Ryan Murphy Previews ‘American Horror Story’s ‘Biggest Plot Twist’ Ever

Damian Holbrook October 18, 2016, 2:06 pm

American Horror Story: Roanoke is mapping out some new territory starting with this week’s rumored game-changer. Just don’t tell the Butcher.

“It is a big turn,” confirmed executive producer Ryan Murphy during a call with reporters on Tuesday. “It’s one of the biggest plot twists we have ever done on the show.”

Many have speculated the sixth episode will flip the script on this season’s storyline, a faux-reality show called “My Roanoke Nightmare” that re-enacts one couple’s terrifying run-in with the supernatural survivors of North Carolina’s lost colony. Murphy’s hints about what comes next offered even more reasons to believe that’s the case.

“The season was written as if [it] were in fact two different shows,” he continued. “Something happens where half the cast is revealed to be playing and doing something absolutely different than what you have seen in the first five [episodes.]” In addition, Murphy promised “a very startling announcement at the end of Act 3 that resets the season up until [the finale].”

Bates’ Butcher has been a cut-up this year

This means that anyone who thought the “real-life” Roanoke survivors (including Lily Rabe and Andre Holland) were safe from harm should think again. Whatever goes down this week “upends that theory,” warned Murphy, who added that the “actors” playing them (like Sarah Paulson and Cuba Gooding Jr.) may not be what they seem, either. “It’s really good and scary, a further commentary on reality television,” he said. “You realize that what you have been watching with some of the characters, for the most part, is not what they are at all.”

And how did his cast react to this sudden change of direction? “Around Episode 4, we had to call many of the actors, Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson, Evan [Peters] and say ‘You know what you were playing…you’re really not playing that now. We’re revealing something else about you,'” he recalled. “They all had to do a very fun and protective mad scramble to find new voices and accents…everybody has loved doing it. ”

Apparently, Gaga’s witch was born this way.

On top of this bundle of intel, Murphy also revealed that Lady Gaga’s witch is in fact the original Supreme and that her call-back to Coven could be central to a future season. But it won’t be next year, since he and the writers have already come up with a theme for year 7 and plan to unveil it earlier than usual.

Given that the show has always left us a tiny trail of clues as to what the next season might be about, have any of your come up with a concept? Let us know in the comments below!

American Horror Story: Roanoke airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on FX