Amerian Horror Stories just dropped a teaser for season two, and it looks like it’s going to be a doozy! The trailer shows off various themes, from science experiments to creepy children, in the style of a dollhouse. Season one included plenty of references to Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s first horror anthology, American Horror Story, so fans can expect to see that trend continue in season two.
The original horror anthology show is expected to drop its eleventh season this fall, and though there have been some unsuccessful seasons, the strength of the good ones keeps fans coming back. One of the best seasons of AHS is Coven, the show’s third season, which focused on the witches of New Orleans and the racial dynamics involved in the city’s history. Though it’s been 8 years since the season aired, it’s still a fan favorite and is worth looking back on in case season two of American Horror Stories decides to reference it.
When The Intro Is Scarier Than The Show
Coven is often viewed as one of the least scary seasons of American Horror Story, but its intro was a whole other matter. Alongside the usual music were shadowy figures in black and white, bodies being sewn together, skeletal demons, and voodoo dolls. While the season itself was more along the lines of The Craft, the intro leaned into more sacrificial forms of witchcraft.
Many commenters on the YouTube video of the intro mentioned the intro being the scariest part of the entire season, and that sentiment is perfectly captured in this meme. Most people probably wouldn’t watch a horror show in general alone at night, but AHS fans aren’t bothered by the show itself, which often blends horror with camp. The intros, however, are nightmare fuel.
Madison And The Frat Guys
One of the worst horror tropes is the exploitation of women, and witchy horror in particular tends to let the woman get her revenge. In Coven, Madison was drugged and raped by a group of frat guys, and she got back at them by flipping their bus, killing all but two of its inhabitants.
Usually, taking on significantly greater numbers is reserved for action movies, where a brilliant fighter can easily dispatch four times as many opponents as themselves. This meme takes that trope, with an image from the Star Wars franchise, and mapped Madison onto it, showing that magic evens the playing field pretty spectacularly.
The Witches’ Dress Code
The dress code of Coven was well-established early on in the season, and while each character has incredibly distinctive styles, ranging from Madison’s glamorous wardrobe to Nan’s historically-inspired looks, they all wore black during their public outings.
The Lisa Simpson quote shows off this sentiment well, and fans have joined in on the trend. There have been articles posted about how to capture the looks of each of Coven‘s witches, or fans can make their versions. Either way, Coven had a very clear aesthetic that fans can aspire to with their social groups.
Fiona’s Character
Fiona Goode is a villain that fans couldn’t resist. She’s generally a terrible person, but she also takes her job as the Supreme very seriously. If she weren’t such a terrible mother, she’d probably be one of the villains fans can’t help but love. She’s sassy and takes pleasure in her dark side, but she also has a more vulnerable side, which comes out as she is dying.
Mean Girls did a great job describing a villain in a larger-than-life way, and this quote about Regina only takes a little editing to perfectly describe Fiona. Evil does take a human form in Fiona. She is power-hungry, willing to kill anyone to keep her power, and lets her addictions control her. But, as the quote says, there is so much more to the character than that.
Zoe Makes Mistakes
It seemed like Zoe was going to be the main character in Coven for a while, which made it easy to judge her more ridiculous decisions. After Fiona killed Madison, Zoe’s attempt to bring her back came with serious consequences in the form of the resurrected Axeman, who promptly attacked Cordelia.
They do manage to bring Madison back, so it could be argued that Zoe made the right call, but the Axeman could have been a serious threat. His romance with Fiona largely kept him from going on a complete rampage, but when he first escaped the Academy, viewers feared what he would do to New Orleans and its witches in revenge.
The Onion Summarizes American Horror Story
This Tumblr user managed to sum up the entirety of AHS: Coven using images from the show with text from The Onion, and it is brilliant. Every scenario is perfectly captured, from Fiona and Cordelia’s terrible relationship to the curse Marie Laveau put on Madame LaLaurie. A second post finishes off the series, with perfect summaries of each character.
These work so well because, despite obviously being taken out of context, they fit so incredibly well. It can be hard to make this season funny, given the real historical figures present and the plotlines surrounding racism and slavery, but these memes do the job perfectly.
Joke’s On You, Fiona
The concept of death terrifies Fiona, and she is willing to do anything to prevent it. She summons Papa Legba and offers him her soul, as well as her services: killing innocents, crippling Cordelia, and several other unnamed atrocities.
But before the deal can be struck, Papa Legba calls it off, claiming she has no soul. Whether fans take this as her being so heartless she destroyed her soul on her own, assume she bound her soul to the Axeman, or believe Redditor valkdoor’s explanation that Marie Laveau stole her soul, there’s no better sign that a villain is irredeemable than them being labeled soulless.
Everybody’s The Supreme!
A lot of time was spent figuring out which of Coven‘s best witches was going to be the next Supreme. First, Fiona became convinced it was Madison because she developed pyrokinesis. Then everyone was certain it was Misty since she could resurrect herself and others. They also considered Nan after she forced Kyle’s mother to kill herself.
In the final episode, each witch was tested for Supremacy, before it was finally revealed to be Cordelia. The reveal had sufficient evidence throughout the show, but viewers can be excused for having whiplash from how many people were declared the future Supreme.
All The Fans In Episodes 10 And 13
This meme focuses on the experience of listening to Stevie Nicks when everything else is falling apart, and while that may be an experience that goes far beyond American Horror Story, it also sums up some of the show’s best episodes. While there were multiple character deaths in episodes 10 and 13, those episodes also featured performances by Stevie Nicks, so maybe fans can call it a draw.
Stevie Nicks has a long history of being associated with witchcraft, so her appearance in this season of AHS was celebrated as a nod to her fans. Whether fans look at it as Nicks confirming her Wiccan background or just a fun cameo, Stevie Nicks’s presence in the show made quite a mark.
Fans To This Day
The best way to know a show is good is by seeing how it holds up years later, and Coven has stood the test of time. It’s been eight years since the show aired, and fans are still coming back for more. While maybe not as scary or technically proficient as other seasons, Coven was an extremely enjoyable season, with endless rewatch potential.
Fans quote the lines along with the characters and look for new secrets and theories, always happy to return to the season. The witches’ return was celebrated in Apocalypse, and the possibility of a future season reprising the characters has fans on the edge of their seats.
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