Horror is cursed to be the most maligned genre in any visual narrative art. The hurdles presented by depictions of gore and human suffering are too steep an obstacle for many, so it makes sense that Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story remains one of the most polarizing programs on television. It’s over-dramatic, dynamic, and messed-up. The fearlessness with which the franchise has reinvented itself throughout the last nine seasons has received varied reception and acclaim, but it deserves commendation in its refusal to retread the same ground—excluding season 8. It’s taken audiences through the different subgenres of horror, often blending genres together in each season.
AHS turned 10 in 2021, and series creators Murphy and Brad Falchuk gave viewers an American Horror Story double feature—or triple feature depending on how season 10 shakes out—including a season 10 of AHS that’s split into two parts, as well as the premiere of the anthology series set in the same ghastly world titled American Horror Stories.
American Horror Stories features actors and settings from across the seasons of the original franchise. Intimate knowledge of the American Horror Story lore isn’t essential for enjoyment, but long-time fans might recognize the locations and stories alluded to throughout the last decade. It debuted on July 15, 2021, and with a short seven-episode run, the series is almost finished. Here’s how to catch up on the season before the finale on August 19.
Is American Horror Stories Available to Stream?
American Horror Stories is only available to stream on Hulu via their partnership for release with FX on Hulu. A new episode arrives each week, with the first six episodes currently available on Hulu. Even though it’s an FX show, it isn’t available on the FX NOW streaming service.
Is American Horror Stories available on TV?
Despite American Horror Stories being an FX IP, it’s only available on Hulu. The upside is there isn’t a cable TV standards and practices enforcer, and the show can cross the TV-MA threshold that has—very loosely—bound American Horror Story throughout the decade of its existence.
Though it was announced as an anthology horror series where each episode is a self-contained slice of horror from the larger whole of the American Horror Story canon, the first two episodes are a two-part terror tale titled “Rubber(wo)Man: Part One” and “Rubber(wo)man: Part Two” that returns to the Murder House location featured in season one of AHS. The rubberman was a spirit who donned a rubber gimp suit that terrorized the Harmon family. The two-part episode runs like an updated and abbreviated alternative to season 1 of American Horror Story. It’s an introduction to the contemporary dialogue and visual style viewers can expect from the new series.
Season 10 of American Horror Story will start the week following the conclusion of the seven-episode run of American Horror Stories’ first season. A new trailer offers a look at returning cast members Finn Whitrock, Evan Peters, Lily Rabe, and more in the first half of the double feature bill. The new season of American Horror Story is a surf and turf style split season bolstering one story by the sea and one landlocked in the desert. The 10 episode season begins on August 25 with a double-episode premiere that will be available for streaming on Hulu the following day.