How the seventh season of American Horror Story abandoned ghosts for political reality

Cultures · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Stripping away the supernatural elements that defined its predecessors, the seventh season of American Horror Story, titled Cult, turned its lens toward the visceral anxiety of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Set in a fictional Michigan suburb, the series explored the terror of political polarization through a grounded, human lens.

Created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, Cult premiered on September 5, 2017, on FX. Unlike previous installments, this season explicitly avoided ghosts or monsters, opting instead to frame the fallout of the 2016 election as a modern horror story. Murphy intended the season to represent both sides of the political divide, aiming to highlight groups he felt were ignored or terrorized by the current administration. While the show used archive footage of election night, it eschewed direct portrayals of Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, relying on allegory to capture the national mood.

The production faced significant real-world challenges. Following the October 1, 2017, Las Vegas shooting, the sixth episode underwent substantial edits. A scene depicting a mass shooting during a campaign speech was altered to move the violence off-screen, with several deaths and close-up shots of a handgun removed from the broadcast version. While the edited version aired on FX, the original, uncut episode remained available through VOD and streaming platforms.

The season featured an ensemble cast led by Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters, alongside newcomers like Billie Lourd and Alison Pill. Despite the departure of series mainstays like Kathy Bates, the season maintained its connection to the broader franchise, linking to Freak Show and Asylum. Critics were generally receptive, with Rotten Tomatoes awarding it a 73% approval rating. Though some reviewers noted the narrative suffered from broad political generalizations, the season earned 25 award nominations, including recognition for Paulson, Peters, and Adina Porter at the Primetime Emmy and Critics' Choice awards.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?

Related

• American Horror Story resets its story every season but keeps its actors
• Can a bite-sized horror anthology fix the narrative chaos of a long-running franchise?
• Can mass hysteria and recovered memories turn a simple investigation into a nightmare?
• The vanishing spectacle of the American freak show
• Is the American Jewish experience a unique case of cultural assimilation or ethnic endurance?
• How a brutal directorial feud birthed a modern classic about the roots of hate
• The American toad is a master of survival that can live for thirty years
• The American green tree frog uses complex social strategies to win at mating
• What does it actually mean to be an American in the twenty-first century?
• In this modern fantasy, ancient deities fight for survival against the gods of technology.
• The college born from a desperate attempt to save another
• American folklore is a living, evolving tapestry of national identity and shared cultural myths.

More in US culture · More in Cultures · Latest · A–Z · All topics