American Horror Story has been terrifying fans with elaborate seasons since 2011, but it doesn’t always tie up all its loose ends. Starting with Murder House, the series has since covered topics like vampires, aliens, and summer camp massacres. One of the show’s biggest criticisms is that the seasons start out strong but lose their plot along the way. This was less of an issue in early seasons like Murder House, Asylum, and Coven, but is nonetheless a consistent theme.

There are quite a lot of instances of plot holes and unanswered questions in American Horror Story. The first half of American Horror Story: Double Feature told a unique story about what people are willing to do to succeed, yet it seemed to rush through the ending, making the season feel incomplete with so much for fans to wonder about. While the series is still loved for its boldness and never holding back when it comes to gore, every American Horror Story season has at least one big mystery left unsolved by its finale. Here are the biggest from each season.

12Murder House: How Did The Home Become So Evil?

American Horror Story kicked off in 2011 with Murder House, which is sometimes regarded as the best season Ryan Murphy’s ever created. It offered a dark backstory though it didn’t explain if that story is what made the house evil or if the house was evil even before the family moved in. The AHS: Murder House origin story says Doctor Charles Montgomery, who has lost his mind and his status as an acclaimed surgeon, started giving illegal abortions to women in his basement. When one patient told her boyfriend, he sought revenge by killing and dismembering Charles’ son.

The surgeon tried to put his baby back together, Frankenstein-style, but the baby came back to life evil. Charles’ wife, Nora Montgomery, was horrified by what he’d done, so she killed him and then herself. This seems like a pretty good reason why the house was so evil. However, if Charles started going insane, causing him to try to put his own son back together, it’s unclear whether this is because there was evilness already in the American Horror Story house. If this is the case, the show never addresses it. The evil might stem from another event that occurred before Charles, and his wife moved in, making it a pressing mystery.

11Asylum: Who Was Charlotte Brown, Actually?

Charlotte Brown was introduced in American Horror Story season 2, and her story ends without any real explanation of her identity. The character showed up at Briarcliff Manor, insisting she was the famous holocaust victim Anne Frank. History tells us that Anne Frank died in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany, and her father later published her diary to share her story with the world. Understandably, no one believed Charlotte.

However, Charlotte believed Dr. Arden, the physician and administrator at the asylum, was former Nazi war criminal Hans Grüper. This was proven true when a holocaust photo on Charlotte’s wall showed a Nazi with a strikingly similar resemblance to American Horror Story‘s Dr. Arden. While it’s confirmed her story about the doctor was true, the show never explains who Charlotte was. Though it’s possible she was a holocaust survivor who was heavily manipulated and brainwashed by her husband, it’s highly unlikely she was actually Anne Frank.

10Coven: How Did Cordelia Become The Next Supreme?

Throughout the season, Cordelia Goode faced the most struggles and appeared to be the weakest of the witches. One of her biggest problems was her fertility issues which she tried to fix with dark magic. However, one of the rules of the next Supreme is that they have good health. Cordelia also went blind during the season and mentally did not appear to be doing well, especially with all her anger and resentment toward her mother on American Horror Story, Fiona Goode. When it was time to crown the next Supreme, Cordelia completed the Seven Wonders, which none of the other contenders could do.

Cordelia seems to be the exception to the rules, though the season didn’t address how this is possible. A good theory is Cordelia was holding herself back from what she was capable of, and when she finally realized how powerful she was, she became the Supreme. Also, her fertility issues may not qualify as a health issue, like Madison Montgomery’s heart murmur did. Instead, they symbolize that society expects women to reproduce, and if they can’t, they’re seen as weak or useless. Cordelia proves she is neither of these things, she’s actually the most powerful of all, and women can have a purpose outside becoming mothers. However, while these are compelling arguments, it’s never explicitly confirmed.

9Freak Show: How Are The Characters Still Performing To An Audience?

At the end of America Horror Story: Freak Show, the characters continued performing despite being dead, and it’s still a mystery where they got their audience from. Previously, Dandy went on a vicious murder spree, shooting and killing the whole cast. However, in the afterlife, their show went on. American Horror Story didn’t explain where the audience came from or if they were also dead, leaving it open to fan interpretation.

8Hotel: Why Hasn’t Hotel Cortez Shut Down?

Despite the evil energy which lingered in the hotel and the many people who went missing after checking in, the hotel remains open, and guests keep flocking. The season didn’t offer any explanation of why no one was afraid to check in to the hotel or why no one came in to investigate heavily. In the real world, a hotel with so many unexplained deaths likely wouldn’t be allowed to stay open. However, in American Horror Story-land, it’s still thriving. The show’s fifth season would have been stronger with some further explanation on how the hotel is still open and running despite all the deaths.

7Roanoke: What Was The Point Of Scathach?

Scathach was introduced as a bloodthirsty, immortal witch, but her sole purpose seemed to be to lure in Shelby’s husband, Matt, who regularly cheated on Shelby with Scathach. Other than this storyline, she didn’t serve much of a purpose, and the show didn’t explain why she was a part of the season. Whether she was included because Lady Gaga portrayed her, and Murphy wanted to include the star in the season in a way that worked with her busy schedule, the character feels unfortunately out of place.

6Cult: Why Is Ally So Fearful?

AHS: Cult’s Ally was a neurotic character with many phobias, including the fear of small holes. She sought therapy, but the election playing out in the season triggered all her worst nightmares, and nothing seemed to help her. Unfortunately, the show doesn’t dive into her past or explain why she lived her life in constant fear. There must have been something that happened in her childhood that caused her to be so afraid, and this would have been a fascinating angle for American Horror Story: Cult to take. Unfortunately, fans were left with no explanation for Ally’s fearful nature.

5Apocalypse: Who Was Rubber Man?

Rubber Man made his return in Apocalypse after appearing throughout American Horror Story: Murder House, though there’s no clear answer of who put on the black latex suit. In Murder House, Tate was Rubber Man, but in AHS: Apocalypse, the only person seen in the rubber man costume was Michael Langdon. However, in a later scene, Rubber Man had sex with Mr. Gallant, and Michael was still dressed in his regular clothes, proving it wasn’t him in the Rubber Man suit.

The season never confirmed who Rubber Man was, but it’s believed he may have been a demonic entity. Characters could wear the suit, but the suit also had its own powers and could act without anyone having to put it on. American Horror Story should have clarified this in the season, and as such it remains mysterious.

41984: How Did Richard Ramirez Get To Hotel Cortez?

American Horror Story: 1984 either presented a massive plot hole or the time travel that occurred in Apocalypse changed the events of the past. The notorious real-life serial killer died in 2013 in prison. This was mentioned in American Horror Story: Hotel when his ghost attended James March’s Devil’s Night banquet. However, AHS: 1984 claims the killer is trapped at Camp Redwood, on death watch for 30 years. He is repeatedly killed and brought back to life, continuing in 2019 when the season aired. There’s no explanation of how this is possible with the American Horror Story: Hotel storyline.

3Red Tide: How Does Access To The Pill Impact The World?

At the end of Red Tide, the black pill, which will either help creatives become massively successful if they actually have what it takes or turn them into zombie-like creatures if they’re not as talented as they thought they were, became available when Ursula introduced it to people in Los Angeles. The season ended as society resorted to chaos. However, there’s no further explanation of what happens. The first part of the season feels incomplete and rushed through because there’s no telling of what happens after the final scene. Had the show further explored Red Tide, it could have given answers to what happens next and how it affects other American Horror Story seasons since all the seasons exist in the same universe.

2Death Valley: How Is The Season Connected To Asylum?

In American Horror Story‘s second season, Kit, his wife Alma, and Grace were abducted by aliens. Alma and Grace were both impregnated and gave birth to the babies. Death Valley follows a similar theme with a group of college students becoming pregnant with Alien babies. Since American Horror Story seasons exist in the same universe and often connect their seasons to each other, it was expected there would be a connection between the seasons. Unfortunately, by the end of Death Valley, nothing from season 2 was tied into the story.

1NYC: Who Is The Something’s Coming Woman?

The “Something’s Coming” woman appeared, warning Adam that something evil was coming. Later in the season, she seemingly told him, I told you so. However, her identity was never elaborated on, and it’s unclear how she knew about the evil taking over the city. She was an interesting addition to AHS: NYC, and it would have been great to see her backstory or see how she further contributed to the season. Unfortunately, she was left out, only popping up to give Adam mysterious warnings, with no explanation of why she specifically wanted to warn him.

American Horror Story has created a lot of disappointment with its plot holes and unsolved mysteries. Luckily, the series is never really over, especially with the spinoff American Horror Stories. Murphy is always connecting storylines in various seasons, so many of these unanswered questions may one day be answered in a different season.