American Horror Story: 10 Scariest Villains Ranked

10. Kai Anderson

Taking place just after the 2016 American election, the seventh season of American Horror Story shone a satirical light on both sides of American politics. Though the topical setting was more on-the-nose than the series has been previously, Cult nevertheless turned into a chilling, clown-infested nightmare.

At the centre of it all was Kai Anderson, played by series veteran Evan Peters.

A charismatic, blue-haired ego maniac, Kai is the mastermind behind the clown cult which terrorises Ally (Sarah Paulson) and her family at the start of the season. Emboldened by the result of the election, Kai strives to use his accumulated influence to infiltrate the political system to invoke his own dangerous ideas.

Kai is an exaggerated caricature of cult fanaticism. He's intelligent enough to know how to manipulate his followers and knows how to use the media to get his message across. The timely political parallels are hard to ignore, but they're all part of what makes this villain a dangerous threat throughout the season.

While sadistic cruelty, creepy rituals, and a gang of murderous clowns instantly highlight Kai as a frightening presence, it's his connections to the real world that the real terror comes from.