American Horror Story: 13, Episodes 1–3

What’s it about?

The thirteenth season of the horror series American Horror Story follows Ben DeSoto, a hospice caretaker suffering from a phobia of the number 13, who takes a strange job at The Apollyon, an eerie residential building inhabited by characters from seasons past.

The facts 

• Written and directed by Ryan Murphy (Glee and The Shards), Brad Falchuk (Glee), and others
• Starring Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts, and Billie Lourd
• English language 
• Runtime: Episodes are around 30 minutes each and are released weekly. There will be 13 episodes in total.

Why did it get this rating? 

This series was self-rated by Disney+. You can find out more about self-rating by streaming providers here.

Horror, violence, and content that may disturb

Lots of the scenes are shot with dramatic camera angles, dark lighting, and spooky music to intensify the emotional effects.

In the first three episodes, some of the strongest content includes:

• There is an explosion inside the cabin of a passenger plane, then the side of the plane is ripped off causing people to be sucked out of the plane. There is much distress and screaming.
• An elderly Nosferatu-like character is shown vomiting vast quantities of black liquid.
• A character is instructed to wash a person's nipples, urethra and "b*tthole" in descriptive detail.
• There are creepy-looking clowns, including one with massive teeth who murders several people with knives. The scene is bloody.
• A character implies they murdered someone (“bullet straight through the eye socket”).
• A woman’s body is shown dismembered as we hear the story of how she was brutally murdered.
• A character is drugged so they pass out, and is put in bed. The person who did it said they “won’t remember a damn thing”.

Offensive language

Some of the coarse and offensive language includes "sh*t", "f*ck", "Christ", and "b*tthole". A slur for disabled people is used.

When content stays with you

We all have our boundaries, and it’s completely okay if something you’ve watched is weighing on your mind. If certain content lingers with you, consider having a chat with friends or whānau to debrief about what you’ve just seen. But if you’re still feeling affected, please reach out to any of the following helplines for support.  

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline

Further information 

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?