Every season of American Horror Story (so far), ranked from worst to best
By Lacy Baugher
American Horror Story: Cult
A divisive season even among the most hardcore AHS fans, Cult is going to be something that either works for you or it doesn’t.
For me, the fictional rehash of the 2016 election and the fallout from the world it both created and the norms it shattered was more terrifying than many of the supernatural stories this show has focused on. Granted, the murder cult that an over-the-top MAGA type literally builds in his basement is maybe a bit over the top, but then again, people were actually trying to kidnap the governor of Michigan several weeks ago, so maybe not by much.
Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters have always been mainstays of this franchise — particularly in the years since Jessica Lange’s departure — and they are both at their absolute best here, as a Michigan Jill Stein voter with a series of painfully debilitating phobias and a rage-fueled misogynist who embraces the rise of Trump as a chance to become his worst self. (Peters even pulls something like quadruple duty in brief appearances as famous cult leaders throughout history.)
It probably aired a little bit too close to the election that formed the bulk of its subject matter for comfort and might have been a stronger installment with a little more distance from it. But Cult is still a great example of the way AHS’s anthology format can be used to tell incredibly timely stories.