American Horror Stories: What's really happening in Ward X?

One thing most everyone can agree upon is that it would be life-changing were we to discover a genuine cure for cancer. But how far is humanity willing to go to achieve it? Is there such a thing as going too far?

That topic is explored in one of the newest episodes of American Horror Stories, the one titled "X," which is one of five released as part of the 2024 "Huluween" event. This episode stars Henry Winkler as a sadistic doctor/scientist who has devised a cruel way to try and remove cancer as a threat, and it all revolves around the mysterious "Ward X."

Nurse Claire (Mia Isaac) is the only person determined to uncover the dark hospital conspiracy unfolding right before her eyes. Too bad it ends to catastrophic results.

What's going on in Ward X?

The episode earns its title because of this ward that supposedly doesn't exist. It starts when a mysterious woman turns up at the hospital, roaming the halls. She walks around with her mouth agape, seemingly frozen like that in a terrifying and uncanny way.

Claire tries to help this patient, who we learn is named Alice. But then Alice murders one of the orderlies and it leaves Claire feeling terrified, until Alice corners her in the storage room and leaves her hospital band behind. Using the wristlet, Claire is able to learn a little more about Alice. Her files say she was transferred to Ward X.

We learn that Dr. Eric Nostrum (Winkler) has been using this ward to test cancer patients, to horrific results. He experiments on these people to try and find a cure, leaving many of them disfigured or horribly maimed. That's how Alice became the way she is.

When she escapes she tries to find someone that can stop Ward X and Dr. Nostrum for good. Claire does her best to do just that, but the deeper she follows the conspiracy the more people she learns are involved. Dr. Nostrum eventually captures her and the only other person trying to help, a man named Malcolm (Dyllon Burnside).

Even though Malcolm and Claire don't have cancer, Dr. Nostrum intends to make them sick first so he can use them as his latest test subjects. Claire escapes his clutches with some help from Alice, murdering Dr. Nostrum in the process, and is relieved when she comes to and meets the detective assigned to her case, along with another nurse. She offers to show them to Ward X so they can learn what the doctor was up to, but that's when we get our chilling final twist.

It turns out the detective and the nurse are in on the whole thing. The detective has a daughter with leukemia and has vowed to do whatever he can to cure her. Even though Dr. Nostrum is dead, the experiments will continue. Claire is tied down to a chair. Left behind to become the next victim.

Why the black-and-white style choice?

The first thing viewers will notice when tuning into "X" is that it's the only episode out of the bunch to be filmed in greyscale. Why that decision?

I can only theorize because the episode doesn't explicitly tell you anything, but it was clearly a stylistic choice made by the team behind the episode. Usually, black-and-white color schemes on film are a way to depict the era. "X" is clearly meant to take place pre-1950s, maybe even as early as the 1930s if the opening Ella Fitzgerald song is any indication.

Why set it back then and not now? Well, the 1930s were rife with iconic horror movies so it helps pay homage to that. Plus, it's part of the horror, I think, to consider how cancer was so prevalent back then and still remains so to this day. That and greyscale just looks cool, especially for horror stories.

All five new episodes ofAmerican Horror Stories are now available on Hulu as part of season 3B.