15 Greatest American Horror Story Characters

10. Lana Winters

American Horror Story Dandy Mott
FX

Like Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson has appeared in every season of American Horror Story to date, with the exception of 1984. Though she grew to become one of the biggest names in the show, it didn't start out this way. After playing a supporting role in Murder House, appearing in just three episodes, her first lead role came as Lana Winters in Asylum.

Lana deceived her way into Briarcliff, with the intention of exposing the horrific experiments taking place behind the scenes. The reporter however, found herself in too deep, as she became a patient/inmate of the institute, and just when escape was seemingly on the horizon, she was taken to a place far worse.

There are few characters who have as tragic a story as that of Lana Winters. From having to keep her love life a secret to avoid public persecution, to the horrific ordeal she is put through, including being held hostage by a psychopathic serial killer and seeing the corpse of her girlfriend with her own two eyes, she refused to give in or be intimidated.

Lana is a strong, bad ass character, and the excitement surrounding her return in Roanoke was more than justified.

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