The anthology series will revisit its most iconic locations, including Murder House, Asylum, and Hotel Cortez.
"American Horror Story" has taken fans all over the country to tell scary stories in the 15 years since its premiere, and some of the show’s most iconic locations are set to be revisited in the latest installment.
The 13th season of the show, aptly named "American Horror Story: 13," premieres on Sept. 24 and, according to co-creator Ryan Murphy, is “a thank you to the fans for continuing to watch.”
Elements of fan-favorite seasons from the past—including Murder House, Asylum, Coven, Freak Show, Hotel, Roanoke, and Cult—will return, building on the anthology series’ set of terrifying themes as returning cast members reprise legendary roles.
“This season is a tribute to all of the seasons, which we’ll never do again,” Murphy told The Hollywood Reporter. “It was like getting the band back together and once they got on the set with me, it was like we never stopped making this.”
Murphy has teased Season 13 will be a treat for eagle-eyed viewers, who noted the upcoming episodes were created with an exceptional attention to detail.
"American Horror Story: Coven" was originally filmed in the Buckner Mansion in New Orleans. (FX) 
Actress Jessica Lange is set to reprise many of her iconic roles, including her first "AHS" appearance from Murder House. (FX) 
Creator Ryan Murphy has teased there "are little Easter eggs" from past seasons "threaded around in the set decoration." (FX) “There are little Easter eggs threaded around in the set decoration where fans can be like, ‘Wait, wasn’t that in Season 2?’ It was,” Murphy said.
While the supernatural series is entirely fictional, many of its scenes are filmed on location in real homes and properties. Read on to discover the history behind some of the places “American Horror Story” has called home.
Season 1: Murder House
The Rosenheim Mansion is the real-life location of the fictional Murder House. (MichaelJLocke/Wikimedia) The debut season of "American Horror Story" is every new homeowner’s personal nightmare.
Murder House tells the tale of a family who moved from Boston to a beautifully restored historic mansion in Los Angeles, only to quickly discover the home had a horrifying past.
A series of gruesome tragedies occurred in the abode, leaving the ghost of every individual who died on the property trapped there for eternity.
The season was shot in the Rosenheim Mansion, a six-bedroom, five-bathroom home in Los Angeles.
Built in 1908, the manor is immediately recognizable with its red brick facade, dramatic turret, and Tiffany glass windows—which would eventually pose an issue for the real-life couple who purchased it for $3.2 million in 2015.
After moving into the home, Dr. Ernst von Schwarz and Pier Angela Oakenfold were disappointed to realize how frequently their new residence was visited by fans.
In addition to serving as a filming location for "American Horror Story," it has been a backdrop for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Dexter," "Six Feet Under," "The Twilight Zone," and "The X-Files."
In 2018, the couple filed a lawsuit against the former Rosenheim Manor owner and the brokers they worked with for allegedly failing to disclose its status as a horror-fan hot spot.
The case was later dismissed, and von Schwarz and Oakenfold appeared to embrace the fanfare.
“In the end, I think it was just lemons, lemonade,” Oakenfold told We Like LA in 2020, when the couple hosted a spooky livestream near Halloween and raffled off an opportunity to spend a night in the property’s infamous basement.
It appears that "American Horror Story: 13" will revisit the Murder House, as the season’s characters have been spotted in the show’s trailer and promotional materials. But with the residents’ complicated experience with fans, it’s yet to be revealed whether the Rosenheim Mansion was used as a filming location this time around, or if another set was designed to look like it.
Season 2: Asylum
An edited version of the Old Orange County Courthouse serves as the exterior for the fictional Briarcliff Manor. (Getty Images) Set in 1964, the second season of "American Horror Story" takes place at the fictional Briarcliff Manor—a former tuberculosis hospital that was converted to a church-run asylum.
The series follows the story of a reporter, played by Sarah Paulson, who sneaks into the asylum to write an exposé, but is held captive.
In real life, Briarcliff Manor is actually the Old Orange County Courthouse in Santa Ana, CA. According to the Bowers Museum, the property was completed in 1901 and used as the county’s court before operations moved to a new building on Civic Center Drive in 1969.
Fans of Asylum are most likely familiar with the exterior of the building, which was digitally enhanced for the show. However, the courtrooms inside have been featured prominently in pop culture, as well, appearing in films including "Legally Blonde" and "Catch Me If You Can."
Season 3: Coven
The Buckner Mansion was a school in real life, too, before being converted back to a private residence. (Jeremy Thompson/Wikimedia) Season 3 of "American Horror Story" takes fans to New Orleans, where a group of witches learns to use their powers as students of Miss Robichaux’s Academy.
The fictional school was set in the Buckner Mansion, a Greek Revival estate with a complicated history. It was built in 1856 by cotton baron Henry Sullivan Buckner, designed to be grander than Stanton Hall, the Natchez, MS, home of his rival, Frederick Stanton.
Located just a block from St. Charles Avenue—the location of the Mardi Gras parade—the 8,104-square-foot home was a private residence until 1923, when it became the Soule Business School.
The mansion operated as a school until 1983, when it became a private residence once again. It was most recently sold for an undisclosed amount in September 2024, after a series of price reductions saw the home last listed for $3.99 million.
Season 4: Freak Show
The original Freak Show season took place in Jupiter, FL, but was filmed in Los Angeles. (FX Networks) 
Season 4 differs from other installments of the anthology series, which often centers around a historic location. (FX Networks) Season 4 focuses on a sideshow troupe based in Jupiter, FL, in 1952. As Freak Show tells the story of traveling performers, there’s no real property that’s central to the season, which was filmed in a temporary structure in Los Angeles.
Season 5: Hotel
Hotel Cortez was inspired by the tormented Cecil Hotel, but filmed at the James Oviatt Building. (Getty Images) The fifth installment of the show returns to Los Angeles to unpack the twisted events of the torturous Hotel Cortez.
While it’s been said that the fictional property was inspired by the real-life Cecil Hotel—a downtown Los Angeles location that’s been the site of a series of deaths and has served as residence to two serial killers—the series was actually filmed at the James Oviatt Building, which is less than a mile away.
Built in 1928 as a “luxurious penthouse” for retail entrepreneur James Oviatt, the location hosted a series of Hollywood Prohibition-era stars such as Greta Garbo, Walt Disney, and Clark Gable.
These days, it’s a historical wedding and event venue.
Season 6: Roanoke
Roanoke was filmed in a Colonial farmhouse built specifically for production of the show. (FX Networks) Season 6 puts an “American Horror Story” spin on the 16th-century mystery of Roanoke, where more than 100 English settlers apparently disappeared without a trace from Roanoke Island in North Carolina.
A large Colonial farmhouse is the backdrop to this season, but it was a structure custom-built in California by the “American Horror Story” production team.
Season 7: Cult
The exterior of this "American Horror Story" home also appeared in the 1978 film Halloween. (Google Earth) A departure from the first six seasons, which focus on supernatural horrors, Season 7 takes place in Michigan, following an extremist political cult in the aftermath of the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
The season’s main characters—Paulson’s Ally Mayfair-Richards and Ivy Mayfair-Richards, played by Alison Pill—reside in a four-bedroom Colonial Revival home that’s really located in Los Angeles.
The dwelling is yet another staple in horror history, as it also served as the exterior of a home in the iconic 1978 film “Halloween.” It’s the house of Tommy Doyle, the child Jamie Lee Curtis’ character, Laurie Strode, babysits.