With American Horror Story: Cult's 8th September premiere date inching closer, fans are gearing up for another season of heart-pounding terror and unfathomable gore. Little did we know, however, that season 7 might actually be another piece in a larger, more symbolic puzzle. Ryan Murphy just gave major props to a fan theory that suggests each season of the FX show represents a different circle of hell, pulled from Dante Alighieri's Inferno.
What did the show creator and Scream Queens alum have to say when he stumbled across a screenshot that assigned each season its own circle? "Interesting." And that was that.
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According to this screenshot (it's unclear where it's from), Limbo goes with Murder House (season 1), Gluttony with Hotel (season 5), Greed with Freak Show (season 4), Anger with Roanoke (season 6), Heresy with Cult (season 7), Fraud with Asylum (season 2), and Treachery with Coven (season 3).
This, of course, leaves two more circles open: Lust and Violence. And it just so happens that the show has been renewed through season 9, according to Glamour — the exact number of circles in Dante's vision of hell.
Murphy's post isn't necessarily a confirmation of the theory, but think about it: Why would he choose to publicise a theory he thought had no merit? If American Horror Story didn't have an underlying arc before, whoever came up with this theory might have just given Murphy fuel for the next two seasons.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Cult is still just as much of a mystery. While we've been given a couple of teasers, and while fans have been getting cryptic messages about the season via Facebook Messenger, the only thing we know so far is that it's about an election. Now that you mention it, last year's US election did feel like it's own special version of hell. All in all, this theory checks out.
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