American Horror Story has returned for its thirteenth season, officially titled American Horror Story: 13, and the soundtrack is already proving to be a carefully curated mix of horror staples and nostalgic callbacks. The new installment, billed by co-creator Ryan Murphy as a greatest hits crossover, brings back Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters and other franchise veterans to reprise multiple characters from across the anthology's history.
The story opens with Ben DeSoto, played by Joey Pollari, a hospice worker who becomes entangled with Constance Langdon and a haunting Manhattan penthouse. As the season progresses, characters and mythology from Murder House, Coven, Hotel, Freak Show and Cult begin to collide. The first three episodes premiered on FX and Hulu in the US on Thursday, September 24, and arrived on Disney+ in the UK the following day. Three more episodes are scheduled for October 2, with batches of two arriving weekly until the thirteenth and final episode on October 30 in the UK.
The original score for season 13 comes from longtime American Horror Story composers Mac Quayle and James S. Levine, while Amanda Krieg Thomas and Francesca Harding serve as music supervisors. The songs identified in the season so far span decades and genres, from classical piano to mid-century pop. In the first episode, titled «13», viewers heard James Clarke's «Peaceful», Johnny Cash's «Thirteen», Beethoven's «Piano Sonata No. 14 In C-Sharp Minor – 1st Movement – Moonlight Sonata», Hoagy Carmichael's «Ole Buttermilk Sky», and Patience & Prudence's «Tonight You Belong To Me».
That final track holds particular significance for longtime fans. Patience & Prudence's eerie 1956 recording of «Tonight You Belong To Me» plays over the closing credits of the season premiere, echoing its memorable use in the very first American Horror Story: Murder House episode in 2011. The same recording later returned for the finale of 2018's Apocalypse, making its reappearance in season 13 a deliberate nod to the show's own history.
The second episode, titled «1:13 AM», features Giuseppe Tartini's «Violin Sonata In G Minor, B. g5 'Devil's Trill': I. Larghetto Affettuoso». The third episode, «Rauhnacht», has no songs identified at this time. As new episodes are released, the list of featured music is expected to grow, with the season running through the end of October.
The premiere has already generated discussion among fans, particularly for its three-part launch and the Langdon family reunion at its center. The crossover format means characters from different seasons are sharing screen time in ways the anthology has only hinted at before, and the music is being used to reinforce those connections. The return of the Patience & Prudence track, in particular, signals that the show is treating its own past as material to be remixed and revisited.
American Horror Story: 13 airs on FX and streams on Hulu in the US, with new episodes rolling out through October. UK viewers can watch on Disney+, where the first three episodes are now available and subsequent installments will follow weekly until the finale on October 30. The soundtrack will continue to be updated as each episode airs.