The ninth season of the American

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction ** Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction **Korean horror, Korean horror fiction * Horror film, a film genre *Horror comics, comic books focusing o ...

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

television series '' American Horror Story'', subtitled ''1984'', takes place outside Los Angeles during the 1980s and focuses the staff of a summer camp reopening after a massacre 14 years prior. It has been described as being heavily influenced by classic slasher films, such as ''

Friday the 13th Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, which happens at least once every year but can occur up to three times in the same year. ...

'' (1980) and ''

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

'' (1978). The

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to ...

includes Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Leslie Grossman, Cody Fern, Matthew Morrison, Gus Kenworthy, John Carroll Lynch,

Angelica Ross Angelica Ross (born November 28, 1980) is an American actress, businesswoman, and transgender rights advocate. A self-taught computer programmer, she went on to become founder and CEO of TransTech Social Enterprises, a firm that helps employ tra ...

, and

Zach Villa Zach Villa (born March 17, 1987) is an American actor and musician. Villa was born in Clinton, Iowa. He is best known for his role as real-life serial killer Richard Ramirez in the ninth season of the FX anthology horror series ''American Horr ...

, with all returning from previous seasons, except newcomers Morrison, Kenworthy, Ross, and Villa. The season marks the first to not feature cast mainstays Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters. Created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for cable network FX, the series is produced by

20th Century Fox Television 20th Television (formerly 20th Century Fox Television, 20th Century-Fox Television, and TCF Television Productions, Inc.) is an American television production company that is a division of Disney Television Studios, part of The Walt Disney Compa ...

. ''1984'' was broadcast between September 18 to November 13, 2019, consisting of nine episodes. The season was praised by critics for its performances, writing, and homages to the 1980s slasher releases.

Cast and characters

Main

* Emma Roberts as

Brooke Thompson Brooke Thompson (born 27 April 1984) is a former Australian netball player. She was a member of the Melbourne Vixens team that won the 2009 ANZ Championship. She was also a member of the Victorian Fury teams that won the 2008 and 2009 Austral ...

* Billie Lourd as Montana Duke * Leslie Grossman as Margaret Booth * Cody Fern as Xavier Plympton * Matthew Morrison as Trevor Kirchner * Gus Kenworthy as Chet Clancy * John Carroll Lynch as Benjamin Richter / Mr. Jingles *

as Donna Chambers / Rita R.N. *

as Richard Ramirez

Recurring

* DeRon Horton as Ray Powell *

Orla Brady Orla Brady (born 28 March 1961) is an Irish theatre, television, and film actress born in Dublin. She has been nominated for several awards from the Irish Film & Television Academy for her work in televised programs, as well as starring in the ...

as Dr. Karen Hopple * Lou Taylor Pucci as Jonas Shevoore *

Tara Karsian Tara Karsian (born August 5, 1965) is an American actress and writer. She is the daughter of actress Pat Carroll. Life and career Karsian is the daughter of actress Pat Carroll and Lee Karsian, and the sister of casting director Kerry Karsian. Sh ...

as Chef Bertie * Emma Meisel as

Midge A midge is any small fly, including species in several families of non-mosquito Nematoceran Diptera. Midges are found (seasonally or otherwise) on practically every land area outside permanently arid deserts and the frigid zones. Some mid ...

* Kat Solko as

Helen Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, ...

* Conor Donnally as Eddie * Sean Liang as Wide Load * Leslie Jordan as

Courtney Courtney is a name of Old French origin, introduced into England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It has two quite distinct interpretations: firstly, the surname may be locational, from places called Courtenay in the regions of Loiret and Gât ...

* Lily Rabe as Lavinia Richter * Dylan McDermott as

Bruce The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been a ...

* Filip Alexander as Bobby Richter

Guest stars

* Mitch Pileggi as

Art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

Don Swayze Donald Carl Swayze (born August 10, 1958) is an American character actor, noted for acting in dramatic series and soap operas as well as several feature films, and theatrical work. Early life Swayze was born in Houston, Texas, the middle child of ...

Roy Roy is a masculine given name and a family surname with varied origin. In Anglo-Norman England, the name derived from the Norman ''roy'', meaning "king", while its Old French cognate, ''rey'' or ''roy'' (modern ''roi''), likewise gave rise to ...

* Todd Stashwick as

Blake Blake is a surname which originated from Old English. Its derivation is uncertain; it could come from "blac", a nickname for someone who had dark hair or skin, or from "blaac", a nickname for someone with pale hair or skin. Another theory, presuma ...

Steven Culp Steven Bradford Culp (born December 3, 1955) is an American actor. Culp appeared in films '' Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday'' (1993), ''James and the Giant Peach'' (1996), ''The Emperor's Club'' (2002), and most notably in the 2000 politica ...

as Mr. Thompson * Spencer Neville as Joey Cavanaugh *

Zach Tinker Zachary Atticus Tinker (born May 8, 1994) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Fenmore Baldwin in the CBS Daytime soap opera ''The Young and the Restless''. In 2019, Tinker was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for his portray ...

as Sam Duke * Mateo Gallegos as Young Richard Ramirez *

Dreama Walker Dreama Elyse Walker (born June 20, 1986) is an American actress. She is known for her supporting role in the series ''Gossip Girl'', her lead role in the film ''Compliance'' (2012), and her lead roles in two short-lived television series, the co ...

as Rita R.N. * Mark Daugherty as

Chan Chan may refer to: Places *Chan (commune), Cambodia *Chan Lake, by Chan Lake Territorial Park in Northwest Territories, Canada People *Chan (surname), romanization of various Chinese surnames (including 陳, 曾, 詹, 戰, and 田) *Chan Caldwel ...

Tim Russ Timothy Darrell Russ (born June 22, 1956) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and musician. He is best known for his roles as Lieutenant Commander Tuvok on '' Star Trek: Voyager'', Robert Johnson in ''Crossroads'' (1986), Casey in '' E ...

as David Chambers * Richard Gunn as Chief Deputy * Nick Chinlund as Prison Warden *

Tanya Clarke Tanya Clarke (born February 2, 1972) is an American film, television, and stage actress, known for her role as Nicole Brennan in the ''Dead Space'' franchise. Early life Clarke was born in Chicago, Illinois, while her father, Tony Clarke, comp ...

as Lorraine Richter *

Yvonne Zima Yvonne Zima (born January 16, 1989) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Daisy Carter on ''The Young and the Restless''. Early life Zima was born in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, the daughter of Dennis and Marie. Her surname means " ...

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

* Eric Staves as Dustin * Connor Cain as Young Benjamin Richter * Stefanie Black as Stacey Phillips * Finn Wittrock as Bobby Richter

Episodes

Production

Development

On January 12, 2017, '' American Horror Story'' was renewed for a ninth season, with a two-season renewal alongside ''

Apocalypse Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imager ...

'', set to air in 2019. On April 10, 2019, series co-creator Ryan Murphy announced that the title of the season would be ''1984''. The season has been described as being heavily influenced by classic

slasher Slasher may refer to: * Slasher (basketball), a style of play in basketball * Slasher film, a subgenre of the horror film * Slasher (tool), a scrub-clearing implement * ''Slasher'' (2004 film), a 2004 documentary film * ''Slasher'' (2007 film) ...

films such as ''

'', '' A Nightmare on Elm Street'', and ''

''. On June 24, 2019, FX announced that the season would premiere on September 18, 2019. The official trailer for the season was released on August 26, 2019. On September 12, 2019, Murphy revealed the opening credits for ''1984'' via his Instagram account. He explained that it was inspired by Corey Vega's fan-made concept, which strongly impressed him. As a result, he invited Vega to work with series veteran collaborator Kyle Cooper on the official sequence. Later that month, FX officially released the promo posters for the season, confirming the main cast's character names. On October 17, 2019, it was announced that ''1984'' would conclude with its ninth episode, one less than the 10 episodes that were originally ordered. This makes it the shortest season in the entire series, and the third season after '' Murder House'' and ''

Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

'' to reduce its original episode count.

Casting

On February 6, 2019, Murphy revealed that Emma Roberts and series newcomer Gus Kenworthy would star in the season. In July 2019,

announced that she would have a series regular role in the season. Later that month, Billie Lourd, Cody Fern, Leslie Grossman, and John Carroll Lynch were confirmed to be returning to the series, with new cast members Matthew Morrison, DeRon Horton, and

. In October 2019, filming pictures confirmed that original cast member Dylan McDermott would appear in the season. Later that month, series veteran Lily Rabe confirmed via her

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

account that she would appear in the seventh episode of the season. In November 2019, it was confirmed that Finn Wittrock would return for the season finale. On April 2, 2019, series mainstay Evan Peters, who had starred in all eight previous seasons, announced he would not appear in this season. On May 23, 2019,

Billy Eichner Billy Eichner (; born September 18, 1978) is an American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter. He is the star, executive producer, and creator of Funny Or Die's ''Billy on the Street'', a comedy game show that aired on truTV. The show ea ...

, who appeared in ''

Cult In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...

'' and ''Apocalypse'', stated that he would not be returning in the season. On July 8, 2019, it was reported by ''

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, with ...

'' that Sarah Paulson would have a smaller role in ''1984'' than in previous seasons, due to her commitments to Murphy's

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

series '' Ratched''. However, in October 2019, Paulson herself confirmed that she would not appear in ''1984'' as originally planned.

Filming

On July 11, 2019, Murphy confirmed the season had begun filming.

Reception

Critical response

''American Horror Story: 1984'' received critical acclaim. On the review aggregator website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the season holds an 88% approval rating, with an average rating of 7.45/10, based on 169 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "A near-perfect blend of slasher tropes and ''American Horror Story''s trademark twists, ''1984'' is a bloody good time." However, the portrayal of Richard Ramirez received criticism, with many, including the families of Ramirez’s victims, accusing the show of glamorising him.

Awards and nominations

Ratings

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Portal bar, Speculative fiction/Horror, Television, United States 2010s American drama television series 2019 American television seasons 09 Cultural depictions of Richard Ramirez Ghosts in television Mass murder in fiction Satanism in popular culture Serial killers in television Summer camps in television Television series set in 1970 Television series set in 1984 Television series set in 1985 Television series set in 1989 Matricide in fiction