Unmasking the Darkness: Joey Pollari Dives Deep Into the Shocking Twists of ‘American Horror Story: Season 13’
Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Episodes 11 and 12 of American Horror Story: Season 13. Read at your own risk.
As American Horror Story races toward the conclusion of its landmark thirteenth season, Ryan Murphy’s horror anthology continues to shatter expectations, upend decades of established lore, and throw its fan base into absolute internet frenzy. In the penultimate block of episodes—specifically, "Madison’s Happy Ending" and "Sisters in Arms"—the series dropped a narrative bombshell that connected three of the franchise’s most iconic, Emmy-winning characters in a way nobody saw coming.
At the center of this chaotic, blood-soaked web is newcomer Joey Pollari. Portraying Ben, a unassuming hospice worker who discovers he is actually the spawn of Satan (the dreaded Mr. Nas, played by Paul Anthony Kelly), Pollari has quickly become a fan-favorite addition to the AHS pantheon.
In a wide-ranging, exclusive interview with Gold Derby, Pollari peeled back the curtain on working alongside legendary franchise staples like Jessica Lange and Frances Conroy, navigating the seismic season-twelve reveals, and stepping into the psychological shadow of Ryan Murphy’s dark universe.
Main Facts: Untangling the Web of Season 13
Season 13 of FX’s flagship horror series has proven to be a masterclass in universe-building, folding previous seasons into a sprawling, interconnected mythos. The narrative stakes reached a boiling point during the penultimate week when several jaw-dropping revelations hit the screen:
- The Satanic Lineage: Ben (Joey Pollari) learns the terrifying truth about his heritage—he is not merely a hospice worker, but the biological son of Mr. Nas, making him the literal antichrist.
- The Grand matriarchal Twists: In Episode 12, the coven uncovers a familial connection that links two of Jessica Lange’s most celebrated characters. Constance Langdon (Murder House) and Fiona Goode (Coven) are revealed to be twin sisters—and, even more shockingly, the daughters of the stern, troubled Sister Jude Martin (Asylum).
- The Return of Myrtle Snow: Frances Conroy came out of retirement to reprise her iconic role as the fashion-forward witch Myrtle Snow, sharing pivotal scenes with Pollari in New Orleans.
- A New Romance: Ben forms an unexpected romantic alliance with Madison Montgomery (Emma Roberts), bridging the gap between high-stakes demonic dread and classic AHS dark comedy.
Chronology of the Penultimate Episodes
The progression of Episodes 11 and 12 accelerated the season’s overarching conflicts, blending past traumas with fresh horrors.
Episode 11: "Madison’s Happy Ending"
The episode kicks off with Ben’s fateful journey to the New Orleans coven. Tasked with navigating the surreal boundaries of the afterlife, he successfully rescues Frances Conroy’s Myrtle Snow straight from the depths of hell. Upon her return, the dynamic shifts as Ben begins an unexpected, tempestuous romance with the resurrected Hollywood-starlet-turned-witch Madison Montgomery (Emma Roberts). Amidst the brewing supernatural war, Ben wrestles with strange new abilities—ranging from telekinetic displays to brutal, bone-crushing physical outbursts.
Episode 12: "Sisters in Arms"
If Episode 11 set the chessboard, Episode 12 knocked the pieces across the room. The coven uncovers deep archival truths regarding the lineage of evil in the AHS universe, unearthing the genealogical connection that binds Constance Langdon and Fiona Goode as twins born to Sister Jude. With the apocalyptic threat of Mr. Nas looming large, the surviving characters orchestrate a desperate, last-ditch counteroffensive. It is during this chaotic climax that Ben must face his ultimate destiny, torn between his human upbringing and the malevolent legacy pulsing through his veins.
Supporting Data and Behind-the-Scenes Insights
Despite playing a terrifying agent of darkness, Pollari’s experience on set was defined by profound reverence for the seasoned veterans around him. Affectionately dubbed "Demon Boy" by co-star Angela Bassett—a moniker Pollari wears as a badge of honor—the actor reflected on the surreal nature of joining the Ryan Murphy universe.
"Angela Bassett called me Demon Boy when we were working together, and I thought that was the greatest thrill of my life," Pollari laughs. "So, yeah, if Angela says it, anyone else can jump on board."
Mastering the Monstrous
Ben’s newfound powers in the back-half of the season required careful practical effects work, particularly a gruesome sequence involving a head-twist. While audiences watched Ben casually decimate adversaries, the reality on set was a mix of tension and technical wizardry.
"Twisting someone’s head off is no small feat," Pollari notes. "I think everyone on set was wondering, ‘How is this all going to work? How is the blood going to be splattered?’ As the actor, you are wishing for Ben to speak up, find out what is really going on, and act beyond his fear."
That physical immersion reached its peak on Pollari’s final day of shooting, which left him literally and emotionally marked by the production. After getting fake blood accidentally flushed into his eye, he wrapped his scenes through both a literal and emotional haze, deeply moved by the crew he had grown to love.
Official Responses: Acting Legends and Fandom Reactions
For Pollari, stepping onto the AHS set meant going toe-to-toe with living legends. His first day of shooting required an immediate baptism by fire: a scene opposite Jessica Lange.
"Meeting Constance Langdon for the first time. It was the first time I had met Jessica… There was a great unknown before me, and there was a great unknown before Ben as he returned to work, so it was a parallel experience. It was wonderful—no acting was required. She turned to me, they started rolling, and she came out with this Southern drawl. I went, ‘Hi, I’m Joey.’ It was off to the races from there."
Similarly, working with Frances Conroy—who temporarily halted her retirement to don Myrtle Snow’s iconic red wig one last time—was a masterclass in performance observation.
"Admiration is a great way to be calm," Pollari explains, recalling his scenes with the Six Feet Under alumna. "She is full of ideas. She is fully trying things out. It was like watching a great dancer. She had inspired choreography. At that point, you are not worried about yourself anymore… Jessica Lange would turn to a window and say ‘Silence,’ and it was just Jessica Lange talking about the ways she was sitting at a dinner table… You just try to stay present."
The Memeification of American Horror Story
When asked how the internet would respond to the revelation that Constance and Fiona Goode are twin sisters descending from Sister Jude, Pollari didn’t hesitate:
"Cue the GIFs, cue the memes. The show has had such an amazing internet life, with fans responding in that way. I think people are going to pick up on the themes of family and doubles… They are seeing a character and asking, ‘What is really his relation here?’ And then: ‘Oh, wow. Of course, he is the son of Satan.’"
Implications for the Franchise: What Lies Ahead?
The implications of Season 13’s narrative choices extend far beyond a simple plot twist. By retroactively weaving together three of Ryan Murphy’s most beloved outings (Murder House, Asylum, and Coven), the writers have constructed a unified theory of darkness within the AHS multiverse.
The exploration of generational trauma, psychological shadows, and inherited evil has given the milestone thirteenth season an emotional weight that resonates with long-time viewers. As Pollari points out, horror is often most effective when it mirrors real human anxieties:
"I am scared of what is in people’s shadows—what is unseen. I think that is really the work of art as well. It is about what lives in our cultural shadow, our cultural unconscious, what someone is capable of, and what darkness they will be driven to. I think that is what scares all of us, in some way."
With FX having already picked up American Horror Story for a fourteenth season, the door remains wide open for more genre-bending cross-overs, terrifying familial revelations, and high-camp horror. Whether Pollari’s Demon Boy will return to haunt future corridors remains unconfirmed, but his indelible mark on season thirteen—and his face-to-face showdowns with the royalty of television horror—has firmly cemented his place in the AHS history books.
The season finale of American Horror Story: 13 airs on October 29 on FX and will be available to stream the next day on Hulu. As Pollari teases of the impending conclusion: "All is not what it seems, so I hope you enjoy it."
