American Horror Story

:

Season 8
  • Network: FX
  • Series Premiere Date: Oct 5, 2011
Season #: 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 133 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 97 out of 133
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 133
  3. Negative: 19 out of 133
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User Reviews

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  1. Adlei13
    Sep 13, 2018
    10
    A wonderful beginning to the new series which promises a lot.AHS seems to pick up the steps they had back in seasons 1 to 4. Judging only by the premiere episode, this may be the best season yet.
  2. mrharrybeck
    Sep 13, 2018
    9
    American Horror Story: Apocalypse is compelling, beautiful and oh so rich! Joan Collins is terrific, Kathy Bates is electrifying (yet again!) and Sarah Paulson? Don't get me started. Cody Fern and Leslie Grossman were the standouts if you ask me. The costumes, the cinematography ... everything screams quality. The first installment was an absolute delight, only tinged by my longing for theAmerican Horror Story: Apocalypse is compelling, beautiful and oh so rich! Joan Collins is terrific, Kathy Bates is electrifying (yet again!) and Sarah Paulson? Don't get me started. Cody Fern and Leslie Grossman were the standouts if you ask me. The costumes, the cinematography ... everything screams quality. The first installment was an absolute delight, only tinged by my longing for the crossover part of it to begin, and we're definitely in for another, crazy and full of surprises wild ride.… Expand
  3. chidime
    Nov 15, 2018
    9
    Definitely the best season of American Horror Story since Asylum, and arguably could be up there with the first two. Everything from the story to the suspense and humor, and the photography was top-notch. Really impressed with the seasons, especially as the last 4-5 were not that great, with most horrible. A very solid and entertaining season 9/10

    NB: Return To Murder House is a must    Definitely the best season of American Horror Story since Asylum, and arguably could be up there with the first two. Everything from the story to the suspense and humor, and the photography was top-notch. Really impressed with the seasons, especially as the last 4-5 were not that great, with most horrible. A very solid and entertaining season 9/10

    NB: Return To Murder House is a must watch episode. One of the best of the entire show.    … Expand
  4. sandborn
    Sep 16, 2018
    8
    I really enjoyed season 8 opener. I'm a late comer to AHS so I wasn't expecting much, but I was definitely satisfied. The acting was solid, but Evan Peters stood out IMHO.
  5. vgmkyle
    Oct 4, 2018
    10
    The last few seasons left me worried for the longevity of the show, but Apocalypse is the AHS I remember! I'm pleased with the direction and the character crossovers; the production quality is exactly where the show needs to be now.
  6. TelevisionCr
    Sep 14, 2018
    10
    Stellar premiere. Even 8 seasons into this franchise, American Horror Story: Apocalypse is able to add something fresh and new. The cast is (unsurprisingly) stellar, with Paulson and Bates sending chills down our spins while Grossman and Collins deliver comedy gold. Visually, the show has never been better. The Victorian/ Gothic style adds a whole new dimension to the show and makes theStellar premiere. Even 8 seasons into this franchise, American Horror Story: Apocalypse is able to add something fresh and new. The cast is (unsurprisingly) stellar, with Paulson and Bates sending chills down our spins while Grossman and Collins deliver comedy gold. Visually, the show has never been better. The Victorian/ Gothic style adds a whole new dimension to the show and makes the show feel creepier than it has felt in many years. Ryan Murphy and his team are off to a good start with Apocalypse. And we've only seen one of the many returning characters so far!… Expand
  7. dramatickid
    Sep 30, 2018
    7
    This season is more camp and absurd than ever. There seem to be some very interesting characters and unexpected twists which keep things captivating. On the other hand the premise for the whole story was pretty much ridiculous and the horror element is quite absent. This feels like more of a Rocky Horror kind of tribute rather than an actual horror tv show so I find it funny rather thanThis season is more camp and absurd than ever. There seem to be some very interesting characters and unexpected twists which keep things captivating. On the other hand the premise for the whole story was pretty much ridiculous and the horror element is quite absent. This feels like more of a Rocky Horror kind of tribute rather than an actual horror tv show so I find it funny rather than scary (in a good way).… Expand
  8. JohnSextonFL
    Sep 13, 2018
    10
    AHS: Apocalypse is a bold, new approach to the regular Apocalypse-based plot, and the addition of fan favorite actors and characters make this one of the strongest seasons yet. The premise moves fast, as usual, and throws right into the post-apocalyptic settings. The show really enters its full potential after the first twenty minutes. Don’t let the beginning confuse you: this really is aAHS: Apocalypse is a bold, new approach to the regular Apocalypse-based plot, and the addition of fan favorite actors and characters make this one of the strongest seasons yet. The premise moves fast, as usual, and throws right into the post-apocalyptic settings. The show really enters its full potential after the first twenty minutes. Don’t let the beginning confuse you: this really is a beautiful season, visually too. The cinematography is a great return to previous seasons. The sets are gorgeous and grand. All of the cast have a fantastic alchemy and it is a wonderful seeing everyone on screen at once. The story is also very dark, a nod to asylum. The plot twist in the last few minutes left me aching for more. Apocalypse is THAT season and it’s clear that Murphy has one wild season planned for us. Let’s just hope the strength can continue throughout the entire season.… Expand
  9. hornysoul
    Oct 4, 2018
    8
    Esta temporada está mais absurda do que nunca. Parece haver alguns personagens muito interessantes e reviravoltas inesperadas na história que prendem as pessoas ao ecrã. Por outro lado, o horror quase não está presente. A série nunca atinge níveis perfeitos, mas, pelo menos, esta temporada é cativante.
  10. Alejandropa
    Mar 31, 2019
    7
    The show started off decently but it started to go down by the season was coming to an end. The fact that Ryan decided to make ten episodes for this season was ridiculous. So many things were left unsaid leaving the audience with several questions. Unless they are going to make a second part the is understandable; otherwise, the number of scenes on episode eight and nine were unnecessary.The show started off decently but it started to go down by the season was coming to an end. The fact that Ryan decided to make ten episodes for this season was ridiculous. So many things were left unsaid leaving the audience with several questions. Unless they are going to make a second part the is understandable; otherwise, the number of scenes on episode eight and nine were unnecessary. It had strong and weak episodes. Mostly strong.

    Good season, specially for Coven fans.    … Expand
  11. Bertaut1
    Apr 24, 2019
    8
    Much better than recent seasons

    Less a stand-alone narrative than a sequel to Murder House, Coven, and Hotel, American Horror Story: Apocalypse makes explicit what fans have implicitly known since the end of Freak Show - each season takes place in a shared universe. In recent years, the show has unquestionably stumbled, first with the poorly constructed meta-narrative of Roanoke, then    Much better than recent seasons

    Less a stand-alone narrative than a sequel to Murder House, Coven, and Hotel, American Horror Story: Apocalypse makes explicit what fans have implicitly known since the end of Freak Show - each season takes place in a shared universe. In recent years, the show has unquestionably stumbled, first with the poorly constructed meta-narrative of Roanoke, then with the horrendous Cult, leaving a fanbase yearning for a return to the brilliance of Murder House and Asylum. Apocalypse is nowhere near that as good, but it's a damn sight better than the last two seasons.

    When a nuclear conflagration wipes out most of mankind in 2019, a group of survivors find refuge in Outpost 3, one of multiple fallout shelters constructed by an organisation known as The Cooperative, tickets for which cost $100m per person. After eighteen months, however, the inhabitants are on the edge of madness. Enter Michael Langdon (Cody Fern). A representative of The Cooperative, he is to interview the Outpost 3 residents to determine who will be taken to The Sanctuary, an unimpenetrable fortress. Langdon, of course, is the murderous baby from the end of Murder House, and only Cordelia Goode (Sarah Paulson) and her coven can stand against him.

    Perhaps the most noticeable thing about Apocalypse is the structure, with the majority of the season taking place prior to the Apocalypse. About ten minutes into the fourth episode, "Could It Be... Satan?", the show cuts to three years earlier, telling the story of how Langdon went from being a baby in 2011 to a man in his 20s in 2021, how he came to be involved with The Cooperative, and how he came into conflict with Cordelia and the witches. The "present" is then not picked up about mid-way through the finale.

    As with every previous season of the show, the acting is exemplary. This season sees Paulson pulling triple duty, whilst also directing the sixth episode - "Return to Murder House". Evan Peters does her one better, playing four characters. And to nobody's surprise, Jessica Lange is superb as Constance, despite having only two scenes. However, the stand-out performance is Cody Fern. He is especially good in the scenes which show him still living with Constance, where he plays Langdon as a confused and moody teenager, a performance diametrically opposed to his 2021 Langdon, who is poised, confident, and quietly dangerous.

    Thematically, the show has always been hit and miss. On one hand, Murder House told a story about a middle-class family turning on itself, Asylum was a parable about clinical repression and religious cruelty, Coven dealt with the conflict between tradition and modernity, and Freak Show was a plea for acceptance and tolerance. On the other, Hotel, Roanoke and Cult were thematically weak. Reading between the lines of Apocalypse, it's partly about how centuries of male leadership has led the world to the brink of destruction, something which can only be avoided by the intervention of a group of women. Indeed, one of the major plot strands sees a group of warlocks teaching Langdon how to harness his magical abilities in the hopes he may become the first male Supreme. Although Myrtle reminds them that testosterone is an inhibitor, the warlocks are so determined to overthrow the matriarchy that most of them ignore the signs that Langdon is dangerous. In this milieu, the dynamic between the witches and the warlocks is an inverse of traditional gender roles, with men forced to justify their behaviour to women in positions of power.

    However, there are problems. For example, the first episode, "The End", features a scene where a character speaks in voice over, suggesting he is to be the focal character. However, not only is this not the case, but no one ever speaks in voice over again, making this scene stand out like a sore thumb. A later episode also features a truly random and poorly thought-out diversion to Russia in 1918, which serves very little purpose. The show's Satanists are also ridiculous, so camp and clichéd they didn't work even as parodies. Additionally, the way the story resolves itself is a little too easy, whilst some viewers will object to the conclusion insofar as what it means for the ghostly inhabitants of Murder House.

    All in all though, I enjoyed Apocalypse. The cross-over is well handled, and the fact that so many actors are playing more than one character (occasionally in the same episode), really lets you see just how talented a group of performers they are. Better than Freak Show, Roanoke, and Cult, it's probably on a par with Hotel, but is nowhere near as good as Murder House, Asylum, or Coven.    … Expand
  12. Dsros96
    Oct 23, 2021
    9
    This season is shaping up to be the best AHS season ever. It actually is a sequel but the characters have developed and are deeper than ever. The ending was really a cliche.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
63

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 6
  3. Negative: 1 out of 6
  1. The Daily Beast
    Reviewed by: Kevin Fallon
    Sep 13, 2018
    80
    Vignettes of people reacting to the world’s end carried more emotional heft than Horror Story is known for, and the depravity that follows doomsday is, as depicted here, suitably chilling. Yet at the same time, we’re watching Leslie Grossman shriek hilariously entitled freakouts and Joan Collins purr sassy one-liners while a Ryan Murphy-approved troupe of impeccably bone-structured twinks preen in fabulous clothes (and occasionally without!). It’s fun!
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  2. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Daniel Fienberg
    Sep 13, 2018
    50
    I call the premiere of American Horror Story: Apocalypse "silly," but that's hardly the worst thing in the world. The fast-moving pre-credit sequence, directed by Bradley Buecker against a deceptively sunny Los Angeles backdrop, was packed with malevolent chuckles.
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  3. Collider
    Reviewed by: Haleigh Foutch
    Sep 13, 2018
    60
    It’s the end of the world and American Horror Story is back with a bang, it’s just too early to tell if there’s any real structure worth sticking around for after the the shock and awe.
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