also heavily drew from the titular ‘Murder House’ as it was known in the late 1890s. The notorious serial killer H.H. Holmes owned a hotel he had meticulously designed and financed himself. The guests of his hotel – business rivals and countless women – ended up trapped, tortured, and murdered, and their bodies hidden. Holmes claimed to have killed at least 27 people, most of whom he’d lured into his purpose-built ‘Murder House’ replete with intricate hidden compartments, secret passageways, trapdoors, a clandestine cleaning cellar, and soundproof torture rooms.
While this all may seem terrifying, the fact that the first season was based on these true-life murder mysteries that were solved can provide nervous horror fans some comfort. How did it turn out? While concluding a separate investigation in Toronto,police discovered the bodiesof the Pitezel children, who had gone missing sometime during H.H. Holmes' insurance fraud spree. Linking H. H. Holmes to their murders, police arrested him, and Holmes was convicted of their murders. With a somewhat happy ending like this, the first season ofAmerican Horror Storyis actually the least scary. All’s well that ends well!
Related:American Horror Story: Delicate Trailer Gives First Look at Kim Kardashian’s AHS Debut
Will Delicate Make Its Mark?
Although there’s been a fair amount of plot detail leaks vis-à-visthe upcoming premiere ofDelicate, savvy long-time viewers know not to fall for the bait. Will Delicate be the newest, least-scaryAmerican Horror Story? It’s possible! Why? Well, the plot of Delicate is eerily similar to the 1968 horror classicRosemary’s Baby, starring the legendary Mia Farrow.
Delicatefollows the tale of an aspiring television actor who’s become internally persuaded that unknown entities are trying to thwart her attempts at having a child. Events take a rather sinister turn when she conceives with the help of IVF (in vitro fertilization) only to suffer a miscarriage. Yet she still feels the dead baby kicking inside her!
Similar to Farrow’sRosemary’s Baby,AHS Delicate’s actress Anna Victoria Alcott begins to fear that something, someone – perhaps a secret organization – may be targeting her and her pursuit of motherhood. While other iterations of terror fanatics' favorite freaky series may cause insomnia, the first season featuring the notorious Murder House and this new season,Delicate, may prove a tie in the least horrifying list ofAmerican Horror Storytitles.
Steeped more in myth and deadly insinuation, the first season ofAHSwon the award for a thinking person’s horror series. And for more innuendo-driven, ambiance-infused, and less bloody thrills, don’t forget to check out the premiere ofAmerican Horror Story: Delicateon FX!
