4 Telling Signs That American Horror Story's Next Season Will Focus on a Cult

Finally, at the end of July, we got our first official footage of the new season. While the teasers seem to scream Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a closer inspection reveals that are a lot of indications that it could still involve a cult. In fact, the teasers almost seem to confirm a cult, in a very generous sense of the word. Most striking is the "Lullaby" clip, which reads so strongly as a Rosemary's Baby reference. And, as you might recall, Rosemary's Baby centers around a satanic cult.

Ryan Murphy has said a lot to suggest that he's fascinated with the idea of a cult. Back in 2013, he gave an interview with Deadline, where he talked about his desire to focus on Charles Manson. "There was a point last year in August where I was like, 'I want to do an entire season about the [Charles] Manson case.' But then we decided that wasn't respectful to the victims, and it's really hard to get life rights . . . we might go back to the Manson thing in some regard one day."

In Entertainment Weekly, another quote about the tone of season six seems to carry connotations of this theme. "The next thing we're crafting up is very, very different than [Hotel]," he revealed. "Not smaller. But just not opulent. More rogue and more dark." Considering how cults operate in such mysterious and secretive ways, there's a noted connection between the themes he teased and the fact that Charles Manson is on his mind.

In another interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Murphy teased that there are lots of hints about season six in season one. "This year, with season six, it's weird because one idea that I think we're going to do is an idea that we started talking about in season one," he said. "So, the clue for season six is not just in the material we're doing now; it's from way back in season one. We talked a lot about it. There is a clue in there."

Interestingly, there are a lot of references to Charles Manson in the first season. The troubled Tate shares a name with Sharon Tate, one of the most notable victims of the Manson family. Manson was also connected to the murder of the LaBianca family. There's also a character named Bianca in Murder House. She's one of the intruders who terrorizes the Harmon family in an attempt to re-create one of the house's many infamous murders. Which brings us to perhaps the biggest clue of all.

Bianca and her crew claim to be worshipers of the killer R. Franklin. This sort of cult association is a pretty prime example of a Ryan Murphy clue. Are you seeing how all the threads connect together?

The last hint isn't even contained within the AHS season, but it's perhaps the most tangible lead we've received to far. At this year's Comic-Con extravaganza in San Diego, FX hosted a VR experience that literally places you inside the seasons. It's a whole new level of immersive horror. The thing is, though, that one scene didn't really match up.

Our editor Maggie Pehanick experienced the attraction firsthand and explained why it sticks out so much. "You're in a forest at night," she recalls. "You see the stars above you, then you realize you're on a stake. Three figures in hooded brown robes approach (levitate might be a more accurate verb here) and start chanting. The sticks under you light up and you're burned alive."

So, there you have it. We have quotes from Ryan Murphy, obvious hints from season one, and a strange VR experience that our FX reps wouldn't directly comment on. Could this be the theme we've been looking for?