American Horror Story’s goriest ever moments: Disembowelment, chainsaw amputations and cannibalistic blood orgies
AMERICAN Horror Story has seen some of the most violent, goriest and downright disgusting moments in television history.
Ryan Murphy and Brad Fulchuk’s AHS has been a horror and gore fest since it began in 2011 with Murder House.
Since then it’s taken us to an Asylum, practised with a Coven, entertained us with a Freak Show, stayed in a haunted Hotel, reminisced about Roanoke, explored a Cult, witnessed the Apocalypse and relived 1984.
Each time it seems the show can’t shock us anymore, it pulls out another sex toy-shaped knife and stabs us all over again.
Thanks to its stellar cast, originally led by Jessica Lange, each season has been beautifully pulled together to tell a captivating story with brutal and often horrifying scenes.
Although Lange left after Freak Show in 2015, it still retained many of its original cast members including Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Lily Rabe, Billie Lourd, Kathy Bates and Finn Wittrock.
Season nine was the first chapter of American Horror Story to air without Paulson and Peters, but Murphy has teased they will be back for season 10.
Back in February the writer posted this short trailer for the next installment.
However, due to Covid-19, everything is most likely to have been pushed back.
In the meantime, here’s a look down this grisly memory lane to remind you just why American Horror Story is one of the best shows of all time.
You’re welcome.
Murder House (2011)
There were lots of moments in Murder House that were shocking and gory but none more so than when the Rubber Man kills Chad and Patrick.
After Chad, played by Zachary Quinto, is drowned, the Rubber Man beats his boyfriend Patrick, played by Teddy Sears, with a fire iron.
If this wasn’t bad enough, he finishes the job by sticking the metal rod up his bum. Granted you might not see it all but knowing where it went is enough to make you twitch.
Another gross out scene is when young Violet realises she’s dead and that’s why she can’t leave the house.
Not only was looking at Violet’s corpse grim to see, it was also heartbreaking.
When Taissa Farmiga’s character is taken to the basement by serial killer Tate and sees her own rotting body, it’s hard for everyone to watch.
Asylum (2012–13)
There are too many gore-tastic moments in this series to mention them all but special props has to go to the bit when Shelley [Chloë Sevigny] becomes a rasper and crawls up the stairs.
After suffering cruelly at the hands of Dr. Arden [James Cromwell], Shelley is dumped at a school.
Dragging herself, Shelley’s amputated body and rotting skin are disgusting enough without the added horror of being found by children.
Asylum can’t go by with the surprise revelation Dr. Thredson is actually Bloody Face.
After helping Lana escape Briarcliff, she quicky realises he’s the serial killer and wakes up chained to the floor of his torture room.
He then taunts her with Wendy’s dead body before putting on the Bloody Face mask with one new addition – her girlfriend’s teeth.
Coven (2013–14)
Arguably one of the least gruesome of the nine series, Coven can still hold its own amongst the other horror scenes.
Kathy Bate’s portrayal of Madame Delphine LaLaurie is hard to watch – not least because LaLaurie was a real person who did wicked things.
There’s one especially brutal moment when she suffocates one of her slaves with the head of a bull.
That minotaur comes back later in the series and has sex with Queenie before ripping open her stomach with his horns.
Another award for grimmest moment of Coven has to be when Cordelia stabs herself in the eyes with the gardening shears.
After being blinded by acid she develops second sight but loses it when she’s given the eyes of other witches (long story).
In order to get back what she lost, she takes the large scissors to her peepers. As you do.
Freak Show (2014–15)
Packed with moments that make you feel a bit sick, Freak Show was the Queen of AHS, Jessica Lange’s, last season.
Twisty the Clown is hard to look at anyway but the scene when he stabs and butchers a couple in broad daylight is the stuff of nightmares.
Using a pair of rusty scissors, Twisty kills the boyfriend before realising the girl has made an escape and running after her.
Is there anything more terrifying than being chased by a killer clown with half his face missing?
Possibly when viewers are treated to a flashback to manager of the freak show, Elsa Mars’s past.
It shows that while working as a dominatrix in Germany, she was drugged and tricked into filming a snuff film.
Elsa’s legs are hack her legs off with a chainsaw and she’s left to perish.
Hotel (2015–16)
Enter Lady Gaga in all her glory, this season was based on the real murder hotel built by H.H.Holmes in Chicago.
There are many, many creepy moments in this series as it explores so many interlocking storylines.
Probably the most terrifying of all in the hotel is the Addiction Demon, who preys on guests who love to indulge.
The scene when he anally rapes drug addict Gabriel (Max Greenfield) with a drill-bit strap on is arguably one of the most ‘WTF’ moments in the series.
However, if you got past that then the scene where Lady Gaga and Matt Bomer’s have a very bloody foursome might be slightly easier to watch.
It’s the jabbing and stabbing of the throats that’s really hard to watch, and then the licking of the blood makes it that much worse.
Roanoke (2016)
A story in a story, this season took a little getting into for some viewers but it was definitely worth the wait.
In amongst the many gross out moments of the series is the scene when the ghost mob disembowel a guy on the family’s garden.
The ghouls pull out his guts and arrange them artfully to send a warning to the rest of the family. What’s wrong with a text?
However, for many viewers it was the deaths of the three millennial vloggers that really made an impact.
Influencers beware.
Shown from the perspective of their GoPro cameras, the found footage shows as a possessed Lee ignores their pleads for mercy and kills them old-school style: set ablaze on a wooden stake.
Cult (2017)
After the election of President Trump, this series capitalised on the fears many had about the future of the country.
The scary moments in this season could possibly be described as more subtle than other series.
However that’s until Mr. Guinea Pig dies in the microwave. Blown up with blood on the door. Grim.
Then there’s also the moment when Ally and Ivy get into another squabble and Ivy coughs up blood.
Unbeknownst to her, Ally has served her arsenic and she dies a horrible and painful death.
Should have followed Cult rule no. 1 – stay away from the Kool Aid, Ally!
Apocalypse (2018)
A brief return from Jessica Lange, this series saw a crossover of three different seasons: Murder House, Coven and Hotel.
After Tate raped Vivien and the antichrist was born, we see what happens when the end of the world takes place.
Fans of the show were delighted to see the different seasons join and save Queenie from Hotel Cortez and even rescue Maddison from her own personal hell. LOL.
In the build up to end the world, Michael Langdon A.K.A. the antichrist must realise his true potential and to do that has to consume a human heart.
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It’s the moment when he tears her heart right out of her chest and eat it with no emotion that is sickening to see.
1984 (2019)
Where to begin? Possibly when Billy Lourd’s character, Montana Duke, gets nasty on the bathroom floor with the Night Stalker.
She couldn’t contain herself after he gutted an innocent gym goer and splayed his guts all over the wall.
Or there’s the bit near the end when the ghosts of the camp kill evil Margaret by throwing her into the wood-chipper.