American Horror Story season 13 review: Hellishly flawed but still fiendishly fun

Warning: Minor spoilers ahead for American Horror Story season 13 episodes 1-3.

After 15 years, and now in its 13th season, American Horror Story has reached its pinnacle – not, certainly, in quality, but in terms of pure spectacle.

Unsurprisingly, divisive creator Ryan Murphy (the man behind the likes of Glee, the Monster anthology series, All’s Fair, Scream Queens and more), has delivered pure fan service, where the plot very much plays second fiddle to the star-studded cast.

As has been widely publicised, 13 is an Avengers-style team-up, heralding the return of its most well-established cast members including Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd and, most importantly, Jessica Lange. Many of them are playing multiple takes of their characters from the past (at one point, two of Evan Peters’s alter-egos rock up at once) – although it remains to be seen just how the plot is going to link all of them together.

Back to the beginning, though, where we meet troubled couple Kira (Riverdale’s Madelaine Petsch) and Ben (Monster alum Joey Pollari). During a couples’ therapy session, we discover that Kira has an overwhelming love for the number 13, which all but dictates her entire life, while Ben has a crippling fear of the numeral. A match made in heaven!

Against his better judgement, he decides to join Kira on her 13-themed birthday trip to save their relationship – only for tragedy to strike. Sometime later, grief-stricken Ben returns to work as a hospice carer for the elderly Mr Nas (Fedor Steer), under the supervision of one Constance Langdon (Lange).

Of course, there’s something strange about Mr Nas – but despite Ben raising his concerns, Constance doesn’t seem all that worried. However, one by one, familiar faces start to arrive on the scene – and it becomes clear that there’s more going on here than meets the eye. Amid all of this, fans of Freak Show (season 4) will be gratified to see a certain clown make his mark once again.

Three episodes in, it’s clear 13 is purely for the die-hard devotees, and if you haven’t done your homework, there will be precious little for you to enjoy. Among the nods to the past, the most blatant is Roberts’s long-awaited return as Coven’s (season 3) Madison Montgomery – a sequence that is entirely reduced to a meme (you already know which one). Other moments are equally, and unintentionally, hilarious.

What we’ve seen of the actual plot so far is thin and disjointed, with so much time having to be spent reintroducing an army of returnees. Some parts are downright puzzling – although with 10 more episodes still to come, we should afford Murphy some benefit of the doubt that it’ll all be tied together... somehow. The signature AHS aesthetic and tone, at least, are intact, with the on-screen drama so far proving gruesome, macabre and completely camp.

All of that said, the first three instalments are still wickedly fun, largely due to the resurfacing of Lange’s beloved Murder House (season 1) matriarch, Constance Langdon, arguably the most memorable of her roles.

Lange’s return as a lead after more than a decade (she last starred in season 4’s Freak Show, but appeared in a guest starring role in season 8’s Apocalypse) is a complete coup. She seamlessly slips straight back in, serving as the glue for the first set of episodes (and, presumably, the entire series) and it’s a delight to once again relish in the devilry of one of AHS’s best creations.

Ultimately, 13 is (so far) a reminder that AHS can’t and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. It’s not difficult to forgive its flaws, no matter how numerous. It’s hard to predict where (if anywhere) the franchise will be able to go after this, its most ambitious outing yet, but that’s a future problem.

For now, it’s time to see what house of horrors Murphy has unleashed for us this time. For better or for worse, I’m along for the ride.

American Horror Story season 13 airs on FX and streams internationally on Disney+.

Previous seasons are available to stream now on Disney+ in the UK – sign up to Disney Plus from £5.99 a month or £79.90 a year now.

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