The American Horror Story series is massively controversial among horror fans. Some think it’s a great, campy exploration of the horror genre with enough comedy to entice a wider audience. Some think it’s an embarrassment to horror as a whole.
Whatever your position on the show, the directors obviously love their classic horror. The Apocalypse season of the show especially loves to pay homage to it, so here are 10 times it does so.
Alien
Kathy Bates is brilliant in everything she does (take the inimitable Misery, for example), and her performance in Apocalypse is certainly no exception to this rule. One of the big reveals of this final season of American Horror Story is that her character Miriam is an android.
When she gets shot, she bleeds some sort of strange, quite disgusting, milky goo just like the scientist androids Ash and Bishop in Alien, who bleed a very similar substance when they are shot or injured.
Rosemary’s Baby
Murder House is known for its overt references to Rosemary’s Baby. The whole ‘pregnant with the baby of the devil’ thing is just about as similar to the Polanski classic as it gets. Considering Apocalypse follows this same devil baby as an adult, it’s not surprising there are various references made to the original film. Not least is the existence of this ‘son of Satan.’ On top of that, the devilish eyes of Michael Langdon look just like the Satanic eyes shown in the Rosemary’s Baby ritual scene.
Dawn Of The Dead
Despite the fact that American Horror Story has only ever featured zombies in 2 episodes of Coven, the atmosphere and feeling of various George A Romero classics are certainly channeled in Apocalypse. Dawn Of The Dead is represented the most, with Coco’s chauffeur shooting those who tried to board the plane like they were zombies (similar to the zombies trying to board the boat at the end of Dawn Of The Dead). Miss Venable even referred to “canker puss monsters," which sound pretty zombie-like.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Sure, you’d be hard-pressed to call The Rocky Horror Picture Show a true horror film, but the movie itself is a festival of horror tropes and references. The word horror is right there in the title and has a decidedly creepy atmosphere, so it gets our vote.
When Miss Venable fed Andre’s boyfriend to those living at Outpost 3, it feels alarmingly similar to the more cannibalistic tendencies of the 1975 musical. Whether it’s an intended reference or not, there are certainly clear similarities.
Final Destination
It’s easy to take inspiration from Final Destination because all you really have to do is kill people in particularly alarming, outlandish ways. Apocalypse treats us to a variety of deaths, from a hair shear stabbing, to a decapitation, to the ripping out of a heart.
Beyond this, there is a big plane crash (which was even shown in the trailer) that rings true of the opening scene from the first, iconic Final Destination film. AHS lacks the Rube Goldberg sequences that are the hallmark of this series, but there’s a bit of a homage going on there in its over-the-top deaths, especially in Bubbles’ death by glass-and-nails and Langdon’s hit-and-run.
The Amityville Horror
When it was introduced back in season 1’s aptly-titled Murder House, the ‘Murder House’ drew parallels to The Amityville Horror for its use of the classic haunted house trope. By returning to the house in Apocalypse, not only does the show pay tribute to previous seasons of its own storyline, but it also re-references the classic film, by allowing us to take another look in the creepy abode.
The Omen
Much like the inclusion of Rosemary’s Baby on this list, the reason The Omen is able to take a place of pride here is the very idea of centering the season on a demon child, the spawn of Satan himself.
During ‘The Return To Murder House’, one of the Satanists sacrificing a woman to Michael shouts “it’s all for you," which is a direct reference to what Damien’s nanny says as she hangs herself in the original Omen film.
The Omen III: Final Conflict
This reference is much more direct as actually they show the film exists in the American Horror Story universe. When Michael is coming up with his world-dominating plan, he is watching The Omen III: Final Conflict. It might not be the best choice of film, because it is widely regarded as a terrible entry in the franchise that does no justice to the brilliance of the original film. As they had already referenced the original by this point, perhaps they should have gone the whole way and shown that their Omen references came directly from characters simply having seen the film.
Interview With The Vampire
Taking directly from the Tom Cruise-led horror film Interview With The Vampire, this season of American Horror Story works in a surprising niche reference. The film isn’t exactly up there with Cruise’s most well-known works, but those taking refuge at Outpost 3 are very clearly dressed in outfits that look much the same as the vampires from the 1994 horror-romance, a strong visual reference to the film.
The Others
The main element of The Others is its portrayal of house-dwelling ghosts. The film follows a group who believe they are being haunted, only to find out they actually are the house’s ghosts.
When Madison and Behold return to murder house, they cast a spell when they arrive which allows them to see the variety of ghosts who live in the house. The wandering ghosts are both a reference to The Others and to their presence in season 1 of American Horror Story.
