Each year, eagle-eyed viewers wait with bated breath to discover which classic horror trope will be explored (and subverted) on American Horror Story. From killer clowns to cannibalistic inbreds and dildo drill demons, the storylines have broken boundaries for the genre on the small-screen and influenced a plethora of television series, while simultaneously popularising the anthology format.

For its signature blend of camp and terror, trailblazing LGBTQIA+ representation and rainbow cast members, American Horror Story has also garnered a devoted following amongst the queers. It helps that the cast consists of legendary women that have gays screaming “mother!”, with the likes of Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Leslie Grossman, Emma Roberts, Lily Rabe and, of course, Lady Gaga.

There’s often discourse online as to which season of American Horror Story is the supreme, so we’ve taken it upon ourselves to rank all 12 instalments from worst to best, from the inaugural stylings of Murder House to Delicate. Without further ado…

12. Delicate (season 12)

Cast: Emma Roberts, Matt Czuchry, Kim Kardashian, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Denis O’Hare, Cara Delevingne, Julie White, Maaz Ali

News of Kim Kardashian’s involvement with Delicate was met with contempt online, with fans describing it as a “joke” and “stunt casting” in order to attract more viewers. Ironically, her performance as Siobhan Corbyn, the wickedly bitchy publicist to Emma Roberts’ Oscar-hungry Anna Victoria Alcott, is widely considered to be one of Delicate's saving graces. (Not Emmy-worthy, but enjoyable.)

Based on Danielle Valentine’s novel Delicate Condition, the nine-episode season focuses on Anna, an actress who is convinced that someone – or something – is trying to stop her pregnancy. Honestly, I did not envision a reality where Double Feature was usurped as American Horror Story’s worst outing (the first five episodes of Red Tide save it from last place), but, yeah, here we are. Not a lot worked, bar Kim’s surprisingly entertaining performance and Anna’s campy pro-abortion and defecation Instagram Reel. The gaslighting aspect is both a positive and negative, because while Delicate delivered a rather accurate depiction of psychological abuse, it felt like 80% of the season consisted of Anna running amok and losing her mind, which got a bit old.

And the finale? Insulting. The threat, a coven of evil witches led by Siobhan, were eradicated with a simple incantation from… a ghost. Who signed off on that? I need names and addresses.