American Horror Story (2011)

American Horror Story parents guide

For a TV-MA, this one goes further: strong sex and nudity. Beyond that, real scares and several jump scares.

Scare

Properly scary

Frightening, not just tense.

Jump scares

Several

More than a couple of sudden jolts.

Gore

Graphic gore

Blood and wounds shown clearly.

Violence

Strong violence

Violence is frequent or intense.

Sex and nudity

Strong

Strong means explicit or repeated sex, extended nudity, or sexual assault shown on screen, attempted or completed, even partly off screen. Any one of these is enough.

Language

Strong

Frequent strong profanity or slurs.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is American Horror Story scary?

Yes, properly. American Horror Story is the real thing without being an endurance test.

How gory is American Horror Story?

Graphic gore and strong violence. If graphic gore is a dealbreaker, skip it.

What is American Horror Story rated, and is it OK for kids?

It is a TV-MA, with real scares, several jump scares, and strong sex and nudity. Keep it for adults.

What is American Horror Story about?

An anthology horror drama series centering on different characters and locations, including a house with a murderous past, an asylum, a witch coven, a freak show, a hotel, a farmhouse in Roanoke, a cult, the apocalypse and a summer camp.

Cast and crew

More like American Horror Story

• FROM (2022)Properly scary · graphic gore · strong violence · emotionally heavyTrapped residents in a nightmarish town fight for normalcy and survival against terrifying nocturnal forest creatures.
• Supernatural (2005)Properly scary · light gore · strong violence · emotionally heavyTwo brothers hunt down dark, demonic forces across America with gritty, suspenseful, and witty encounters.
• Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018)Properly scary · light gore · strong violence · emotionally heavyA half-witch teenager balances mortal high school and dark magic, navigating a world of chilling, whimsical, and darkly-comic suspense.
• American Horror Stories (2021)Properly scary · graphic gore · strong violence · measuredEach chilling episode explores a new mystery, blending surreal horror with campy, suspenseful drama and fantasy.
• The Originals (2013)Dark satire · gritty · full attention · brutal violenceMillennia-old vampires reclaim their city with darkly comic vengeance in this gritty, suspenseful, epic drama.
• Grimm (2011)Gritty · full attention · strong violence · measuredA Portland detective’s grim lineage pulls him into a darkly comic and pulpy world of supernatural crime.
• The Twilight Zone (1959)Suspenseful · late-night trip · emotionally heavy · measuredEach self-contained story explores humanity's deepest fears and follies with a chilling and surreal twist.
• The Expanse (2015)Gritty · late-night trip · strong violence · emotionally heavyA hardened detective and a rogue captain race across the solar system to expose an epic conspiracy.

American Horror Story is on our Halloween, Ghosts and hauntings, Dystopias, LGBTQ+ and Based on books lists.

More like this feeling

Prompts we typed into CouchRot, and the lists that share its tags.

• “a thriller with a twist, no spoilers”
• “a movie that will make me cry”
• “a fun halloween movie, not too scary”

Lists with the same feel: Late night.