American Horror Story: 1984


American Horror Story: 1984 is the ninth season of the FX horror anthology television series American Horror Story, created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. It premiered on September 18, 2019, and concluded on November 13, 2019. The season has been described as being heavily influenced by classic horror slasher films such as Friday the 13th and Halloween.
Returning cast members from previous seasons include Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Leslie Grossman, Cody Fern, John Carroll Lynch, Leslie Jordan, Tanya Clarke, Lily Rabe, Dylan McDermott, and Finn Wittrock, along with new cast members Matthew Morrison, Gus Kenworthy, Angelica Ross, and Zach Villa. 1984 marks the first season to not feature series mainstays Evan Peters and Sarah Paulson.

Cast and characters

Main

Production

Development

On January 12, 2017, American Horror Story was renewed for a ninth season, with a two-season renewal alongside ', set to air in 2019. On April 10, 2019, series co-creator Ryan Murphy announced that the title of the season would be 1984. The season has been described as being heavily influenced by classic horror slasher films such as Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Halloween.
On June 24, 2019, FX announced that the season would premiere on September 18, 2019. The official trailer for the season was released on August 26, 2019. On September 12, 2019, Murphy revealed the opening credits for 1984 via his Instagram account. He explained that it was inspired by Corey Vega's fan-made concept, which strongly impressed him. As a result, he invited Vega to work with series veteran collaborator Kyle Cooper on the official sequence. Later that month, FX officially released the promo posters for the season, confirming the main cast's character names.
On October 17, 2019, it was announced that 1984 would conclude with its ninth episode, one less than the 10 episodes that were originally ordered. This makes it the shortest season in the entire series, and the third season after ' and to reduce its original episode count.

Casting

On February 6, 2019, Murphy revealed that Emma Roberts and series newcomer Gus Kenworthy would star in the season. In July 2019, Angelica Ross announced that she would have a series regular role in the season. Later that month, Billie Lourd, Cody Fern, Leslie Grossman, and John Carroll Lynch were confirmed to be returning to the series, with new cast members Matthew Morrison, DeRon Horton, and Zach Villa. In October 2019, filming pictures confirmed that original cast member Dylan McDermott would appear in the season. Later that month, series veteran Lily Rabe confirmed via her Instagram account that she would appear in the seventh episode of the season. In November 2019, it was confirmed that Finn Wittrock would return for the season finale.
On April 2, 2019, series mainstay Evan Peters, who had starred in all eight previous seasons, announced he would not appear in this season. On May 23, 2019, Billy Eichner, who appeared in and Apocalypse, stated that he would not be returning in the season. On July 8, 2019, it was reported by Deadline Hollywood that Sarah Paulson would have a smaller role in 1984 than in previous seasons, due to her commitments to Murphy's Netflix series Ratched. However, in October 2019, Paulson herself confirmed that she would not appear in 1984 as originally planned.

Filming

On July 11, 2019, Murphy confirmed the season had begun filming.

Reception

Critical response

American Horror Story: 1984 received positive reviews from critics and fans alike. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gave the season an 87% approval rating, with an average rating of 3.9/5, based on 8 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "A near-perfect blend of slasher tropes and American Horror Storys trademark twists, 1984 is a bloody good time."

Awards and nominations

YearAssociationCategoryNomineeResult
202011th Dorian AwardsCampy TV Show of the YearAmerican Horror Story: 1984
2020Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards 2020Television and New Media Series: Best Period and/or Character Make-UpCarleigh Herbert, Michael Mekash, Abby Clawson
2020Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards 2020Television and New Media Series: Best Special Make-Up EffectsMichael Mekash, Vincent Van Dyke, Carleigh Herbert
2020Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards 2020Television and New Media Series: Best Period and/or Character Hair StylingMichelle Ceglia, Analyn Cruz, Taschi Lynell
202072nd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Period and/or Character Makeup Carleigh Herbert, Abby Lyle Clawson, Melissa "Mo" Meinhart, Lawrence Mercado
202072nd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie or SpecialMike Mekash, Vincent Van Dyke
202072nd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Sound Editing for a Limited Series, Movie, or SpecialEpisode: "Camp Redwood"
202072nd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited Series or MovieEpisode: "Camp Redwood"
2020----

Ratings