Fans of FX's long-running horror anthology can step inside a free, immersive pop-up in Hollywood this weekend that references all 12 previous seasons of American Horror Story, ending with a sneak peek at the brand-new Season 13. The reservation-only experience runs Friday and Saturday at NYA Studio East on Cahuenga Boulevard, just days before the new season premieres on FX and Hulu.
According to the Los Angeles Daily News, the pop-up includes interactive challenges, scares, and references to all 12 prior installments of the franchise, with guests required to activate each space in order to advance and trigger a final reveal. The activation sits inside NYA Studio East at 1541 N. Cahuenga Blvd., a venue that hosted Julien's $4 million Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner auction in March 2024, according to CBS News. The Daily News reports the pop-up is free to attend but requires an online reservation, and attendees must be 18 or older.
A Rube Goldberg Journey Through the Franchise
Inside, the experience uses what the Daily News describes as a Rube Goldberg machine-inspired progression system, a mechanical chain reaction that unlocks each new room as guests complete it. The walkthrough includes references to the franchise's 12 previous installments before revealing a Season 13 sneak peek.
The Daily News notes that guests can book Friday visits from 2 to 6 p.m. on September 18, while Saturday hours run from 2 to 10 p.m. on September 19. Beyond the public hours, hoopLA reports that FX has scheduled an invite-only, 21-and-over VIP party for Friday night from 7 to 10 p.m., following the public afternoon session, according to hoopLA.
Season 13 Brings Back Nearly Every Legacy Character
The pop-up arrives just ahead of American Horror Story Season 13, which premieres September 24 on FX and Hulu and consists of 13 half-hour episodes, a format shift from the anthology's traditional hour-long installments, the Daily News reports. Explore Disney+ details a six-week rollout beginning that premiere night, with three episodes airing on September 24, another three on October 1, followed by two episodes weekly from October 8 through October 22 and one finale episode on October 29, according to Explore Disney+.
Season 13 leans hard into nostalgia, with actors playing multiple legacy roles across the franchise. Jessica Lange is reprising all four of her original characters — Constance Langdon, Sister Jude, Fiona Goode, and Elsa Mars — while Sarah Paulson takes on six roles, according to PHANTASMAG. That outlet also reports that series creator Ryan Murphy met with Lange personally to pitch her return to the franchise. Per the Daily News, Murphy told Variety that Season 13 feels like a tribute to the original 2011 idea of anthologized television that he and Brad Falchuk created that year.
The cast list the Daily News published also includes Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Gabourey Sidibe, Leslie Grossman, Joey Pollari, Avantika, Jamie Brewer, Elle Chapman, Berto Colon, Alex Consani, Frances Conroy, Mat Fraser, Seth Gabel, Orlando Jones, Paul Anthony Kelly, John Carroll Lynch, Tig Notaro, Madelaine Petsch, Fedor Steer, Mena Suvari, Zach Villa, and filmmaker John Waters. Screen Rant reports that Waters joins the season as Mr. Phibes, a medical specialist working alongside Constance Langdon who warns that the number 13 signifies instability and chaos, according to Screen Rant. Kelly, meanwhile, was first introduced as a Season 13 cast member during Disney's Upfront presentation in May 2026, appearing alongside Paulson and Peters in a stage display flanked by hooded Druids, per Laughing Place.
Building on a Franchise With Deep Immersive Roots
The Hollywood activation isn't the first time American Horror Story has jumped off the screen. Universal Studios Hollywood previously adapted the show into a featured Halloween Horror Nights haunted maze in 2016, recreating environments from Murder House, Freak Show, Hotel, and Roanoke, according to Orlando Weekly. The maze was a Halloween Horror Nights attraction. American Horror Story has pulled in more than 700 million streaming hours worldwide and over 100 Emmy nominations since its 2011 launch, per Seat42F.
The buzz around Season 13 doesn't stop in Los Angeles. Media Play News reports the season will receive the inaugural PaleyFest Award and headline PaleyFest NY on October 8, with an advance episode screening and cast panel planned at The Paley Museum in Manhattan as part of the Paley Center's 50th anniversary. Hoodline previously reported that PaleyFest NY's lineup includes an American Horror Story cast conversation featuring Paulson, Lourd, Sidibe, and Grossman. For now, though, the Hollywood pop-up gives Los Angeles fans first crack at the new season, chronological scares included, before the rest of the country tunes in on September 24.
