This season, unlike others, try something different by dividing its story into two major parts. The first half centres around a fictional documentary titled My Roanoke Nightmare, while the second half mirrors the style of found footage horror movies and shows what happens when a follow-up project is attempted.
Although fans don’t all agree if this shift in direction was successful, it helps American Horror Story: Roanoke stand apart from the other instalments. Considering how far the series has gone, now at its twelfth season, every chapter can’t appeal to everyone, yet season 6 deserves recognition for attempting a fresh style.
Roanoke redefined what horror on TV could be (Photo: American Horror Story Season 6/20th Century Fox)A New Twist on Familiar Fears
The episode titled “Chapter 1” kicks things off with Matt (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and Shelby Miller (Sarah Paulson), a married couple sharing their disturbing experience in a documentary format. They recount how they moved into a farmhouse where they felt threatened by hostile locals who were displaced farmers.
Adding to their pain, they were already dealing with trauma from an earlier violent attack that left Shelby with a miscarriage. Though fans don’t often mention season 6 as one of the strongest from Ryan Murphy, the fear factor rises steadily as the story progresses.
Tensions grow when Shelby begins to suspect Matt and Lee Harris (Adina Porter), who is a police officer. By the sixth episode, “Chapter 6,” viewers learn that My Roanoke Nightmare became a big hit.
This leads producer Sidney Aaron James (Cheyenne Jackson) to plan a sequel titled Return to Roanoke: Three Days in Hell. But once production resumes at the eerie house, strange and terrifying events continue.
The Butcher, also known as Thomasin White, brings intense horror into the season as one of the franchise’s most terrifying characters. Played by Kathy Bates, Agnes Mary Winstead, and Susan Berger, this villain becomes even more frightening when teamed up with the Polk family.
A deal is struck: the Polks will deliver victims to The Butcher during the Blood Moon in exchange for their safety.
How Does American Horror Story Season 6 End?
Rather than staying purely serious, this season plays around with how true-crime documentaries are usually portrayed.
By the end, several fictional TV shows are included, such as Spirit Chasers, a parody of paranormal reality series, which features people visiting the haunted Roanoke house and facing spooky experiences. There’s also Crack’d, which focuses on Lee’s criminal case and presents her story to viewers.
Truth and terror blur behind the lens (Photo: American Horror Story Season 6/20th Century Fox)Though some people think the pacing drags at times, this chapter of American Horror Story still has some distinct elements. It features the return of Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson), the journalist from season 2. Lana interviews Lee after her court trial ends in her favour, even though she committed several murders.
They talk about Lee’s memoir and her reasons for writing it. During the exchange, Lana shocks viewers by accusing Lee of kidnapping her daughter, Flora Harris (Simone Baker), who is missing at the time. Just then, Lot Polk appears and tries to kill Lee, but police officers intervene and shoot him.
Back at the haunted Roanoke home, Lee finds Flora and apologizes to her. Flora expresses a desire to stay behind as a ghost so she can protect Priscilla (Savannah Liles), a little girl who was murdered by Thomasin and now haunts the place. Lee promises to take Flora’s place instead.
Flora runs away and is later found safe by the police, while Lee stays behind and dies after Priscilla sets the house on fire. The last thing viewers see is Thomasin, surrounded by angry spirits approaching Roanoke. This sixth chapter contains several disturbing and fascinating moments.
It also includes Lady Gaga, who returns as a terrifying witch named Scáthach. While different people have their own opinions about this season, there’s no doubt that its conclusion gives a sense of closure.
