Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for season 6 of American Horror Story.
Let's be honest: The best part of any American Horror Story season is the suspense. Nobody knows that better than Ryan Murphy, who provided us with no less than 15 teasers to throw us off the scent of the latest season's true theme.
Told through the lens of a mock documentary, we now know that season 6 will focus around the events plaguing the lost colony of Roanoke, where 117 men, women, and children mysteriously disappeared in 1590.
But what we don't know could fill a very long book. Who built the house that Shelby and Matt Miller move into? Why does the ground appear to be breathing? What is that strange creature we see in the home video? What's with all the pigs? Why do I keep thinking about Murder House?
Join us as we embark on a journey through the rabbit hole of American Horror Story theories, where only the bravest dare venture. After all, as Shelby tells us in the premiere: "Humans respond to fear in two simple ways: fight or flight.”
Guys, I know. But hear me out. There's something off about the way everyone dies in this last episode. I mean, we knew that the big twist would be the cast returning to Roanoke and being haunted by the real spirits, right? So knowing Ryan Murphy's penchant for surprises, the events of Chapter 7 all seem a little too convenient.
So what if he's trolling us again with a fake reality series within a reality series within a series? Think about it: How else would there be cameras at the Polk's grow house? There were definitely shots from above, so that rules out camera phones. If you remember, the captions in Chapter 6 told us that the entire sequel was pieced together with footage found at the scene after everyone (except one) supposedly died. Therefore, it must stand to reason that Sidney knew that the Polks would be involved in some way. This means that all the deaths we've seen so far aren't real. Again.
The exception to this theory, I think, is Matt. Shelby wasn't supposed to catch him in the act with the wood witch — that was Dominic's doing. It's entirely possible that his untimely end was unscripted.
Photo: Courtesy of FX.
Who will be the lone survivor?
Assuming Return to Roanoke is actually real, and not another fake documentary (see previous theory), we will be left with one character standing by the end of it.
So far, of the cast, we've lost Matt, Agnes, Sidney, and Rory. (And let's not forget the poor cameraman, RIP.) That leaves Dominic, Shelby, Lee, Audrey, and Monae as contenders. Seeing as Lee is now missing a leg, and has been pegged as "tender" and juicy meat by Mama Polk, her odds are not great. Same goes for Audrey and Monae, who at the very least, are likely to come down with a pretty bad case of food poisoning from eating what looks like raw human flesh.
That leaves Dominic and Shelby, still barricaded inside the house. The real Butcher has just cleaved Agnes' head in two, and I assume the colonists aren't here for a housewarming party. But if I had to bet on someone, my money would be on Dominic. If Chad from The Bachelorette has taught us anything, it's that the bad guy always wins.
Photo: Courtesy of FX.
Are Matt & Shelby hiding something?
Now that the fake documentary is all wrapped up, we're free to guess what the big twist of episode 6 will turn out to be.
Redditor ATequilaMockingbird has an interesting theory that Matt, Shelby and Lee made up the entire haunted house narrative to cover up the murders of Mason, Cricket and Elias. That would explain why there have been so many references to past seasons: they've been pulling from urban legends and horror lore to make their story more believable. If this is true, we can probably expect things to take a more true crime twist in the next episode.
Photo: FX/Youtube.
Have Matt & Shelby made a deal with The Butcher?
In episode 5, Mama Polk mentioned that her family had made a deal with The Butcher: they made sure to enable a blood sacrifice and in return, she would let them live on the land.
Now, sure, Wes Bentley's character took down The Butcher in the final scene of the episode — but ghosts can't die twice, right? Which means that it is entirely possible that Matt & Shelby made a deal with their mortal enemy: they keep the house, and sacrifice the film crew.
Watch out.
Photo: FX/Youtube.
666
We already know that Ryan Murphy loves the number 6. This, after all, is season 6, and the creator has promised us a big twist for episode 6. Add another 6 to that equation, and you get 666 — the devil's number.
One redditor has provided a theory around the ominous digits. If you look closely enough, you'll notice that Roanoke 's frequent callbacks to previous seasons all refer to the sixth episode of any given season.
For example, in episode 1, when Matt and Shelby buy the house, we were reminded of Murder House. More specifically, it brought back the legend of Piggy Man, which appeared in episode 6 of that first season. Priscilla, whom we meet in episode 2 of Roanoke, has been compared to Jenny Reynolds, the evil little girl from Asylum who led her friends in to the woods only to kill them. And, you guessed it, she appears in that season's sixth episode.
Episode 3 of Roanoke brought us allusions to Coven in the form of Cricket Marlow. His seance, calling up the spirits of the house, is similar to episode 6 of Coven, in which Zoe contacts the Axman.
In episode 4, we got our first mention of "Edward Phillipe Mott," the man who built the haunted house, and a reference to the Mott family from Freak Show. When did we learn about them? Sing it with me now: episode 6.
Is Lady Gaga the first Supreme?
In AHS: Coven, we learned that the witches can trace their history back all the way to the Salem witch trials. Lady Gaga's character in Roanoke, however, dates back to the 1500s. Could she be the first American witch? The first Supreme?
We know that she was born in England, and is descended from Druids. We also know that the Butcher committed her soul to the forest witch via some kind of blood pact.
Finally, Matt emphasizes how special her magic is when he says: "The old magic and new world created something new. Something original."
Side note: Is anyone worried that Lady Gaga's character will give birth to some demonic baby with Matt? We know how this show loves those...
Is Evan Peters hiding behind the camera?
Four episodes in, and still no sign of Evan Peters. Where is he?
One possible explanation is that Peters is one of the producers of the fake reality show. There's been speculation that the big reveal promised in episode 6 will merge the production with the real players. Will we get a glimpse of him then?
To add fuel to this theoretical fire, Peters shared a picture of himself in the Good Morning America control room earlier this year.
The caption read: "GMA control room selfie. Thanks dudes for letting me watch you make a LIVE TV show come to life. So stressful but they handle it with so much ease."
Taking notes, perhaps?
What's the Big Twist?
Last week, Ryan Murphy revealed that we were in for a major twist this season. “You’ll see starting in episode 6, the show has a huge turn and the thing that you think you’re watching is not what you’re watching," the show's creator told Entertainment Weekly.
But as one redditor pointed out, it's no coincidence that the big reveal will take place in the sixth episode. According to Danielsk1, episodes 1 through 5 represent past seasons of American Horror Story. Chapter 1, in which Shelby and Matt fall in love with a stately old home that appears to hate them, smacks of Murder House. In Chapter 2, we find out about the house's past as a nursing home, complete with two nurses (serial killers), rings a bell for Asylum.
In Chapter 3, we meet Cricket Marlow, a medium from New Orleans who looks and sounds suspiciously like Witchcraft Council member Quentin Fleming in Coven.
All we need is a traveling circus to show up in Chapter 4, and a couple of very attractive vampires for Chapter 5, and we're ready for the "big turn."
And given Lady Gaga's penchant for eating raw hearts, it's not a huge stretch to believe she could serve as a vampire stand-in this season.
Photo: FX/Youtube.
Who is Lady Gaga's character?
We first meet Lady Gaga's character (name TBD) when she saves The Butcher from death by starvation.
In exchange for her rescue, The Butcher pledges her soul to Gaga by eating a raw heart.
Later, we catch another glimpse of her when Shelby catches Matt stealing some sexy time with her in the forest.
So, who is this woodland creature? One theory making its rounds on Reddit posits that Lady Gaga is a maenad. In Greek mythology, maenads were the maids of Dionysus, god of wine. They are seductive, bacchanalian creatures who thrive on excess and intoxication to the point of abandoned frenzy — which would explain Matt's zoning out during sex.
If you watched season 2 of True Blood, you may remember that the villain, Maryann Forester, was a maenad who delighted in throwing wild orgies, often ending in murder. Like Lady Gaga's character, Maryann also fed humans raw hearts, both animal and human.
I don't know what this will mean for the season going forward, but American Horror Story: Olympus, sounds pretty good to me.
Photo: FX/Youtube.
Will past AHS characters be making cameos?
According to Vanity Fair, IMDB lists a stunt double for Taissa Farmiga, who played Violet in AHS: Murder House, in episode 9 of Roanoke.
Ryan Murphy has said that this season is divided into three parts: “It’s like [episodes] 1-5, 6-9, and 10 is its own thing.”
If Taissa Farmiga reprises her role as Violet (or even Zoe from Coven) in Episode 9, does that mean Episode 10 will be the ultimate anthology episode?
Farmiga hasn't confirmed her appearance in Season 6, although American Horror Story writer John J. Gray tweeted a picture of the two of them hanging out in July.
Photo: FX/Youtube.
Is "My Roanoke Nightmare" just Billie Dean Howard's show?
The medium played by Sarah Paulson in Murder House told Violet and Tate that Lifetime was interested in making a pilot with her. She's also the one who taught them the real meaning of "Croatoan,"and recounted the history of the "Lost Colony" of Roanoke.
Are we just watching her reality show? Let's hope so — she was great.
Photo: FX/Youtube.
Let's talk about the trees.
At the end of episode 2, Lee discovers her missing daughter's yellow hoodie hanging from the very top of a tree. It seems like a coincidence, but I doubt it. We've had a lot of tree imagery so far.
Exhibit A: The Roanoke logo, which features a tree with bloody roots.
Exhibit B: Both the Murder House and Roanoke's opening shots feature a camera moving through trees.
Exhibit C: Lady Gaga's comments about her character suggest something earthy: “The character I’m playing this year in Horror Story, she’s quite grounded," she said. “That might sound ridiculous once you see who she is, but she’s very ‘in the earth.'” Could she literally be a tree?
All this tree imagery also suggests that something grotesque is lurking beneath the surface, poisoning the land, the house and its roots.
Photo: FX/Youtube.
"The Twilight Zone."
Ryan Murphy has repeatedly hinted at the fact that this season of AHS will feature a major twist. The documentary gimmick, while cool, doesn't really deliver on that promise, which has led some fans to speculate that something bigger will happen.
Cuba Gooding Jr, only raised expectations when he hinted that the season reminded him of The Twilight Zone. “When you see this season, you’ll realize how to interpret that Twilight Zone idea to an entire other level," he told Vanity Fair. "When your head goes ‘boom’ and you’ve got brains all over the wall, you’re going to be like, ‘Motherf---ing Cuba Gooding Jr.‘ I wish I could tell you when it happens, but I can’t.”
So the good folks at Vanity Fair came up with a possible outcome: What if the IRL Matt, Shelby, and Lee are filming this whole documentary back at the haunted house? That means that the actor-versions of Matt, Shelby and Lee are there with them. Will we see them interacting, thereby breaking the fourth wall? Will whatever terrorized the real characters come back to haunt everyone?
The promo for the third episode seems to suggest just that.
Photo: FX/Youtube.
Everything is fake.
Continuing in the vain of the "Fourth Wall" theory — what if the documentary format is fake? All the Matt, Shelby and Lees could turn out to be actors, starring in a documentary-style show within the show. It's not impossible. With the rise in popularity of true crime documentaries, it's not a stretch to believe that producers would want in, even if it means fictionalizing some details.
I could totally foresee a plot twist in which we find out that everything leading up to this point has been scripted, only to have the real shit go down.
What if the hauntings are only beginning?
Photo: FX/Youtube.
Shelby sacrificed her baby's life for Matt's life.
All credit goes to Reddit user SweetBaconTater, who points out that it might not be a coincidence that Shelby loses her baby right as Matt regains consciousness after being seriously injured in a "knockout" game.
According to this theory, Shelby is a witch who could have used a spell called "Vitalum Vitalis" (you might remember it from AHS: Coven), which gives whoever casts it the power to balance one life against another.
The Roanoke creature is Piggy Man from Murder House.
If you recall, in episode 6 of AHS season 1, Ben gets a new patient who is terrified of Piggy Man, a monstrous urban legend who slaughters all those who repeat the words, "Here piggy piggy, pig pig," while staring into a mirror.
One redditor claims that the pig-like creature we catch a glimpse of in the home video found in the basement is the same monster. According to Murder House lore, Piggy Man was supposedly a hog butcher in Chicago during the 1903 World's Fair. After a mysterious disappearance, he allegedly returned for his victims wearing a mask made from one of his kills.
Who says he didn't make a little North Carolina pit stop in-between?
Photo: FX/Youtube.
At first glance, it seems as though Sarah Paulson and Cuba Gooding Jr. are actors in a dramatic reenactment of Shelby and Matt Miller's life. But what if Lily Rabe and Andre Holland are actually acting out fake dialogue describing the events which eventually lead to the REAL Millers' deaths?
Photo: FX/Youtube.
Lee also has ties to Murder House.
Adina Porter, who plays real-life Lee (as opposed to Angela Bassett, depicted here) also appeared in Murder House as a patient of Ben's. She kills herself after finding out her husband is leaving her after 23 years of marriage because of how boring she is.
Photo: FX/Youtube.
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We've heard about Roanoke before.
Not so much a theory as a reminder, but given how many Murder House callbacks we've already explored, it's worth remembering how we first came to know about it.
In episode 11 of Murder House, "Birth," Tate and Violet learn about the 117 Roanoke citizens who were mysteriously wiped out and later haunted a nearby Native American tribe. Known as the "Ghost Colony," Roanoke was the site of the first successful exorcism as a tribe elder banished the evil spirits with one word: "Croatoan." Rumors that we would return to Roanoke started buzzing after TMZ released set photos showing that same word carved into a tree.
It's also worth noting that the person giving out all this information is none other than Billie Dean Howard, the medium played by Sarah Paulson.
Photo: FX/Youtube.
Shelby has gone back in time.
When Shelby falls on the forest ground at the end of the first episode, she feels it moving under her, almost like a breath. Could this warping mean she's going back in time? That would explain the mob's strange Puritan attire — they could also be coming and going through the forest's fabric of time. Will she be blamed for whatever befell the citizens of Roanoke?
Photo: FX/Youtube.
Ryan Murphy has already confirmed that every season of AHS is connected. But how? This popular theory posits that every season represents one of the circles of hell described in Dante's "Inferno," an iconic chapter from his 14th-century poem, The Divine Comedy.
According to Jacqueline Bircher, the TV critic at Red Herry who first came up with the idea, the seasons break down as follows:
Murder House: lust
Think about it: Who gets through this season without cheating on their significant other? No one, that's who.
Asylum: fraud
Lana Winters gets into Briarcliff under false pretense — and then gets a taste of her own medicine when she is held there as a fake inmate.
Coven: treachery
No one stabs you in the back like a group of angry witches.
Freak Show: greed
Elsa's quest for fame and fortune leads to the downfall of her family of freaks.
Hotel: gluttony
The residents of the Hotel Cortez all have their own addiction, be it sex, heroin, or blood.
That leaves four sins (limbo, anger, heresy, and violence) unaccounted for — Roanoke Nightmare has yet to be categorized — although there's a good case to be made for limbo as an overarching theme encompassing all the seasons. But the good news is, if this theory pans out, we've still got three more seasons of AHS to look forward to. Fingers crossed!
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