American Horror Story: Asylum is one of the most highly-regarded seasons of the horror anthology, and introduced a new cast of characters, including a figure that has taken on many different forms through history and fictional media: the angel of death.
Ryan Murphy’s series, which completed its ninth season in 2019 and is on track for a tenth in 2020, has worked with folklore, religion, history, and multiple other sources with real-life connections to develop well-rounded, three-dimensional characters that bear a strong resemblance to their counterparts in any iteration. While the historical lean isn’t the most accurate, Murphy’s talented actors bring these characters and their stories to life in ways that work and blend genres together within the confines and depth of what the horror genre can be to create exciting seasons that deliver for fans more often than not in every new setting.
Asylum was the most award-winning and critically acclaimed season of American Horror Story, and part of that was due to the storytelling associated with various different characters, who all were trapped together by different means within Briarcliff, a Catholic-run asylum that housed innocent people as well as more dangerous residents both behind bars and roaming freely amongst the halls. One side plot that was of particular interest to fans was the relationship between various characters and the angel of death, Shachath, played by Frances Conroy.
American Horror Story’s Angel Of Death Explained
Not to be confused with Roanoke’s Scathach, Asylum’s Shachath is an ever-lurking presence in the halls of Briarcliff. A melancholy figure, she is invisible except to those who are nearing the end of their life and are ready to pass on to the other side. Notably, Shachath can be seen by Sister Mary Eunice (Lily Rabe) after she’s been possessed by the Devil, which shows the two of them have history together. Her character acts out of kindness, only seeking to ease the pain of suffering people or dying people; she explicitly states that she doesn’t judge someone’s reasons for accepting death, and is merely there to facilitate the process, sealing it with a kiss.
Shachath has a prominent relationship with Sister Jude (Jessica Lange), who has been ready to die or close to death several times in her life, but continually ushers Shachath away whenever she appears, stating that she’s not ready. Shachath seems to understand this desire, Jude’s ever-present longing to be ready on her own terms, though it creates an interesting tension between the two; there’s never any pressure on Jude to make the decision, but Shachath seems to be all-knowing, and understanding the many reasons why someone might want to depart from the mortal coil.
As an angel, Shachath has immense powers, and even possesses the ability to return the Devil himself to Hell, which she proves when she ushers Sister Mary Eunice to the other side after she falls to her death. While Shachath does have a basis in religious origin, more often the Angel of Death is known to be Azrael in the Islam religion and some sects of Judaism. He is responsible for taking the souls of the departed to the other side, and is a similarly compassionate figure. Though the character and origin story does differ somewhat in American Horror Story lore, Shachath remains one of the most powerful characters to grace the various seasons, and could play a part in future seasons, as all are connected.
Next: American Horror Story Asylum: The True Story That Inspired Season 2
