It’s been over a decade since Ryan Murphy unleashed the third installment of his anthology series, and honestly, the internet still hasn’t moved on from American Horror Story Coven. Usually, TV shows have a shelf life. They peak, they fade, and they end up in the "Recommended for You" graveyard of a streaming app. But Coven? It’s different. It basically invented the "witchcore" aesthetic that dominates TikTok every autumn. It turned New Orleans into a pilgrimage site for fans wearing oversized black hats and heavy eyeliner.
Most people remember the fashion. That iconic shot of the girls walking in a line, all dressed in black, is etched into the cultural zeitgeist. But beneath the Stevie Nicks cameos and the biting one-liners, there’s a surprisingly deep exploration of power, race, and the literal weight of legacy.
The Messy Reality of Miss Robichaux's Academy
When we talk about American Horror Story Coven, we’re talking about a very specific vibe. It’s "Mean Girls" but with telekinesis and a high body count. You’ve got Zoe Benson, played by Taissa Farmiga, who discovers her powers in the most traumatic way possible—accidentally killing her boyfriend with a "black widow" curse. She’s shipped off to Miss Robichaux’s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies in New Orleans.
It’s not Hogwarts. Not even close.
The school is crumbling. It’s empty. Only four students remain, which is a grim reflection of the dying breed of Salem descendants. Sarah Paulson plays Cordelia Foxx, the headmistress who is constantly overshadowed by her mother, Fiona Goode. Fiona is the Supreme, the most powerful witch of her generation, and Jessica Lange plays her with a desperate, terrifying elegance. She doesn't want to mentor the next generation. She wants to drain them to stay young. It’s dark.
Power Isn't Free
The magic system in Coven isn't just about waving wands. It’s about the Seven Wonders. This is a crucial piece of lore that fans still debate. To become the next Supreme, a witch has to master seven distinct abilities:
- Telekinesis (moving stuff with your mind)
- Concilium (mind control)
- Transmutation (teleportation)
- Divination (knowing things)
- Pyrokinesis (starting fires)
- Vitalum Vitalis (balancing scales of life and death)
- Descensum (descending into the underworld/hell)
If you fail a test, you die. Or you get stuck in your own personal hell forever. Like Misty Day, played by Lily Rabe, who spends eternity in a high school biology class dissecting a frog that keeps coming back to life. It’s one of the most heartbreaking moments in the entire series because Misty was the soul of the season. She just wanted to listen to Fleetwood Mac and garden.
Why the New Orleans Setting Matters
You can’t talk about American Horror Story Coven without talking about the Big Easy. The show filmed on location, and it breathes the humidity of the French Quarter. But it isn't just for the aesthetics. The writers leaned hard into the real-world history of the city, specifically the tension between the Salem witches (white, structured, fading) and the Voodoo practitioners (Black, ancestral, thriving).
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Angela Bassett as Marie Laveau is arguably the best performance in the season. She’s based on the real-life Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, a woman who held immense power in the 1800s. In the show, she’s immortal and runs a hair salon. The rivalry between her and Fiona Goode is the engine that drives the plot, moving it beyond a simple teen drama into something about reparations and historical grudges.
Then there’s Delphine LaLaurie.
Kathy Bates played this role with a chilling realism that makes your skin crawl. Unlike the witches, LaLaurie was a real person—a socialite who tortured enslaved people in her "Royal Street" mansion. The show brings her into the modern world as Fiona’s "immortal" maid, forcing her to confront a world she hates. It’s uncomfortable to watch. It should be. Coven doesn't shy away from the ugliness of American history, even when it’s wrapping it in a campy horror package.
The Fashion That Defined an Era
Let’s be real. Half the reason people love American Horror Story Coven is the wardrobe designed by Lou Eyrich. Before 2013, "witchy" meant pointed hats and green skin. After Coven, it meant Saint Laurent, wide-brimmed fedoras, and floor-length lace.
"On Wednesdays, we wear black."
That line from Madison Montgomery (Emma Roberts) summed up the entire ethos. Madison was the quintessential Hollywood starlet turned witch, and her "surprise, bitch" meme is still used daily on social media. She represented the vanity and selfishness of the modern age, a stark contrast to Zoe’s innocence or Queenie’s (Gabourey Sidibe) search for a place where she actually belonged.
Breaking Down the Seven Wonders
The finale of the season is literally titled "The Seven Wonders." It’s a high-stakes competition to see who will succeed Fiona.
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- The girls start with simple tasks.
- It quickly turns into a deadly game of tag.
- Misty Day's failure is the emotional gut-punch.
- Madison's arrogance eventually leads to her literal downfall (strangled by a resurrected Kyle, which... let's face it, that plotline with Evan Peters was the weakest part of the season).
- Finally, Cordelia steps up.
It turns out the Supreme wasn't the loudest girl in the room. It was the woman who had been suppressing her power because she was afraid of her mother. When Cordelia finally rises as the Supreme, it’s a moment of genuine empowerment that feels earned. She goes public. She opens the doors of the academy to witches everywhere. It’s a hopeful ending in a show that usually ends in a bloodbath.
What Most People Get Wrong About Coven
There’s a common criticism that Coven is "too campy" compared to the gritty Asylum or the claustrophobic Murder House. Critics at the time were divided. Some felt the stakes didn't matter because characters kept coming back to life. Madison dies. Comes back. Myrtle Snow is burned at the stake. Comes back.
But that’s kind of the point.
American Horror Story Coven is about the cyclical nature of power. It’s a dark fairy tale. In fairy tales, death is often a transition rather than an end. The show explores the idea that you can't truly kill a legacy. When Misty Day brings a bird back to life in the first episode, she’s setting the stage for a season where the "end" is never really the end.
Also, people forget how much the show dealt with the concept of "The Shadow Self." Every character is fighting their worst impulses. Fiona wants to be a mother but can't stop being a predator. Cordelia wants to be a leader but can't stop being a daughter. Queenie wants a sisterhood but finds herself drawn to the raw power of the Voodoo tribe. It’s messy. It’s human.
The Return in Apocalypse
If you want to understand the full impact of this season, you have to look at AHS: Apocalypse (Season 8). It was basically Coven Part 2.
The fans demanded it. Ryan Murphy delivered.
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Seeing the witches return to fight the Antichrist (Michael Langdon) felt like a victory lap. It proved that these characters—Cordelia, Madison, Myrtle, and even the resurrected Misty—were the "Avengers" of the American Horror Story universe. They are the only ones capable of stopping the literal end of the world. It solidified their status as the heart of the franchise.
Real-World Influence
New Orleans tourism saw a massive spike during and after the airing of Coven. People still visit the Buckner Mansion (the real-life location used for the academy) just to take photos at the gates. The show tapped into a desire for female-led narratives that don't rely on being "likable." These women are mean, they’re powerful, and they’re complicated.
They don't ask for permission.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and New Viewers
If you’re revisiting the show or watching it for the first time, don't just look at the surface-level scares.
- Look at the subtext of the mothers and daughters: The entire season is a meditation on how we inherit trauma from our parents.
- Research the real history: Spend ten minutes reading about the real Marie Laveau and the real Delphine LaLaurie. It makes the show infinitely more terrifying when you realize the monsters were real.
- Watch for the cinematography: The use of "Dutch angles" and wide lenses gives the school a dreamlike, disorienting feel that perfectly mirrors the girls' confusion.
- Appreciate the soundtrack: From Stevie Nicks singing "Seven Wonders" to the haunting "Lala Lala" theme, the music is a character in itself.
The legacy of American Horror Story Coven isn't just about witches. It’s about the fact that even when the world tries to burn you at the stake—metaphorically or literally—you have the power to rise up, grab a sharp pair of heels, and take control of your own story.
If you're looking for more, go back and watch the scenes between Jessica Lange and Sarah Paulson again. Now that we know where the series goes in later seasons, the foreshadowing in their early arguments is incredible. You can see the seeds of Cordelia's rise in every insult Fiona throws at her. It’s a masterclass in long-form character development that most horror shows never even attempt.