While it has not been confirmed, the rumored theme for season 10 of American Horror Story may be what the series needs to remedy the mistakes of AHS: Roanoke. Ryan Murphy has kept the theme a well-hidden secret, so much so that fans and critics have bombarded his Instagram comment sections with every theory they can possibly think of with the hopes that one could be the answer. According to one report made by Us Weekly, it may be American Horror Story: Pilgrim, which is highly unlikely, but it still offers the possibility that season 10 could fix the mistakes that were made to the historical elements employed on AHS: Roanoke’s plot.
Ryan Murphy’s horror anthology series premiered in 2011 under the title American Horror Story: Murder House. It skyrocketed to popularity with its impeccable cast and storyline that wove together the horrors of the supernatural with significant moments in history. While season 1 contains one of the most controversial AHS storylines, its impact on the genre as a whole was incredible to say the least. Along with its soaring popularity came the rise of lesser-known actors such as Sarah Paulson (Ratched), Evan Peters (X-Men: Apocalypse), Taissa Farmiga (The Final Girls) and many more. Now that it is preparing for the release of season 10, the prevailing question on every fan’s mind is, what will its theme be?
American Horror Story has dropped several hints and clues in poster art and social media posts made by the showrunner, but none of the suggested sub-headings have been confirmed. Even the one proposed by Us Weekly, American Horror Story: Pilgrim, is purely speculative. If it does center around the concept of pilgrims, it could fix the mistakes made in their other historically influenced season AHS: Roanoke. They have the opportunity of centering historical horrors with a structure that has proven successful over time, rather than the one used in season 6 and that season alone.
AHS: Roanoke is regarded as one of the worst seasons in the series’ history. It attempted to blend together the history of the Roanoke colony, the supernatural, and a found footage structure. With so many elements at play, plot holes developed and storylines became diluted as more episodes released. It had the potential to be one of the greatest additions to the series, as it is the most inventive format wise, but it ultimately took on far too many concepts and became rather messy early on. If American Horror Story is leaning towards another season focused on historical horrors as its foundational plot, it can learn from the mistakes of AHS: Roanoke.
In order to succeed where the previous season failed, they would need to stick to one concept. Shifting between a documentary format to found footage and beyond didn’t work for AHS: Roanoke. If the show’s creators want to include several significant moments in Massachusetts’s history, it would be well-advised for them to choose between an anthology format similar to that of American Horror Stories or focus on one moment in particular. They could even take on a structure that has proven successful like the one used for AHS: Asylum’s era specific horrors or the flashbacks utilized in AHS: Murder House. If they are going in the route of pilgrims in the 1620s, they can fix AHS: Roanoke’s mistakes by structuring it the way season 6 should’ve been.
It is fair to say one of biggest faults of AHS: Roanoke was its inability to maintain one solid plotline, especially in regard to the historical horrors it included. If season 10 will be inspired by the historical pilgrimage that took place in the 1620s, they would need to abandon season 6’s disappointing formula. By changing the filming format alone, American Horror Story season 10 could be astronomically better than AHS: Roanoke.
