'American Horror Story's' Most Memorable Deaths

June 06, 2024

Ma Petite (Jyoti Amge)
Time of Death: Freak Show, Episode 7 “Test of Strength”
Death By: Squeezed to Death
It’s hard to say that this particular death couldn’t be seen coming — especially given that Maggie (Emma Roberts) came thisclose to suffocating Ma Petite in a jar just an episode earlier. However, it was the method to Ma Petite's death that seemed particularly cruel. Once again, Ma Petite was lured into thinking her friend — this time Dell (Michael Chiklis) — was giving her a present and a nice show of affection. Really, though, his hug turned deadly. Maybe she should have seen it coming, too, given his role as the Strong Man.
Shelley (Chloe Sevigny)
Time of Death: Asylum, Episode 6 “The Origins of Monstrosity”
Death By: Strangulation
After Dr. Arden (James Cromwell) experimented so terribly (leg amputation, injections that mutated her face) on nymphomaniac Shelley, any type of demise should have been seen as a mercy killing. So when Monsignor Timothy (Joseph Fiennes) finally strangled her, Shelley — and the audience — felt a collective sigh of relief. The person who had to deal the most with her death was Timothy himself, a man of the cloth, who had broken vows and even strangled her with his rosary. That left a mark on his soul and lingered with viewers long after the episode ended.
Nan (Jamie Brewer)
Time of Death: Coven, Episode 10 “The Delights of Stevie Nicks”
Death By: Drowning
Poor Nan. Poor, misguided Nan. It was bad enough that she was stuck in a house with horrible contemporaries, in competition with each other for the title of Supreme. Then things got worse when Papa Legba (Lance Reddick) was summoned and in search of his yearly soul sacrifice. Fiona (Jessica Lange) and Marie (Angela Bassett) chose Nan for that “honor,” and things in the Academy were so tense Nan actually didn’t struggle that much.
Tate Langdon (Evan Peters)
Time of Death: Murder House, Episode 6 “Piggy Piggy”
Death By: Firing Squad
When American Horror Story premiered, Tate was already dead and roaming the infamous stately mansion as a ghost. It wasn’t until almost half the season had gone by that viewers learned who he really was and how he died. Young Tate had quite the anger issues — perhaps obvious from his need to see a psychiatrist (Dylan McDermott). As a sullen teenager he killed his mother’s boyfriend and then went on a shooting rampage at his high school. A SWAT team took him down in the house, filling him with as many bullets as he did his classmates, and tethering him to Murder House forever.
The Axeman (Danny Huston)
Time of Death: Coven, Episode 6 “The Axeman Cometh” and Episode 12 “Go To Hell”
Death By: Stabbing
The first time notorious jazz musician and serial killer The Axeman was taken down was in 1919, when the Robichaux witches lured him to the Academy and stabbed him to death. But that death only stopped his heart from beating; his murderous spirit lived on, and in Coven's modern-day setting, the new members of the Academy took him down in the same way. Let’s just hope they were strong enough to vanquish him for good this time.
The Black Dahlia aka Elizabeth Short (Mena Suvari)
Time of Death: Murder House, Episode 9 “Spooky Little Girl”
Death By: Overdose
Although showrunner Ryan Murphy is developing a separate true crime anthology series for FX, he took his first crack at fictionalizing famous murders of the past in American Horror Story with The Black Dahlia. Murphy’s version of the infamous unsolved murder saw the starlet accidentally overdosing on nitrous oxide while at the dentist’s office. He gave her extra gas to knock her out so he could have his way with her. As if that’s not enough, she was bisected after death for “portability.” It certainly put the actual murder in perspective.
Twisty (John Carroll Lynch)
Time of Death: Freak Show, Episode 4 “Edward Mordrake Part 2”
Death By: Stabbing
Arguably one of the most visually interesting (and creepy!) villains AHS yet to see, Twisty was set up from the Freak Show premiere as a formidable serial killer so to bump him off so early in the run was memorable enough. The bonus, though, was the way he went out: the ghost of Edward Mordrake (Wes Bentley) was summoned by a performance on Halloween, and as legend had it, in order for him to return to hell, he had to take a performing soul with him. Mordrake spared quite a few (out of something like sympathy) before he got to Twisty, but despite his second face weeping at the sound of Twisty’s sad tale, it wasn’t enough to warrant him a stay of execution. Twisty was so ignorant of his own terrible nature that Mordrake named him the one and killed him with the very shears he used on his own victims.
Johnny (Dylan McDermott)
Time of Death: Asylum Episode 13 “Madness Ends”
Death By: Mother’s Hand
More specifically, Johnny’s demise occurred because his mother shot him in the back of the head. But it’s OK! Not only did that mean poetic symmetry for the show because his death mimicked that of his father Bloodyface/Oliver Thredson (Zachary Quinto), but it also had to happen because he was following in such violent footsteps. What made this death scene even more memorable and poignant, though, were the moments leading up to the gunshot, during which mother and son shared some emotional words, and it became clear that they both actually cared for each other.
Vivien Harmon (Connie Britton)
Time of Death: Murder House, Episode 12 “Afterbirth”
Death By: Birthing a demon baby
Childbirth can be bad enough, what with all of the blood and pain and tearing, but Vivien was in an extended labor with twins — one of whom was not truly human, the spawn of ghost Tate Langdon (Evan Peters). It was grueling to watch her suffer through the birth in the aptly titled penultimate episode of AHS' debut season; it was even more grueling to learn that only baby to live was Viv's demon spawn. So perhaps it was a positive thing when Vivien, too, slipped away in an almost peaceful, dream-like manner, being beckoned by her also-dead daughter (Taissa Farmiga). Ultimately, it was still hard to accept at first, given that she was the heroine of the story and you can’t help rooting for a heroine to live. (Her death also helped fortify AHS' format would be an anthology, featuring new characters and a new story every season.)
Myrtle Snow (Frances Conroy)
Time of Death: Coven, Episode 5 “Burn, With, Burn!” and Episode 13 “The Seven Wonders”
Death By: Burning at the Stake
This was a season of multiple deaths for the same old characters — often by the same exact methods. For Miss Myrtle, the first death came when Fiona (Jessica Lange) convinced the rest of the coven that she was responsible for Cordelia’s (Sarah Paulson) blinding. They sentence her to burn at the stake. It was both visually stunning and horrendous — and proved to be a great big tease because Misty Day (Lily Rabe) resurrected her. But in the season finale, Myrtle returns to said stake after confessing she killed the council members. And the greatest twist of all? She wanted to burn so Cordelia could take her rightful place as Supreme. Who knew one of these characters could be selfless!?