American Horror Story: 10 Most Controversial Moments
AHS has always been shocking, but which times did it go too far?
American Horror Story deserves a lot of credit. When it debuted in 2011, the likes of Saw and Hostel had turned the horror genre into... well, not a joke necessarily, but certainly a very niche area of entertainment. Narrative and characterisation were not something you expected when you settled in for terror. American Horror Story managed to provide both, without losing any of the blood and gore.
These days, horror movies like Get Out are credible Oscar nominees, but it all started with AHS. The road there has not been smooth though. Several incidents across the seasons have caused outcry from fans, critics, and special interests groups as Ryan Murphy’s show pushed the envelope as far as it could. Many episodes have caused meltdowns of varying degrees on social media as people have both defended and attacked the show’s depiction of murder, gore, and sexual violence.
In spite of, or perhaps because of, these controversies, the show has proved a smash hit success. It should go without saying that some of these entries may be upsetting, as there are very few dark corners the show ever avoids.
10. Misrepresenting The Church Of Satan
The Church Of Satan featured in Apocalypse’s Return To Murder House, and it wasn’t so much controversial with the public as it was extremely controversial with the Church itself. The fanbase was more concerned with the returning to Murder House part, debating whether Violet and Tate’s reunion was closure or needless fan service.
The Church itself though did not miss their cameo, and they were not best pleased. Despite their rather attention-grabbing name and inverted pentagram symbol, The Church Of Satan are not Satanists in the traditional sense. They aren’t devil worshippers at all, but atheists within a religious organisation.
The roots and history of the Church are a twistingly complex, but suffice to say, they don’t do the whole human sacrifice deal. In a scathing tweet storm, the official Church Of Satan tweeted that the show had ‘lazy writers’ churning out ‘drivel [that was] unimpressive and boring’.
People were split as to whose side they took. On the one hand, the Church had a point that they don’t do human sacrifice. On the other, AHS has always been over the top and has satirised real life before without anyone directly lashing out.