Here are all the references and homages throughout American Horror Story: 1984.
Ever since the ’80s summer camp theme was announced, American Horror Story fans anticipated a ninth season full of homages, outright or thematic, to classic slasher flicks. And, so far, AHS: 1984 does not disappoint.
But unless you’re a horror buff, you might miss some of the references Ryan Murphy and co. have made throughout the new season and that’s why we’ve put together this handy list.
This post will be updated with more references after each new episode of AHS: 1984 airs.
Episode 1, “Camp Redwood”
Friday the 13th (1980)
It probably goes without saying, but the entirety of the Camp Redwood storyline is based on the Friday the 13th films. The season is set at a summer camp, which is the basis of each one of the Friday the 13th movies and the lore behind Jason Voorhees. In the Friday the 13th series, the “crazed killer” wasn’t Mr. Jingles, but Jason himself, who was known to slice and dice the teenage camp counselors at Camp Crystal Lake. The entirety of the season can be owed to the story of Jason and his many adventures thereafter.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Xavier is seen driving the new group of counselors-to-be up to Camp Redwood. In true horror movie fashion, they stop to get some gas. While there, they meet up with Roy, the gas station attendant, who bears a striking resemblance to the man seen at a service station in the beginning of 1974 slasher classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Similarly, the group finds a hiker in the road after departing the station, which also happens in the original horror flick. Coincidence? We don’t think so.
Carrie (1976)
Margaret Booth, the owner of Camp Redwood, has an extremely religious side to her. She reveals this pretty early on in the episode, which appears to be a tribute to the overbearing mother of Carrie in the Stephen King novel and film. Her name was also Margaret, and much of young Carrie’s pain and torment at home stemmed from her extreme upbringing. It looks like Margaret Booth expects much of the same from the camp counselors.
Halloween (1978)
The entirety of American Horror Story: 1984 so far has heavy connections to the Halloween film franchise, and none are as obvious as Mr. Jingles’ stay at the mental institution we see him in. Dr. Hopple, who we’re first introduced to in this episode as she arrives there, is an obvious tribute to the Halloween series’ Dr. Sam Loomis. Loomis spent most of his life researching and trying to “reach” Michael Myers, the cold-blooded killer. It looks like Dr. Hopple here has done much the same – plus, Mr. Jingles is a big, strong and silent type who apparently can kill without a second thought.
The Night Stalker
This might come as a shock, but Richard Ramirez, the Night Stalker, is actually a real person. The real-world serial killer did much the same as we see Emma Roberts’ character Brooke doing in the first episode, and was a noted follower of Satan. Though this actor is the first to portray him in this episode, we saw Ramirez once before in an episode of American Horror Story: Hotel.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
When the counselors are on their way to Camp Redwood and end up hitting what they believe is a pedestrian, instead of trying to come clean about what happened, they try and hide their actions. They come up with a cover story to keep themselves from being implicated in the hiker having been hit and nearly killed, which is similar to the way the characters in the mystery thriller I Know What You Did Last Summer did. Four friends accidentally strike and kill a fisherman, then dump his body into the water, thinking no one saw their crime – but someone sends a threatening letter telling them otherwise. It’s a similar situation here.
Episode 2, “Mr. Jingles”
Ghostbusters (1984)
Margaret (Leslie Grossman) comes into contact with the ghostly Jonas, who’s been trapped in Camp Redwood for nearly 20 years, apparently. He asks Margaret if he’s a ghost initially, because Hs’e just as confused as the rest of us during this episode, to which she spits “Who am I, Dan Aykroyd?” This is an obvious reference to Ghostbusters, where Aykroyd plays Dr. Raymond Stantz, one of the bustin’ crew.
Porky’s (1981)
While not a horror movie, this ’80s comedy featured a scene where a group of college students are seen trying to sneak a peek at the women’s shower area via peep hole. The same happens in this episode, where Xavier (Cody Fern) brings the man who’s apparently blackmailed him into making pornography to spy on the counselors bathing in the showers – namely, Trevor (Matthew Morrison), who Xavier suggested could potentially replace him in future films.
Episode 3, “Slashdance”
Heathers (1988)
One of the unfortunate souls about to meet their end at the hands of Mr. Jingles has a forceful comeback to Mr. Jingles’ “attitude”: “Dude, what’s your damage?” Heathers fans will recognize this homage straight away, as it’s an infamous line from the popular black comedy.
Episode 4, “True Killers”
Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
This particular reference is a harder one to spot since it’s based off a movie from the 2000s, but it’s there nonetheless. Richard Ramirez and Mr. Jingles find themselves locked in combat, with Mr. Jingles apparently emerging victorious from the fight. While there aren’t any overt movements from the pair that reference this movie, the idea that these two supernaturally strong killers are fighting against each other is similar to the Freddy vs. Jason storyline, and the idea that popular slasher movie killers are often pit against one another.
Episode 5, “Red Dawn”
Ghostbusters (1984)
Near the end of this tumultuous episode, Montana and several of the other members of the counselor crew who were murdered suddenly find themselves in purgatory after dying. Montana thinks it’s hilarious and awesome, and as such plays a little joke on Ray and Jonas when she makes short work of a police officer. She announces that “there is no Montana, only Zuul,” before collapsing into laughter. This is a major reference to Ghostbusters, as it’s a line by Zuul himself, a ghost who ends up possessing Sigourney Weaver’s body in the movie.
Friday the 13th (1980)
This episode was all too happy to go back to basics with a nod to its slasher flick origins. Margaret decided to be done with Chet once and for all, taking him out canoeing at Camp Redwood’s lake, only to murder him and dump him straight into the water. This is the same way Jason Voorhees, the hockey mask-clad killer, ended up dying: by drowning in Crystal Lake as a child.
Episode 6, “Episode 100”
Shocker (1989)
This Wes Craven film followed a serial killer named Horace Pinker (Mitch Pileggi) who ended up getting the death penalty and sentenced to the electric chair. Of course, he ends up coming back to life thanks to a deal with the devil. It’s very much a similar scene here as Brooke is meant to die by lethal injection, but Richard Ramirez is in his cell summoning his dark lord, and Nurse Rita is the executioner. It all seems a bit too similar not to be an overt homage, especially given this season’s focus on serial killers.
Episode 7, “The Lady in White”
Sleepaway Camp (1983)
Blink and you’ll miss this one. This eerie film finds John Baker and friend Lenny taking John’s kids Angela and Peter out on a boating trip. The kids play a prank on their father by capsizing the boat and try to swim ashore to meet Lenny. That’s when tragedy strikes: a counselor at the camp hits John and one of the kids with her own boat. They’re both killed instantly.
This is similar to the way Mr. Jingles, or Benjamin Richter’s brother Bobby is killed. When Bobby jumps into the lake to go swimming, Benji isn’t around to see it as he’s spying on two counselors in the woods. Someone driving a boat out on the water then runs into Bobby’s head, basically mutilating and killing him. It’s all very similar to the Sleepaway Camp moment, right down to death by boat.
Episode 8, “Rest in Pieces”
Final Girl (General)
In episode 8 of AHS: 1984, Brooke learns about the “final girl” archetype, a popular concept when it comes to horror movies. The character archetype was popularized across horror classics over the years and refers to a female character (the “innocent” one of the initial crew) who ends up being the final survivor of the entire ordeal. It’s looking like Brooke has been marked to fill this trope, though she revealed herself that she actually has no clue what the phrase means, nor if she fits the bill.
Friday the 13th (1980)
Episode 8 was rife with more ’80s horror references than usual, with one moment in particular that stood out as one of the most gipping of the season. Mr. Jingles is finally stabbed over and over again by Xavier, Chet, Montana, and other Camp Redwood victims and then thrown into a boat tied up and left to die on the lake. He isn’t there long, as he’s soon grabbed and dragged down into the lake by some kind of ghoulish creature. This is a direct homage to the end of the original Friday the 13th, where the so-called final girl Christine is sent to a watery death by Pamela Voorhees, Jason’s mother.
Episode 9, “Final Girl”
No homages here!
We’ll update this post with more references and homages after each remaining episode.
American Horror Story: 1984 airs Wednesdays on FX.