10 Best Sarah Paulson Performances In ‘American Horror Story’
American Horror Story is a horror anthology series created by Ryan Murphy that first aired on FX in 2011. Each season revolves around a different plotline that takes inspiration from different aspects of the horror genre. While the show does feature a revolving cast of new actors, several cast members have returned season after season taking on new roles.
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Of all of these AHS standards, none have been more prolific than Sarah Paulson. Paulson has appeared in all but one season of the series, and the characters she portrays are some of the most beloved and notable of the show.
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“Tuberculosis” Karen (Season 10: ‘Red Tide’)
Season 10 saw American Horror Story try something new. Instead of telling just one story, the season is divided Into two parts. The first part, Red Tide, tells the story of a writer, played by Finn Wittrock, and his family who come to a seaside New England town that is famous for inspiring creativity. In actuality, residents of the town ingest a black pill, that fosters creativity but leaves them with a vampiric thirst for blood.
Red Tide was Paulson’s return to the show, after not appearing in the previous season. Her character “Tuberculosis” Karen was an artist who also came to Provincetown in search of inspiration. She refused to take the black pill and instead slipped into addiction and homelessness: she is perceived as mad by the town’s inhabitants.
Mamie Eisenhower (Season 10: ‘Death Valley)
The second half of Season 10 focuses on a deal made by President Dwight D. Eisenhower (Neal McDonough) with a race of aliens. In exchange for advanced technology, America would provide the aliens hosts for their hybrid offspring. In the season, Paulson plays Mamie Eisenhower, his wife.
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While this is not the first time Sarah has played a real person in a Ryan Murphy show, it is the first time she has done so in AHS. Paulson’s portrayal of the first lady is pretty spot-on in many ways, even if the show’s fantastical premise does paint her as somewhat of a villain.
Wilhelmina Venable (Season 8: ‘Apocalypse’)
American Horror Story: Apocalypse was the show’s most ambitious season to date. The eighth season attempted to continue the stories introduced in the first and third seasons and combine them into one.
The season begins as the world is destroyed in a nuclear apocalypse, and survivors are forced to live in underground bunkers. One such bunker is led by the tyrannical Wilhelmina Venable, played by Paulson. While Paulson doesn’t exclusively play good characters in AHS, Venable is one of the few who can be described as truly a villain. She may be a bit sadistic and power-mad, but she does rock those Victorian dresses.
Ally Mayfair-Richards (Season 7: ‘Cult’)
American Horror Story: Cult brings horror into the real world, portraying a small suburban community in the wake of Donald Trump’s election as President of the United States. The season’s plot centers around a right-wing cult that springs up in the neighborhood and the grizzly string of murders that follows.
Paulson’s portrayal of the main role, Ally Mayfair-Richards, is nuanced. Ally is a woman plagued by phobias and doubts in her relationship with her wife Ivy. The late-season twist, revealing Ally’s true cold and calculated nature, is executed perfectly by Paulson.
Billie Dean Howard (Season 1: ‘Murder House’)
The first season of American Horror Story, later dubbed Murder House, was an immediate success. The show’s blend of horror, humor, and drama made it popular with audiences. The season told the story of the Harmon family who, while dealing with family troubles, move across the country into a house with a sordid history.
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Paulson’s first character in the series was that of spiritual medium, Billie Dean Howard. Howard was hired by Constance Langdon (Jessica Lange), a neighbor of the Harmons, to help her deceased son, Tate (Evan Peters), pass into the afterlife. While Paulson’s role in the first season was small, Billie Dean Howard has shown up time and again throughout the series and eventually gains notoriety as a “medium to the stars.”
Audrey Tindall (Season 6: ‘Roanoke’)
American Horror Story: Roanoke was the series’ take on the supernatural reality show. The season used this as a framing device, having actors reenact events that transpired at a supposedly haunted manor. The cast then returns to the manor with the true-to-life people that they portrayed in the show within a show.
In the season, Sarah plays actress Audrey Tindall. Tindall portrays Shelby Miller (Lily Rabe) in “My Roanoke Nightmare” and is skeptical that the events actually happened. Paulson essentially plays a role within a role, a difficult task that she pulls off tremendously.
Sally McKenna (Season 5: Hotel)
The titular Hotel of AHS’s fifth season is haunted by mysteries. But more importantly, it is haunted by ghosts. The hotel features a huge cast of ghosts, vampires, and humans living (sort of) under the roof of the Cortez.
One of the Hotel Cortez’s most prominent guests is Sally McKenna, known as “Hypodermic Sally.” Sally was a musician and heroin dealer in the 1980s who died of an overdose at the Cortez. Sally presents herself as cold, with a rough exterior, but secretly craves affection. Sally is a departure from the type of character Paulson normally plays, but she nails the role and makes viewers care about Sally.
Bette and Dot Tattler (Season 4: ‘Freak Show’)
The fourth season of American Horror Story centers around a traveling carnival and its cast of “freaks”. The season displays themes of belonging and shows that even those that are different are not only human as well, but sometimes more so.
There is no argument that Sarah Paulson is an extremely talented actress, but her performance in this season solidifies that fact. In Freak Show Sarah not only plays two roles, a difficult feat itself, but a pair of conjoined twins. Bette and Dot Tattler may be joined together, but their personalities couldn’t be more different. Bette is an idealistic dreamer who wants nothing more than to be a star, while Dot is more grounded and stern. Seeing Paulson portray two distinct personalities side by side is a master class in acting.
Cordelia Goode (Season 3: Coven)
Season 3, or “Coven” as it is titled, tells the story of a group of girls who attend a school for young witches in New Orleans. It has become a fan favorite season, in no small part due to its talented cast including a wonderful performance by Paulson.
Paulson plays Cordelia Goode, Headmistress of Miss Robichaux’s Academy and daughter of the Supreme Witch Fiona Goode (Jessica Lange). Cordelia is a caring person and protective of her students. She is a motherly figure, most likely due to the troubled relationship with her mother. She shows great strength both when she is blinded by witch hunters and when she sacrifices herself to avert the apocalypse in her reprisal of the role in season 8.
Lana Winters (Season 2: ‘Asylum’)
Season 2 of AHS is regarded by many fans as one of the best in the series. It took what made the first season so popular and elevated it in many ways. Asylum sees reporter Lana Winters, portrayed by Paulson, try to infiltrate Briarcliff Hospital to write a story on its mistreatment of patients. When she finds herself wrongly committed to the sanitarium, she must survive by any means necessary and go up against a sadistic nun, a mad scientist, and a notorious serial killer.
Lana Winters is Sarah’s first leading performance in the series, and it is considered to be her best. Lana’s most defining characteristic is her extremely strong will. The horrors she faces at Briarcliff would be enough to put anyone in a mental hospital. But Lana not only survives these horrors, but she also goes on to thrive. Seeing her show up again in Season 6 was a welcome treat for fans of Paulson.
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