American Horror Story Hasn't Used A Classic Horror Movie Monster In 11 Seasons
"American Horror Story" has kept us screaming for over a decade and each season offers its own flavor of fear. More than a decade after the show's premiere, the narrative has taken us through numerous time periods and locations, but no matter the time and place, viewers have come to expect the unexpected when it comes to each season's antagonists.
The show has introduced a wide array of villains over the years, though the absence of one classic horror movie monster leaves us wondering: "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?" In terms of monsters, "AHS" loves to push the envelope. We've seen various forms of vampires and zombies, as well as a myriad of demons, ghosts, and ghouls, plus a murderous clown, a few serial killers, an alien or two, and a demon-possessed nun. Since the show employs an anthology format, there have been plenty of chances to throw werewolves into the mix. Still, they've never made an appearance.
For a show that revels in exploring darkness, it's bizarre that werewolves have yet to appear on any season of "American Horror Story." Each arc explores different themes and lycanthropy is teeming with storytelling potential. Werewolves can be depicted as good, evil, or anything in between. When the full moon arrives, their humanity is ripped away without their consent, leaving them to roam the shadows without agency. There's a lot of symbolism associated with that primal state and the narrative possibilities are endless.
Will we finally see a werewolf on Season 12 of American Horror Story?
In some instances, like in the "Twilight" series, werewolf transformations represent growth and community. On the other hand, Professor Remus Lupin from the "Harry Potter" series treats his lycanthropic tendencies like a burden. It's something that the character is afflicted with, rather than a unique gift that comes with supernatural abilities.
It would be great to see something new, especially because the show continues to recycle the same monsters, changing various features to fit the needs of the storyline without making any fundamental alterations to the overall structure. There are multiple ways to interpret werewolves within any given context and these creatures are too popular to be glossed over entirely.
It's hard to guess what will happen next, so fans will just have to tune in to see what kind of monster comes out of the woodwork in "AHS" Season 12. Still, fans can hope that we might eventually see werewolves join the "AHS" franchise's roster of monsters.