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Ryan Murphy ’s anthology seriesintroduced the witchy women of Miss Robichaux ’s Academy in 2013’sAmerican Horror Story : Covenwhose stories include influences and Easter eggs from iconic horror moving-picture show . As an avid devotee of the genre , season 3 showcased the director ’s immense noesis and just how impactful horror movies are on creatingAmerican Horror Story .
AHS : Covenfeatures an impeccable cast with several serial publication regulars includingSarah Paulson , Emma Roberts , Jessica Lange , Kathy Bates , Evan Peters , Denis O’Hare , Taissa Farmiga , Lily Rabe , Angela Bassett , and Frances Conroy . Cordelia Goode ( Paulson ) runs Miss Robichaux ’s Academy where Zoe Benson ( Farmiga ) is send to control her power . When she arrives , she meets Queenie ( Gabourey Sidibe ) , Nan ( Jamie Brewer ) , and Madison Montgomery ( Roberts ) . This season in particular aid in creating several connections to past and future characters that results in every season ofAmerican Horror Storyexisting on the same timeline . For instance , it is theorized that Madison Montgomery may be related to the Montgomery family who built the family inAHS : Murder House , which also have its bonnie ploughshare of horror movie references and Easter egg .
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While season 3 serves as a popular mode of connecting characters , it utilized several popular movies about enchantress and witchcraft to create real - world connections . AHS : Covenfeatures famed creatures , the real history of automaton , and the Salem witch trials . Each film choice is knowing , making the lineament and their environment historical as well as horrific . Here ’s every book of facts and Easter eggs inAHS : Covenexplained .
The Craft
Andrew Fleming ’s 1996 cult classic horror movieThe Craftfeatures four youthful witches who are draw together together as a coven . It forms once Sarah ( Robin Tunney ) arrives at her Modern Los Angeles high schoolhouse and meets Nancy ( Fairuza Balk ) , Bonnie ( Neve Campbell ) , and Rochelle ( Rachel True ) . WhenAHS : Covenbegins , Zoe is leave her home base to join three other teenage witches at the academy . Her character resembles Sarah in several path : she is piano - spoken , only wants to use her big businessman for good , and falls in love life with a man who her friend attempt to take for herself . The dynamic between Zoe and the first three witches she meets sets up the same moral force as Sarah and her coven inThe Craft .
The Beyond
Cordelia Goode goes blind in episode 5 , " Burn , Witch . Burn ! " after being attacked with acid . In Lucio Fulci ’s 1981 Italian gothic repugnance movieThe Beyond , a woman ’s middle call on whole blank after the evilness inside of her in full develops and have her . While their story are n’t similar , the two women look the same with their exclusively white center along with them postulate residence in Louisiana .
There are a few nod to the picture throughoutAHS : Covenbut they are not as lineal as others . For instance , witch are consider to commune with the fiend based on their lore andThe Beyondis about a hotel that contains the portal to Hell . In fact , Miss Robichaux ’s could be considered a portal to Hell considering how many enchantress live there .
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The Serpent And The Rainbow
Related : Lovecraft Country ’s Smartest ( & Scariest ) Plot compare Different MonstersWes Craven’sThe Serpent And The Rainbowfeatures the Haitian origins of zombies . While the livelihood dead are mostly associate with George A. Romero ’s masterful works , the living dead ’s true history is weave into traditional rural lore in Haiti . It is believed that the utter were brought back to aliveness by sorcerer or witches . Marie Laveau sends zombies to Miss Robichaux ’s Academy in episode 5 , " Burn , Witch . incinerate ! " by using her thaumaturgy free-base in Haitian practices , it is alone determine by Craven’sThe Serpent And The Rainbow .
Eve’s Bayou
Kasi Lemmons’sEve ’s Bayoutells the taradiddle of Eve Batiste , portrayed byLovecraft Country’sJurnee Smollett , as well as her two sibling Poe ( Jake Smollett ) and Cisely ( Meagan Goode ) . The three live in Louisiana during the 1960s circumvent by magic . When Eve discovers that she has her own solidification of psychical ability , she gets thrust into the cosmos of historically Haitian magical practices .
It is known for its feminist undertones , which were utilized by Murphy to wait on in crafting Queenie ’s personation when she joins Marie Lavaeu . Eve ’s Bayouis known for being culturally and historically significant . It comes as no surprise thatAHS : Covenwould feature some of its most iconic delineation of Haitian magic in scenes featuring Black beldame , especially Marie Lavaeu ’s gift with the craft .
Haxan
Benjamin Christensen ’s 1922 objective - style Swedish horror flick feature some of the most unsettling imagery of witches and demons . The carte du jour used to introduce the Seven Wonders are a direct reference point to the black-market and white fashion from Haxan . It is one of the early movies about witches and , as such , it was destine to be featured inAHS : Coven . The fact that the picture show is so former and the practice of the Seven Wonders is as well , by reference Haxan , the series constitute just how important it is to witch acculturation .
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The Crucible
Arthur Miller ’s playThe Cruciblewas adapted by Nicholas Hytner in 1996 . It is based on the1690s Salem beldame trialsthat took seat in Salem , Massachusetts . star Winona Ryder as Abigail Williams , The Cruciblefinds a radical of young women enter in witchcraft with the aid of Tituba ( Charlayne Woodard ) . After freaky events lead off to occur , the group protrude to point digit at clean-handed hoi polloi for being Wiccan to avoid distrust about them .
The witches inAHS : Covenshare similar , if not the same , last epithet as some of these diachronic characters . Tituba was a literal someone who was the first to be stress for witchery . accord to Queenie , she is a direct descendant of the witch . Fiona Goode is taken from Goody Osborne . Each beldam in season 3 is a lineal descendant of someone from Salem . While the name used inThe Cruciblearen’t completely base on real people , they are utilized inAHS : Covento character reference Miss Robichaux ’s scholarly person and their familial history .
Frankenstein
After Madison Montgomery flips a fraternity omnibus , she and Zoe go to the morgue toput Kyle ( Peters ) back together . The two use various theatrical role from other men to create their own reading of Mary Shelley’sFrankenstein . Boris Karloff is know for limn Dr. Frankenstein ’s monster who is violently confused about how he came to life . Kyle is unable to speak in coherent time until Fiona Goode casts a while on him but he does grunt and respond in a way that resemble the monster .
Evil Dead
During episode 5 , " Burn , Witch . Burn ! , " Zoe uses a chainsaw to hack through the living drained . It is a verbatim reference to Sam Raimi ’s Ash Williams ( Bruce Campbell ) fromEvil Dead . The zombi spirit depicted inAHS : Covenalso resemble deadites , which are the undead in Raimi ’s movie . It was one of the most notable reference to a cult classic .
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The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Denis O’Hare ’s Spalding is inspired by none other thanThe Rocky Horror Picture Show’sRiff Riff ( Richard O’Brien ) . The 1975 horror musical features blank space aliens who are cannibalistic , as well as knowing how to choreograph amazing dance and wearing apparel to impress . The near bald Spalding is an obvious Easter eggs to the entrance Riff Raff , who go against his professional ’s rule and overthrow him .
Carrie
In installment 1 , " Bitchcraft , " Madison Montgomery is sexually assaulted by a group of fraternity brothers . Her construction anger towards her tormentor leads her to flip their jalopy . Her telekinetic business leader are reminiscent of Carrie White ’s from Frank Darabont’sCarrie . While it is a subtle citation , it is an undeniable analog between the two telekinetic women .
Teeth
The final quotation and Easter egg inAHS : Covenis Zoe ’s might . During her first sexual experience with her boyfriend , Zoe ’s vagina causes him to have a mental capacity aneurysm . Mitchell Lichtenstein ’s 2007 repugnance movieTeethis about a young woman who discovers that her vagina is full of razor - sharp teeth that she then uses to her vantage against abusive men . Zoe ’s first putting to death is n’t a direct reference to the movie but her second kill is . She enacts her retaliation against on the fraternity brother that originate the ravishment on Madison by having sex with him , causing his last . American Horror Story : Coven’shorror movie Easter eggs are designed in craft the characters , the situations they ’re in , their history , and even Zoe ’s deadly vagina .
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