Why American Horror Story Fans Think That 1984 Was The Best Season

To guess what American Horror Story will do next is to take some deep dives into the annals of horror. Every season of the anthology pulls from dozens of aspects of the terrifying and paranormal to create a full circle story with a great cast. And season 9 was no exception. 1984 rocked it old school with inspiration from classic slasher films like Friday the 13th and Sleepaway Camp. The plot follows a group of teenagers who take jobs at a summer camp, unaware that more than one serial killer lies in wait for them. American Horror Story: 1984 is half slasher, half ghost story, combining aspects from past seasons to create one haunting campground. The season was beloved by longtime fans of the show, as discussed on Reddit's r/AmericanHorrorStory. In the thread, Redditors identified the intro and the ending as key reasons why American Horror Story: 1984 was, as FuneralTryingToGrow put it, "the best season period."

Title sequences for a show are important. They typically set the tone for the entire series, sometimes even on a per-episode basis (see: WandaVision's opening credits, as analyzed by Vulture). American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy knows all too well this significance. AHS openers are highly anticipated every season, with the disturbing collection of images serving as the defining aesthetic for each new story. Reddit user mallorysrangerover put their love of the 1984 credits simply: "I loved it, definitely was one of the things that hooked me into the season so quickly." 

What makes the credits so great? 1984's title sequence transports the audience back to the decade of greed: hot bods doing aerobics and dancing, lots of neon colors, and a synth-laden remix of the creepy AHS intro. The sequence amps up viewers by syncing high notes with grainy VHS recordings, classic horror effects like blood dripping down TV screens, and the all-important bloody kitchen knife, a big giveaway to what the season entailed. Overall, the stylized, high-energy vibe sets the stage for what's to come and makes viewers eager to dive into the story.

American Horror Story isn't exactly known for tying things up with a pretty little bow. Take season 1, for example, in which over 30 ghosts remain in the Murder House, or season 5 with all the ghosts still stuck at the Hotel Cortez. In contrast, 1984 gives its characters one of the series' happiest endings yet. Mallorysrangerover detailed their favorite aspects of the bittersweet finale, including how "bobby met his family, brooke is living peacefully, and benjamin is finally going to bond with his mother [sic]." Observing how everything managed to come together, they noted that "it was also one of the only endings I was really satisfied with." Indeed Benjamin (John Carroll Lynch) and Bobby Richter's (Finn Wittrock) storylines pulled at the heartstrings as reunited father and son. The happy ending was personal to Murphy, who shared his affection for it during an interview with Deadline.

"It's the only American Horror Story ending that has made me cry. Something about that father-son thing always kills me," he said.

As for Brooke (Emma Roberts), she and Donna Chambers (AHS newcomer Angelica Ross) beat the odds and wind up the final girls of Camp Redwood. 

Not only did 1984 deliver with its stellar cast, but the season also upended everything viewers came to expect based on what the show has done before. That kind of originality is why fans consider 1984 the best American Horror Story to date.