On Thursday night, American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy announced that the highly anticipated next installment of the horror anthology series would be called "Cult." Though it's still not entirely clear what exactly "Cult" means, Murphy did drop a few more details about the seventh season of the FX show, which is set to premiere on September 5.
Murphy has previously teased details about the season somehow drawing on the 2016 election. In February, he told Andy Cohen that although they didn't yet have a title, "the season that we begin shooting in June is going to be about the election that we just went through."
He later backpedaled a bit on that, clarifying that the themes of AHS have "have always been allegories" and you won't literally see Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton portrayed on screen during the season. That said, he's continued to toy with the election theme on Instagram since, dropping a series of posts that could be interpreted as politically inspired. You know, the typical democracy stuff, like creepy American flags, a "Red, white and blue clue" in the form a ratty aqua-hued wig, and a legitimately terrifying elephant creature.
Plus, there's this post from Friday morning:
As discussed at San Diego Comic-Con, the season will feature AHS regulars like Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson, and Cheyenne Jackson, along with Scream Queen alums like Billie Lourd and Colton Haynes, and, um, Lena Dunham.
The 11-episode season will be set in Michigan, according to a Twitter back and forth between Murphy and a fan:
The setting certainly bodes well for those hoping the season really will be election themed; the battleground state ended up going red by a mere 10,704 votes in 2016, making Trump the first Republican to carry it since 1988. The new season will also air on Tuesdays, instead of the Wednesday slot it has historically occupied on FX.
