FX’s American Horror Story: Apocalypse took us back to the beginning of the horror series, with throwbacks to the murder house, hotel, and our favourite coven of witches.
Now that the series is starting back up with its ninth season, the time has come to figure out what new horrors are in store. To move forward, we’re going even further back
Showrunner Ryan Murphy revealed the title of American Horror Story season nine on Instagram, sharing that this latest iteration of the horror anthology series will be called AHS: 1984.
While that might conjure up images of a horrible dystopian future, in the vein of George Orwell or those Apple commercials, it looks to be a tribute to classic slasher films of the 1980s.
According to Deadline, even the name itself is a reference, calling back to the so-called “Final Chapter” in the Friday the 13th series (which we all know wasn’t actually the final chapter, because Jason Voorhees later went to hell and to space).
Of course, when it comes to American Horror Story, nothing is ever as it seems. For instance, we were led to believe that American Horror Story: Roanoke would centre around the fabled lost colony from the 16th century, thanks to the promotional images and overall secrecy surrounding the season—but it later turned out to be about a paranormal documentary.
Emma Roberts is already confirmed to be returning for this latest season, and her boyfriend will be played by Gus Kenworthy, the freestyle skier.
Evan Peters recently revealed that he will not be returning for AHS: 1984, making it the first time he won’t be on a season of American Horror Story since the series debuted.
Another notable AHS star, Sarah Paulson — who also directed an episode of AHS: Apocalypse — has not yet commented on whether she’s coming back.