In Episode 3 of American Horror Story: 13, titled “Rauhnacht,” Constance Langdon throws what looks like a twisted holiday party. A black tree. A pentagram on top. Familiar faces from across the franchise. And one guest who is only half sure she is even alive.
That guest is Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia. And the most important detail of the night is not the decorations or the speeches. It is the fact that she is the only person at the table who eats the special ham.
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New pictures of Evan Peters as Kai Anderson and Mena Suvari as The Black Dahlia on the set of “American Horror Story: 13.” #AHS13
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What Rauhnacht Actually Is
Constance is not celebrating Christmas. She is observing Rauhnacht, a Germanic pagan tradition tied to the twelve nights between Christmas and Epiphany — the darkest stretch of the year. In the folklore the show draws from, these nights are when the boundary between the living world and the spirit world grows thin. Demons walk more freely. The dead can be reached. The rules bend.
In the episode, Kai Anderson, Winter Anderson and Tate Langdon explain it plainly: the veil is at its thinnest. Constance has timed her gathering to that exact window. The black tree is not a Christmas tree. It is a memorial to the Rauhnacht itself.
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Billie Lourd as Winter Anderson in American Horror Story Season 13 episode 3 “Rauhnacht” #AHS13
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The Special Ham and the Only Person Who Eats It
When Elizabeth arrives, masked and disoriented, Constance welcomes her like a long-awaited guest of honor. She tells her she will soon stand among “13 leading ladies, all as legendary as you are.” Then the food comes out.
Everyone watches. Elizabeth is the only one who eats the ham. Constance calls it “special ham for special people” and urges her to savor every bite. The other guests do not touch it. They simply observe.
That is not hospitality. That is preparation. In the language of the show, the meal marks Elizabeth as chosen. She is not a party guest. She is the first of the thirteen.
From the Dinner Table to the Portal
After the meal Constance gives Elizabeth a glass of the same eggnog she used earlier to drug Ben. Then the younger members of the group — Winter, Kai, Tate and Adelaide — escort Elizabeth downstairs. They take her to a speakeasy called Club Hell in the basement of the Apollyon.
Waiting for them is Wilhemina Venable, another of Sarah Paulson’s characters. She greets them at what she openly calls a portal to Hell. The episode ends as Elizabeth is led forward. The ritual has begun, but the full purpose is still hidden.
Why the Number Thirteen Matters Here
Everything in Season 13 circles the number. Thirteen episodes. A building with a 13th floor. Mass deaths that always land on thirteen victims. And now thirteen leading ladies that Constance is assembling.
Elizabeth Short’s real-life murder occurred on January 15, 1947 — close enough to the Rauhnacht window for the show to lean on the symbolism. Constance reminds her of the date and the mutilation. She is not just bringing back a ghost. She is reclaiming a legend and placing her inside a larger design that belongs to Mr. Nas and the Apollyon.
What This Means Going Forward
The Rauhnacht party is the first clear look at Constance’s real job this season. She is not simply babysitting an old man on the 13th floor. She is recruiting. The special ham, the eggnog, the descent into Club Hell — all of it is the opening move of a ritual that needs thirteen legendary women.
Elizabeth is number one. The other twelve have not been named yet. When they are, the pattern that began with the black sludge and the mass deaths will almost certainly connect to whatever Constance is building under the Apollyon.
The next episodes will show us whether the remaining ladies arrive willingly, or whether the special ham is only the beginning of what is required of them.
Why Constance’s Ceremony Feels Like Administration, Not Magic
Jessica Lange has played Constance as appetite, denial, and survival for more than a decade of franchise time. Season 13 pushes her into a colder register: management. Rauhnacht is not simply a spooky holiday inserted for folklore flavor. It is a calendar exploit. The veil is thin, the guests are available, and the test can be administered in public without calling it a test. Only Elizabeth eats. The room understands. The audience understands a second later.
That administrative tone is what separates this arc from pure nostalgia. Yes, the dress recalls Murder House. Yes, the Black Dahlia return activates franchise memory. But the scene’s real engine is process. Selection, escort, delivery, portal. Constance does not need to be the scariest person in the elevator. She needs to be the person who decided the elevator was necessary.
In a season about an entity that feeds on complete sets of thirteen, the woman building a matching set of legendary women is not a side quest. She is running a parallel supply chain. October’s follow-ups will show whether the first delivery creates panic, momentum, or both. If Constance can normalize the loss quickly, the remaining twelve stop feeling like mythic targets and start feeling like a checklist.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Rauhnacht in American Horror Story Season 13?
It is a pagan observance drawn from Germanic tradition. The show presents it as the period when the veil between Earth and the spirit world is thinnest, allowing Constance to begin gathering the 13 leading ladies.
Why does only Elizabeth Short eat the special ham?
The other guests watch her eat it. The moment marks her as the first of the thirteen. It is ritual preparation, not dinner.
Where does the ritual lead?
From the dinner table to the basement of the Apollyon, into a place called Club Hell that is revealed as a portal to Hell. Wilhemina Venable is waiting there.
Who are the other 12 leading ladies?
The show has not named them yet. Elizabeth Short is the only one confirmed so far.
Author: Shivam Das. Independent coverage for U.S. readers. Updated September 28, 2026.
