Entertainment

11 Ways 'AHS: Roanoke' Connects To 'American Horror Story' Seasons 1-5

FX

When Ryan Murphy first brought American Horror Story to the small screen, I remember thinking how neat of a concept it was. Not only did he treat each season as a separate anthology, but he also cast the same actors to play different roles within each of those seasons. It was revolutionary. But then something very interesting happened. Murphy revealed to the world that every season of AHS is connected in some way, whether we realized it or not. That knowledge has taken our viewing experience to a whole new level as we try desperately to figure out the many numerous ways these characters' lives are entangled. And Season 6 is no different. In fact, American Horror Story: Roanoke is connected to other seasons of AHS in a number of various ways, each one more interesting than the next.

Granted, I have no idea how these connections will potentially play out as the show progresses, but it's still a lot of fun to find these little AHS easter eggs and attempt to solve this unique puzzle Murphy has laid out at our feet. So how exactly does Roanoke connect with Murder House and all the other seasons, you may ask? Here's everything we've discovered so far...

1

The Motts From 'Freak Show'

Who could ever forget Dandy Mott and the horror he inflicted on Freak Show? Murphy recently revealed to Entertainment Weekly that Roanoke would explain how the Mott family began, which means we could be seeing some very familiar faces in the near future.

2

The Piggy Man From 'Murder House'

Roanoke has proven to be very pig-centric so far, which including bringing back the legend of the Piggy Man, which made its initial debut back during the days of Murder House. This patient of Ben Harmon's was terrified of being attacked by the Piggy Man, given his tendency to chop people up when summoned. Perhaps it's a tactic he learned from The Butcher?

3

Billie Dean Howard From 'Murder House'

Though she has yet to make an appearance, many fans suspect that this true crime narrative is all being done at the hand of Murder House and Hotel psychic, Billie Dean Howard. Plus, there's the fact that she mentioned the Lost Colony of Roanoke by name back in Season 1 when she was teaching Violet how to banish spirits from the ghost-infested house.

4

The Flashbacks From 'Murder House'

One of the most fascinating things about Murder House was how it would constantly go back to different time periods and show what newfound horrors took place within the house during that time. Roanoke gives us a few similar glimpses of that as we start to learn more about the ghostly characters that inhabit the land.

5

The Nurses From 'Murder House'

FX

Bridget and Miranda may be completely different characters than the nurses who were killed in the confines of Murder House, but you can't help but notice some sort of connection here, even if we don't know what it means yet. I mean, two female nurse murderers and two female nurse killers all of who go on to haunt two different, creepy houses? Oh, and did I mention that the two nurses in Murder House were killed by a guy named R. Franklin. (Notice how his name starts with the letter R — the last letter the Roanoke nurses need to spell out "MURDER.") That can't be a coincidence.

6

The Miscarriage From 'Murder House'

Vivien Harmon suffered from a miscarriage prior to moving into Murder House, which almost exactly parallels Shelby's journey on Roanoke. Maybe that means her story will eventually lead to conceiving a demonic baby. Just saying!

7

The Mental Ward From 'Asylum'

Granted, Roanoke's farmhouse was more of a depraved nursing home than an actual mental facility, but it still made us callback to Briarcliff Manor in a big way.

8

Leslie Jordan From 'Coven'

FX

He may be playing a medium called Cricket on Roanoke, but back in Season 3 the actor was member of the witches high council, Quentin Fleming. Could the two of them be related? Perhaps Cricket's psychic abilities are really just his witch powers trying to break free.

9

Cricket's New Orlean's Mention

Cricket mentioned that he learned about Lee's other daughter while he was eating at Cafe Du Monde, which just so happens to be located in New Orleans where Coven took place. Hmmm...

10

The Parallel Opening Shots In The Premiere

FX

Hellogiggles noticed that the Roanoke farmhouse was introduced in almost the exact same way Murder House was back in Season 1 by first panning through trees before locking in on the house itself. Coincidence? I think not.

11

The Staircase Constant

FX

Each season of AHS may be unique in various ways, but if there's one constant holding them all together it's the repeated camera shots of staircases, which can be found is pretty much every single season. From Asylum's spiral staircase to the winding bannisters from Coven school for witches, we are constantly shown this repeated imagery and I doubt it's just because it looks pretty. Perhaps this is Murphy's subtle way of hinting at Dante's Inferno and how each story is a representation of a circle of hell.

Either way, there's no denying that these connections exist for a reason and will only continue to grow in number as the season progresses. The key is to keep your eyes open and maybe someday we'll be able to eventually connect the dots.