Chapter 6 (American Horror Story)
"Chapter 6" is the sixth episode of the of the anthology television series "American Horror Story". It aired on October 19, 2016, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Ned Martel and directed by Angela Bassett. One of the first major story arc changes of the series, the format of the series becomes a found footage horror depicting the aftermath of "My Roanoke Nightmare" and the development of a follow-up series, "Return to Roanoke: Three Days in Hell".
American Horror Story: Roanoke
One of the earliest season hypotheses was that of Slender Man, the 2009 phenomenon, a man with a blank face, tractable arms, and killer of children. However, sources working on the show confirmed to "Entertainment Weekly", in January 2016, that the myth would not be appearing, and that a theme had already been established for the season, and would be revealed in March. Though, this did not come to pass. Based on the teaser trailers and several interviews given by Murphy, media reported the plot of the season as dealing with cult, farm, orphanage, colony, or the storyline of the Antichrist, which has already been touched on by the series in season one (Vivien and Tate's child, Michael, that Constance took as her own, was considered to be the titular figure). "Deadline" Ross A. Lincoln posited the theory that the cycle will revolve around the Bloody Benders family. They owned an inn and general store in rural 1800s Kansas and were responsible for the deaths of 11 passersby, later disappearing. Photos from the set released by "TMZ" confirmed the season to incorporate colonial aspects. "Vulture" Jordan Crucchiola theorized it to be about the Roanoke Colony, with Murphy likely to adapt the historical explanation of the settlers disappearance. "The Huffington Post" added that another story avenue Murphy might venture on is the colloquial belief that the colonist vanished under supernatural circumstances. Screener's Aaron Pruner noted that the colony was mentioned by Billie Dean Howard in "Murder House", thus alluding to the possible Antichrist or supernatural presence in the sixth season. Pruner also mentioned that the history of the word "Croatoan" is vast and unnerving. Days before the death of author Edgar Allan Poe, he is said to have muttered the cryptic word as his final. Furthermore, in 1937, the word was found scribbled in fated pilot Amelia Earhart's journal. Kate Feldman from "New York Daily News" has speculated that the season will revolve around the Manson family; she cited iconography in a teaser, Charles Manson's fascination with spiders (i.e. official poster for season), Evan Peters' appearance resembling Manson, and Murphy's previous comments stating that the series had considered the theme for the third year, which ultimately shifted to "". However, Sarah Paulson has rejected the Manson theme, saying, "Wrong! You can look me dead in the eyes. You are wrong, dead wrong. And you will see that I am not lying to you. I'm not pulling a little Jedi mind trick." After the release of the revealing "Anthology" trailer, "The Huffington Post" Bill Bradley suggested, after taking into account several factors, that the season would feature a discarded "Murder House" menace that slays his victims with hedge trimmers. "TV Guide" suggested a major connection to "Asylum" concerning the spider shown travelling under the skin of a person in one of the teasers for the season.