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4 Theories on the American Horror Story Season 10 Theme

Aliens, cryptids, and Mary Kay included!

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Sadie Gennis

American Horror Story Season 10 is already poised to be a must-watch event, given that Ryan Murphy has stated that he's going to be bringing back several fan-favorite actors for the 2020 season -- including Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, and Lily Rabe. As of now, we have no clue whether the returning cast members are coming back to reprise previous roles (Murphy has stated his intentions to bring back the Coven witches eventually) or if we'll be getting a wholly original season. What we do know is that Episode 8 of AHS: 1984 featured a "big" clue as to what we can expect of next season.

With no way of knowing yet whether the Coven witches will return, we're trying not to let the potential inclusion of witches influence our analysis of the potential Season 10 clues because we want to keep our minds as open as possible. So, check out our four best predictions for what American Horror Story Season 10 will be about below. And if you must, just add "and then the Coven witches save the day" at the end of every theory.

Everything to Know about American Horror Story Season 10

1. All about cryptids. When the journalist Stacey was talking to Donna (Angelica Ross) and Brooke (Emma Roberts) in Episode 8, she mentioned Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. Chupacabras were also mentioned in the finale. All this taken together could point to a season all about cryptids, creatures whose existences haven't been proven irrefutably. Although American Horror Story has never really included a lot of creatures (all monsters are human, after all) there could be ways to do a cryptid-themed season without actually making it about humans tangling with wendigos and whatnot. Maybe it's about people tracking down the creatures, Blair Witch- or Ghost Hunters-style, and the question of whether the monsters truly exist remains a point of debate throughout the season.

American Horror Story: 1984
FX

2. A deadly road trip. Stacey also mentioned Paris in Episode 8, which additionally featured a reference to Jim Morrison's grave (which is located in Paris). This has led some to speculate that Season 10 will be inspired by the 1984 film Paris, Texas in which a man (Harry Dean Stanton) wakes up in a fugue state and then reunites with his son. Together they travel across the Southwest looking for the man's wife. The concept of some sort of Southwestern road trip storyline seems like it could be a fun premise for a season -- especially depending on what horrors they encounter on their trek.

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The inclusion of Orville Peck's song "Dead of Night" in the Season 10 cast announcement added weight to this theory. Sub Pop describes the track as "a torch song about two hustlers traveling through Nevada desert. Their whirlwind romance takes us on a dusty trail of memories -- racing down canyon highways, hitchhiking through casino towns and ultimately, ending in tragedy." Add in some supernatural scares and this sounds like an AHS storyline to us!

American Horror Story: 1984
FX

3. Aliens! Finally! There's probably no single theme fans have been asking for more than aliens, which means every season we read into clues that seemingly prove that aliens are what's coming next only to be sorely disappointed when that isn't the case. This season our wishful thinking proof includes Jonas comparing being a ghost to "drifting in space," Brooke collapsing outside Camp Redwood and waking up healed in a white room (perhaps because she was saved by the altruistic aliens?), and a theory that it will even be titled AHS: X, because of both the Roman numeral for 10 and as a nod to The X-Files. (X-Files alum James Wong is an executive producer on AHS.)

100 Things We Still Can't Believe Happened on American Horror Story

Ryan Murphy has made it clear that American Horror Story will always take place on American soil, which means that even if it is alien-themed it wouldn't be set in space. But Season 10 could definitely have fun with an Area 51-inspired storyline or maybe even a suburbia plot where a neighborhood is subjected to surreal and unexplained phenomenon.

American Horror Story: 1984
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4. A murderous multi-level marketing organization. After Bruce (Dylan McDermott) was left tied up on the side of the road, he was rescued by a Mary Kay saleswoman. He eventually killed her but not before going on a rant about the multi-level marketing company that made us realize just how great of a premise MLMs would make for a season. Pyramid schemes have a built-in corruption and interesting power dynamics that would be perfect for a show like American Horror Story. Plus, the show could lean into the cult-like aspect, perhaps even playing on the concept of Stepford Wives.

American Horror Story: 1984
FX

Check out more predictions for American Horror Story Season 10 in the video above.

American Horror Story is available to stream on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon.