List of American Horror Story: Roanoke characters

American Horror Story: Roanoke is the sixth season of the FX horror anthology series American Horror Story. The season's theme centers on exploitation in two forms: the act of mistreatment to people, and the use of public-relation and advertising techniques (such as media) for personal gain; which took place at Roanoke Island, North Carolina in 2015 that focuses on the testimonies of the Miller family: married couple Matt and Shelby, and Matt's sister Lee Harris, as they recount a series of paranormal experiences they have on their property on a documentary titled, My Roanoke Nightmare, produced by Sidney Aaron James. Actors reenact a dramatized version of the events. Audrey Tindall, Dominic Banks and Monet Tumusiime portray Shelby, Matt and Lee, respectively, as well as Agnes Mary Winstead, Rory Monahan, William van Henderson and Dylan portray Thomasin White, Edward Philippe Mott, Elias Cunningham and Ambrose White, respectively. In the later half of the season, set in 2016, the actors, as well as the real people, join the production of Return to Roanoke: 3 Days in Hell a year later as a part of a reality TV series for three days in the house. During these days all the people die in mysterious circumstances, except one. The epilogue shows the consequences of the events in the near future.

Veteran cast members include Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson, Lily Rabe, Denis O'Hare, Evan Peters, Wes Bentley, Cheyenne Jackson, and Angela Bassett, with Cuba Gooding Jr. and André Holland making their debut. Veteran cast members with recurring appearances include Adina Porter, Lady Gaga, Leslie Jordan, Frances Conroy, Finn Wittrock, Taissa Farmiga and Robin Weigert. This is the third season that is not strictly anthological, with Sarah Paulson reprising her previous role as Lana Winters from Asylum and Evan Peters portraying Edward Mott, the ancestor of Dandy and Gloria Mott from Freak Show.

Cast members

Main cast

Supporting cast

Characters

Main characters

Thomasin White/The Butcher

Thomasin White (portrayed by Kathy Bates and Susan Berger), otherwise known as The Butcher, was an English colonist and member of an aristocratic family who lived during the sixteenth century. She was the wife of John White, with whom she had a son with, named Ambrose. In 1590, John White was the de facto leader of Roanoke colony, but was succeeded by his wife when he left for England to collect supplies. Despite demands from her starving colonists, as well as her son, Thomasin refused to move the colonists inland for the winter. A dissenting colonist, Cage recruited a reluctant Ambrose and orchestrated a coup d'état to displace Thomasin as the colony's leader. Cage shackled her wrists and encased her head in a Scold's bridle and exiled her from the colony into the woods. While dying of hunger, Thomasin is saved from being attacked by a wild boar by Scáthach, who harvests the boar's heart for a meal for Thomasin. In return for this, Thomasin swears loyalty to Scáthach. Returning to the colony, Thomasin kills the conspirators in the coup, including Cage, but spares her son out of mercy, with a warning to not defy her again. She resumes power and ultimately decides to move inland. From then on, Scáthach provides food for the colonists in return for an annual human sacrifices. Ambrose disapproves of these practices, and leads another coup d'état to oust his mother from power. In response, Thomasin poisons her colonists, forever binding them this land, and sacrifices herself to Scáthach. For every year since, Thomasin has performed human sacrifices for Scáthach, performed during the blood-moon period in October, where any occupants of the land, save the Polks due to an agreement that they will supply people in return for their peaceful occupation, are killed, both for sacrificial purposes, as well for the defense of her land against intruders. She killed Edward Phillipe Mott, Cricket Marlowe, and the Jane sisters for their intrusion on their land, and taunts Shelby, Matt, and Lee as well. In a confrontation with Agnes, Thomasin kills her and proceeds to lead an attack on Matt, Shelby, and Dominic during the production of Return to Roanoke.

Agnes Mary Winstead

Agnes Mary Winstead (portrayed by Kathy Bates) is the actress who portrays Thomasin White, otherwise known as The Butcher, in My Roanoke Nightmare. Following the production of the show, she becomes infatuated with her character and convinces herself that she is The Butcher. This leads to a psychotic breakdown, during which she assaults Los Angeles tourists with a cleaver. After being released from treatment and regaining lucidity, she is served a restraining order preventing her from attending the set of Return to Roanoke: 3 Days in Hell. Though Sidney's motives are to enrage her further and create drama for the show, the order is purportedly served because Agnes is suspected of vandalising the set with threatening symbols. However, she claims to be innocent. She violates the restraining order and returns to the house during the production of Return to Roanoke during a mental relapse, eventually assaulting Shelby with a cleaver. She then proceeds to kill Sidney and the rest of the production team. She is shot by Lee during another murder attempt, but she survives and is able to seal her wounds in the underground bunker. As she makes her next approach to the house, the spirit of The Real Butcher confronts her. Agnes begs for her life, proclaiming her admiration, but is killed regardless.

Shelby Miller

Shelby Miller (portrayed by Sarah Paulson and Lily Rabe) is a yoga teacher, the wife of Matt Miller and owner of the house. Soon after she and Matt move to LA, Matt is assaulted as part of a gang initiation ceremony, putting him into a coma. This causes Shelby to miscarry their child. Both these traumas prompt Shelby and Matt to relocate to North Carolina, where Matt grew up. They purchase a house on Roanoke Island in a bidding auction against the Polks. Shelby begins to experience strange things at the house while alone - teeth raining from the sky and figures appearing in the house. While bathing in her hot tub outside, somebody attempts to drown her. She calls the police, but they find no evidence and assume that Shelby was just intoxicated. Shelby's sister-in-law Lee is brought to the home to help protect her, although the two do not get along. Days later, the house is broken into. While Lee and Shelby take refuge in the basement, they find videotapes of Elias Cunningham, an academic studying the paranormal activity in the house. When they leave the basement, they find that the house has been decorated with totems. Shelby and Matt argue about how to react to this. Eventually, Shelby chooses to leave by herself and takes Matt's car. However, she crashes into a mysterious woman - the Butcher. Despite the fact that she seems unharmed, Shelby is horrified and gets out of the car to try and help her. She follows the Butcher into the woods but gets lost. She encounters a ritual, watching as a man is burned alive. Traumatized, she runs away. When she wakes up in the hospital, she assumes that the Polks are trying to scare them away from the house, and says as much to the police. Back at home, she sees a ghostly figure directing her to the underground bunker where Elias once lived. Shelby finds his account of the murders conducted by two nurses who previously owned the house. After her niece Flora goes missing, Shelby later encounters Elias in person when he fends off the Piggy Man. He explains that many people have gone missing from this house within the same five days every year. Meanwhile, her relationship with Matt is strained when she catches him sleeping with Scáthach. While he claims no memory of this, Shelby also takes issue with a deal he had made with the Butcher; he promised to burn the house down in return for Flora's safe return. Infuriated, Shelby reports Lee to the police for the suspected murder of her husband - which she had been considering doing anyway, as Matt's CCTV showed Lee leaving the house around the time of Mason's murder. Shelby, Flora and Matt flee the house with the help of Edward Philipe Mott, a previous resident in the house who shows them the underground escape tunnel. However, once out in the woods, they are captured by the Polks and eventually delivered to the Butcher, fulfilling a deal that allows the Polks to remain safely on their land. They are almost sacrificed by the Butcher, but are saved when she is attacked by the ghost of her son, Ambrose. They return to Los Angeles, but Shelby continues to be haunted by memories of the Butcher.

After the production of My Roanoke Nightmare, Shelby has an extramarital affair with Dominic Banks, the actor who portrayed Matt in the documentary. Following this, Shelby and Matt separate. Shelby only agrees to take part in the sequel, Return to Roanoke, so that she will be able to make amends with Matt. After Shelby is attacked by Agnes, Matt helps to take care of her. However, Matt later admits that he only returned so he could reunite with Scáthach, who he has fallen in love with. Hurt and angry, Shelby kills him. She attempts to convince Dominic to help cover this up, but is rebuffed when Dominic reminds her that it was all on camera. After several failed escape attempts, she commits suicide out of guilt for killing Matt.

Audrey Tindall

Audrey Tindall (portrayed by Sarah Paulson) is the British actress who plays Shelby Miller in My Roanoke Nightmare. She begins a relationship with fellow actor Rory Monahan during production and later marries him. She returns alongside her husband for the production of Return to Roanoke: 3 Days in Hell. While showering on the first night, she senses a presence. Unsure whether this is real or a production team trick, she allows Rory to go upstairs and investigate, where he is killed. Upon finding the bloodstain, Audrey refuses to assume the worst, instead choosing to believe that Rory has abandoned the set to pursue another acting opportunity. When Shelby is assaulted by Agnes, Audrey is among the group that goes into the woods to seek help. She finds the murdered production team. As the group decides what to do, they are attacked by Agnes and Audrey is almost killed. Lee fends her off and they escape. During this escape, Audrey discovers Rory's brutalised body displayed overhead in a tree. She, Lee and Monet are kidnapped by the Polks, who are acting in retribution for their pejorative portrayal in My Roanoke Nightmare and the loss of their feral sons. Monet escapes the Polk compound pursued by Ishmael and Lot Polk, promising to return for Audrey. In the meantime, Audrey is left to be tortured by Mama Polk. Once freed by Lee, Audrey bludgeons Mama Polk to death. Audrey and Lee escape the compound and return to the house. They discover Shelby's dead body and believe that Dominic killed her rather than accept that she committed suicide. Lee leaves him in the hallway to die, despite Audrey's protests that there's 'something out there'. Lee persuades Audrey to return to the Polk compound to retrieve the Polks' camera footage, which could see Audrey convicted of Mama Polk's murder if discovered. Audrey reluctantly agrees, unaware of Lee's own motivation to recover the tape. After Dylan arrives they persuade him to join them. They agree they will try to find Monet at the same time, allowing them all to escape together. Audrey finds Monet bound and gagged in a back room at the Polk house. She releases Monet and kills Ishmael Polk. Finding Dylan dead and their mode of transport gone, Audrey and Monet return to the house to wait out the remaining hours of the Blood Moon - without Lee. Audrey and Monet watch the tapes they recovered only to find Lee's confession to the murder of Mason. Lee returns to the house under the influence of Scáthach, and proceeds to chase Audrey from the house. Audrey attempts to take refuge in the bunker, but is attacked by Lee while climbing down, and falls badly. Despite her injuries, she survives. Having escaped the bunker, she is found by police officers the next morning. As she is led away for assistance, Audrey catches sight of Lee. Knowing that she murdered Mason and believing that she killed Monet in cold blood, Audrey attempts to pull a gun on her, but is instead shot and killed by police.

Matt Miller

Matt Miller (portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr. and André Holland) is the estranged husband of Shelby Miller, and owner of the house. After he is put into a coma during a gang initiation ceremony, Shelby miscarries their child due to stress. Attempting to recover from both these traumatic incidents, he and Shelby move to North Carolina, where he was raised. They buy a house on Roanoke Island by outbidding the Polks. While Matt is out of town on business, Shelby claims to have almost been killed by a torch-wielding clan while bathing in their hot tub. Though he wants to believe her, Matt is initially unable to bring himself to do so. He has his sister, Lee, come to stay at the house to help Shelby feel safe. He also installs security cameras throughout the house, which he can monitor from his phone. While out on business again, he intercepts footage of a torch-wielding clan entering the house. He rushes home to help his wife and sister, knowing that the police will not. When he arrives, he is shown the video of Elias Cunningham encountering the Piggy Man. He accuses the Polk family of racism, and taunting them in order to scare them from the house, as well as for being an interracial couple. However, rather than making him want to leave, this strengthens his resolve to stay, leading to an argument with Shelby. He witnesses a pair of nurses kill a patient in a hospital bed and laugh about it, but he believes it to be a hallucination. When Matt's niece Flora goes missing, he joins the search party to try and find her. With the guidance of a ghostly figure, Matt and Shelby discover the underground bunker. Inside, they find a video of Elias Cunningham documenting the story of two nurses who killed their patients in the house. Recognising the story, Matt begins to believe there are paranormal entities in the house. He soon finds that the word "MURDE" has been written in blood on the wall under the wallpaper. When Elias arrives at the house in person, saving Matt and Shelby from the Piggy Man, Matt learns that people often disappear from this house over the same five-day period. However, the Matt and Shelby are unable to leave the house; Flora is still missing, and all their money is tied up in this property. While continuing the search for Flora, he is seduced into a trance by Scáthach and has sex with her in the woods. Shelby stumbles across this, but Matt insists he has no memory of it. Further straining their relationship, he makes a deal with the Butcher that they will burn down the house and leave if she ensures Flora's safe return to them. He is seduced by Scáthach again, and she informs him of her journey to Roanoke Island. More lucid this time, Matt feels that he has never been more intimate with a person than he has with her. Despite this, Matt immediately leaves to go to Shelby's aid when he hears her cries for help. They initially prepare for another attack from the Roanoke colonists. However, the spirit of Edward Philipe Mott rescues them and guides them through a secret passageway under the house. Once out in the woods, they are kidnapped by the Polks. They deliver Flora, Shelby and Matt to the Butcher as a part of an agreement; the Polks' safe occupation of the land is dependent on this delivery. Before they can be killed, the Butcher's son stops the ceremony and kills his mother as penance for the sins of the colonies. Lee arrives back at the house after her police interrogation and rescues them. They all return to Los Angeles.

Matt and Shelby separate after Shelby has an extramarital affair with Dominic Banks, the actor who portrayed Matt in My Roanoke Nightmare. He returns for Return to Roanoke, where he immediately gets into a confrontation with Shelby, and then a physical fight with Dominic. He informs a disbelieving Rory, Monet, and Audrey that their stories are an accurate description of the events they suffered in the house, but they don't take him seriously and laugh it off. The next day, after Shelby is attacked by Agnes, he remains in the house to take care of her. However, he refuses to reconcile with Shelby, revealing that he only returned to reunite with Scáthach. Upon hearing this, Shelby bludgeons him to death.

Dominic Banks

Dominic Banks (portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr.) is the actor who plays Matt Miller in My Roanoke Nightmare. Prior to the production of Return to Roanoke: 3 Days in Hell, he has an extramarital affair with Shelby; this is covered in the media. As he arrives on the set of Return to Roanoke, he immediately gets into a physical altercation with Matt. Speaking directly to camera, Dominic admits that he's here to be deliberately divisive, considering the 'bad guy' in reality TV to be the most engaging. He also has special arrangements with Sidney, and seems to know more about the production's intention to scare the cast than anybody else. When Shelby is attacked, it is Dominic who discovers and rescues her, and he remains in the house with Matt to care for her when the others leave. He witnesses Matt's murder. Shelby initially asks him to help her cover this up, but Dominic refuses, explaining that there is no way to do so because everything has been recorded. He is unaware that the production team are all dead, appealing to Sidney for help and insisting that this has gone too far for his liking. Later, Shelby and Dominic devise a plan to escape the house through the passageway in the basement. Once in the passageway, they are ambushed by the spirits of the Chen family and retreat to the basement. In another attempt to escape, they are ambushed by the spirits of the Roanoke colonists and the Piggy Man, and return to the house. Dominic begins to devise another escape plan, but Shelby commits suicide. When Lee and Audrey return the house, they assume that Dominic killed Shelby, and Lee leaves him to be killed by the Piggy Man in the hallway.

Elias Cunningham

Dr. Elias Cunningham (portrayed by Denis O'Hare and Ric Sarabia) was the true-crime documentary maker, aspiring author, and enthusiast in the killings that took place in the house Shelby and Matt moved into, investigating the Jane sisters before learning the bloodied history revolving around the property. After living in the house for a few months, he seeks refuge in a nearby bunker due to his inability to sleep in the house and the paranormal events that have taken place and oversaw the property until he was unable to pay the taxes and the property was reposted, and eventually purchased by the Millers. He saves Matt and Shelby from being attacked by the Piggy Man by shouting "Croatoan" at him, and explains to the two of them the story of Roanoke colony, and extrapolates on the significance of the work "Croatoan", a word that possessed sinister meaning, but can be used to repel the spirits of Roanoke colony. He presents them with his documentations of the several disappearances that occurred in the house over the years, all taking place within the span of the same five days in October. He joins Matt and Shelby in an effort to help rescue Flora from the Roanoke colonists, but while negotiating with the Butcher for her release, he is shot and thought to have been killed by an arrow from one of the spirits of the Roanoke colony. He is later found to be alive in the Polk compound, where they had amputated his leg and consumed him. He is later bludgeoned by the Polks.

William van Henderson

William van Henderson (portrayed by Denis O'Hare) is the actor who portrayed Dr. Elias Cunningham in My Roanoke Nightmare. He claims to have declined the invitation to join Return to Roanoke, but it is unclear whether he really received one. William is last seen being interviewed on a news program over the hostage situation at the house, leaving him the only major cast member of the first documentary to survive.

Ambrose White

Ambrose White (portrayed by Wes Bentley and Jesse La Flair) is the son of Thomasin and John White, the aristocrats of Roanoke colony. He is a reluctant belligerent in the coup d'état orchestrated by Cage to replace Thomasin, as a result of her poor governing decisions made while the colony's leader in the absence of her husband. When Thomasin returns, she spares Ambrose out of love her son, but with the warning that should he betray her again, she won't be so merciful. However, Ambrose, as well as the rest of the colonists, are all killed by poisonous food presented to them at a feast for their concerns of the colony practicing human sacrifice, believing that Thomasin has turned her back on the Christian God by sacrificing to Pagan and Celtic Gods. In the afterlife, Ambrose is a willing participant in the annual human sacrifices, participating in them up until 2015, where he has a change of heart, and stops the sacrifice of Flora, Matt, and Shelby, and instead kills his mother by throwing her into the fire as penance for the sins of the colony, allowing them to be rescued by Lee and escape.

Dylan

Dylan (portrayed by Wes Bentley) is the actor who portrays Ambrose White in My Roanoke Nightmare. He is a US veteran, having served two tours in Afghanistan. Dylan returns for Return to Roanoke, where he dresses up the Piggy Man as a part of pre-planned stunt orchestrated by Sidney to scare the participants. Upon arriving, he learns of the carnage that has ensued in the previous two days. He surveys the forest in a search for Monet, but upon finding nothing, he dispatches Lee and Audrey to search the Polk compound while he hotwires one of the Polk's trucks. Upon starting the ignition, he is found by Lot Polk, and is mortally wounded. The Roanoke colonists eventually capture, kill, and disembowel him in a ritualistic murder.

Edward Philipe Mott

Edward Philipe Mott (portrayed by Evan Peters and Elliott Ehlers) was a previous owner of the Roanoke farmhouse and the ancestor of Dandy and Gloria Mott, featured in American Horror Story: Freak Show. Previously married with an heir, Edward moved to North Carolina with Guinness, his slave as well as his lover. Edward has a deep commitment to art, loving his art more than his family and Guinness as he sees it to be encapsulate life's beauty. He had the Roanoke farmhouse built so he would to live in solitude, living there for only a couple days before the blood moon occurs. After locking his servants in the root cellar on the assumption that one or all of them destroyed all of his beloved art, Edward ends up being killed, sacrificed by the Roanoke colonists. In 2015, acting on his desire to maintain as much solitude as he can, Edward's ghost helps Shelby, Matt and Flora escape the house.

Rory Monahan

Rory Monahan (portrayed by Evan Peters) is the actor who portrays Edward Phillipe Mott in My Roanoke Nightmare. During the production, he begins a relationship with Audrey Tindall, the actress who portrays Shelby Miller. Prior to the production of Return to Roanoke, he and Audrey get married. He returns with his wife to Return to Roanoke. Like the other actors, Rory does not believe the accounts of Shelby, Matt, and Lee. Just after production begins, he is killed by the spirits of the Jane sisters, and is hung outside the house in a symbolic display.

Sidney Aaron James

Sidney Aaron James (portrayed by Cheyenne Jackson) is the lead producer of "My Roanoke Nightmare". His primary focus is on producing a dramatic, successful TV show, and he does not allow ethical considerations to impede that goal. He frequently makes promises to the cast members which he has no intention of following - for example, he assures Shelby that Dominic will not be taking part in Return to Roanoke, but knows full well that Dominic's contract has already been arranged. He also often continues to film the participants against their will and incorporates these recordings in the final version of the television. Citing the success of My Roanoke Nightmare, it is Sidney who pitches the concept of Return to Roanoke. Despite the misgivings of the production board, his ambitions come to fruition and he is granted his special. In pre-production, he rigs the house with several gag-scares, including turning the TV on and playing a haunting video, and opening the cupboards and drawers remotely. Because Sidney does not believe in the Roanoke spirits, he is bemused to find an arrangement of pig fetuses on the set, and assumes this is vandalism by Agnes. This prompts him to serve her a restraining order to bar her from returning to Return to Roanoke - but makes it clear that he hopes she breaks it, because it will make good TV. He insists that all production trailers are several miles out from the house and that cameras are well-hidden to create a more immersive experience for the cast. While watching the happenings in the house from his trailer, he and his camera team are killed by Agnes. Their bodies are later discovered by Audrey, Lee, and Monet.

Lee Harris

Lee Harris (née Miller) (portrayed by Angela Bassett and Adina Porter) is the sister of Matt Miller who was raised with him in North Carolina. She had a daughter at seventeen, but she was kidnapped when she was four. Formerly a police officer, she became addicted to prescription pain killers after being shot on the job when she was responding to a drug bust. She broke protocol when she blacked out, which led to a suspect committing suicide to evade being prosecuted. She was subsequently fired and spiraled into alcoholism, resulting in her neglecting her responsibility to her child, frequently forgetting to pick her daughter, Flora, up from school, and withdrawing from her husband, Mason. When Mason files for divorce, she is given visitation rights, and she moves in with Matt and Shelby. During the first night, an empty alcohol bottle is rolled into her room. Enraged, Lee accuses of Shelby of tempting her out of spite, with Shelby vehemently denying it. Lee harbors intense disdain from Shelby and constantly fights with her. During one of their fights, with Lee accusing Shelby of being paranoia and involving Matt in her delusions. However, the same torch-wielding clan that Shelby alleged tried to kill her returns to the house. Lee and Shelby take refuge in the basement. When the intruders leave, they find strange totems hung around the house, and a strange video playing in the basement of a man being attacked by the Piggy Man. The next day, Flora is dropped off at the house, but when she tells stories of a girl threatening to kill her, Mason takes her home, vowing to get full custody of Flora, causing Lee to relapse into alcoholism. In response to Mason's threat, she kidnaps Flora, enraging Mason, who threatens to involve the police until Shelby is able to deescalate the situation to a point where Mason decides against involving child services or the authorities. While Mason is driving to the house, Flora goes missing in the woods. An enraged Mason accuses Lee of orchestrating a fake kidnapping so that she may flee the country with Flora with full custody. Upset, Mason leaves the house in the middle of the night, with Lee following behind him, and returning several hours later without Mason. The next day, the police find Mason hung in a symbolic display, killed and burned to the point of being unrecognizable. Upon viewing footage of Lee's venture out into the woods after Mason, and the returning after the approximate time of death, Shelby accuses Lee of murdering Mason, to which she vehemently denies. Continuing in her search for Flora, she seeks the help of Cricket Marlowe, a psychic, who informs her that Flora is in possession of a spirit of a Roanoke colonist, Priscilla. Lee admits that she was skeptical and only sought Marlowe's expertise out of desperation, but began to believe him when he mentioned Priscilla, a person who Flora was talking about, who she thought was an imaginary friend conjured up by Flora to deal with the stress of her parents' divorce. Ensuring that Flora is safe, Cricket offers to take Lee to her for $25,000, to which Lee denies. Cricket pursues the case alone, and conveys Lee's concern to the Butcher, the leader of the colony that Priscilla is a part of, who is open to negotiation. In desperation, Matt and Lee offer to burn down the house if Flora is returned safely to her. Angered at Matt's betrayal, Shelby calls the police and implicates Lee in the murder of Mason. She undergoes two days of interrogation, but is released due to insufficient evidence. She returns to see Flora, Matt, and Shelby escaping a human sacrifice ceremony, whom she rescues and they flee Roanoke Island. She returned for Return to Roanoke, with almost everybody believing that she murdered Mason. When Shelby is nearly killed by Agnes, Lee joins Audrey and Monet in a search for help, venturing out into the woods, taking a gun with her. Upon finding the dead bodies of Sidney and other members of the production team, Agnes attempts to kill Audrey. In defense, Lee shoots Agnes, and the three of them flee into the woods. While fleeing both Agnes and paranormal entities that were chasing them, Lee, along with Audrey and Monet, is kidnapped by the Polk's. At the Polk compound, Mama Polk sharpens a knife while recounting her family's origin history. Jether Polk used the knife to cut part of Lee's leg off, which he eats, as well as removes her ear. Lee bargains with Jether to release her, promising he will become famous, and promises him a spot on further installations of Roanoke productions. Jether confides more family history in her, such as the creation of the Piggy Man and familial traditions. Lee seduces Jether into untying her, killing him and then saving Audrey from Mama Polk, knocking her unconscious and letting Audrey bludgeon her. Upon returning to the house to find Matt and Shelby dead, Lee assumed Dominic killed the latter and leaves him to be killed by the Piggy Man. Lee than convinces Audrey to get the footage of them killing two of the Polks, using it as a cover to find and destroy the footage of her confession of murdering Mason. While looking for Monet, she directs their search toward the Polk compound so she can retrieve her confession tape. She successfully fends off Lot Polk just before he is able to kill Dylan, but flees herself from the colonists. Similar to Thomasin, she is about to be attacked by a wild boar, but is spared by Scáthach and fed the boar's heart in return for her loyalty to Scáthach. Lee assumes the role of the Butcher and kills Todd, Monet, and chases Audrey into the bunker, in order to evict them from her land. She similarly assists the colonists in sacrificing Milo and Sophie. She is found by police unconscious outside the house with no memory of the actions she has committed. Following the production of Return to Roanoke, she stands trial and becomes a polarizing figure in America. She is interviewed by Lana Winters on The Lana Winters Special following her trial, where she is accused of being in someway involved with the tragedies that occurred in Roanoke. Lee rebukes her by claiming she was innocent, and only killed the Polk's because she needed to, similar to the way Lana had to kill her son. She ultimately returns to Roanoke in search of Flora, who wants to become a ghost to stay with Priscilla. Lee convinces Flora to let her die in her place, becoming a mother to Priscilla. She asks Flora to visit them when it is not the Blood Moon.

Monet Tumusiime

Monet Tumusiime (portrayed by Angela Bassett) is the actress who portrays Lee Harris in My Roanoke Nightmare. Monet fully immerses herself in the character to prepare for the part, which leads her to becoming a real alcoholic. Monet joins Audrey and Lee in searching for help after Shelby is assaulted by Agnes. She, Audrey, and Lee encounter the corpses of Sidney and other members of the production, and are then attacked by Agnes again. After Lee shoots Agnes, they flee the scene, but end up being kidnapped by the Polks. She and Audrey are tortured by Lot, Ishmael, and Mama Polk as retribution for their pejorative portrayal in My Roanoke Nightmare. Monet is eventually able to break free. She initially attempts to free Audrey, but fails to do so before her escape. She promises to return for Audrey. However, Lot and Ishmael manage to catch her, and they bind and gag her in a backroom in their compound. She is eventually rescued by Audrey the following day, and they flee back the house to wait out the remaining hours of the Blood Moon night. While there, Monet is skeptical about Lee's motive for acquiring the footage from the Polk compound. She watches the footage it with Audrey, only to find Lee's confession to Mason's murder. Having already disliked Lee, Monet is unsurprised to discover the truth. She taunts Lee when she returns to the house. Under the influence of Scáthach, Lee throws Monet off the landing onto the broken chandelier, which impales and kills her.

Supporting characters
  • Scáthach (portrayed by Lady Gaga) is an immortal English woman descending from the Druids and their Roman conqueror, and a practitioner of prehistoric Celtic religion and worshipper of Old Gods. She was a stowaway on a British voyage destined for the colonies, but the ships occupants all died. The colonists discovered her upon landfall and blames her presence for enraging the sea gods. She was subsequently imprisoned and sentenced to be burned at the stake for witchcraft. Using her darker powers, she massacred the soldiers. This was later blamed on Natives, and Scáthach escaped into the wild. In 1590, she encounters a dying Thomasin and saves her from a wild boar attack. In return, Thomasin swears allegiance to her and becomes her holy figure. She requires a human sacrifice annually, and in return for Thomasin carrying this out, she provides her with food. When colonists begin rejecting the practice of human sacrifice, thereby negating Scáthach's flow of human sacrifice, Scáthach assists Thomasin in poisoning the Roanoke colonists, thereby binding all of them to the land. Scáthach is also infatuated with Matt, using her powers to place him in a trance so he will commit himself to her. She rescues Lee in a similar fashion to her rescue of Thomasin, both falling victim to a wild boar. She asserts Lee as her thrall, again, presenting her subject with a heart to be consumed. It has also been confirmed by creator Ryan Murphy that Scáthach is the first Supreme of the line of witches who appear in American Horror Story: Coven,[1] which means she possesses unlimited powers, and is the ancestor of the witches featured in Coven.
  • Cricket Marlowe (portrayed by Leslie Jordan) is a famous medium who assists Lee in finding her lost daughter, Flora. Hailing from New Orleans, Cricket has assisted on several missing persons cases with the FBI who first discovered his gift when he was nine and found keys for his grandmother. After intercepting that there was a lost child on Roanoke Island, Cricket arrives at Shelby, Lee, and Matt's home, offering his assistance in the search for Flora. While Lee initially wasn't convinced Cricket could be of any use, she is persuaded of his abilities when he correctly identifies the place where she and Lee found Flora when she was hiding, as well as identifying Priscilla, an entity in which Flora had been in contact with, of which nobody knew what it was. He summons the Butcher to learn of Flora's whereabouts, and is informed that she is being hidden by Priscilla so the Butcher won't kill her. He offers to bring Lee to her daughter, but only for $25,000, causing an enraged Matt evicts him from their property, accusing him of being a fraud. In an attempt to prove he isn't, he displays knowledge of Lee's oldest daughter, Emily. Lee continues to seek his services, and has him negotiate the return of Flora. He makes a deal with the Butcher that Flora will be returned if they move out of the house. While taking an Uber back to his hotel, he sees Flora run across the road. He abandons the Uber and pursues her in the woods, but is captured by the Butcher and her acolytes, and is killed and disemboweled for their first sacrifice.
  • Ashley Gilbert (portrayed by Leslie Jordan) is the actor who portrayed Cricket Marlowe on My Roanoke Nightmare. He didn't return for Return to Roanoke upon no invitation from Sidney. He does, however, return to the house for Spirit Chasers, where he finds Priscilla's bonnet on the floor, claiming he can sense the pain in it, concluding that it must be real. Upon encountering the Piggy Man, Ashley unsuccessfully attempts to repel him by shouting "Croatoan". Moments later, he is killed.
  • The Polk family are an inbred, redneck, cannibalistic family who reside in a compound on Roanoke Island, living descendants of the Roanoke colonists. They first resorted to cannibalism during the Great Depression when a group of thieves stole their pigs, their primary source of food. In need of a food supply, they resorted to cannibalism. Following the family's tendency of cannibalism, it is family tradition for them to give each other "pickled ears" on Christmas. The Polk family has had a mutual agreement with the Butcher for two centuries. In exchange for the Butcher allowing them to reside peacefully on Roanoke Island, they must provide her with people who she may sacrifice to Scáthach. Despite their various crimes, including murder, kidnapping, and being complacent in the murders of many people, the Polks don't face legal consequences due their involvement in a bribery ring with the sheriff. According to the Polks, their role in My Roanoke Nightmare was pejorative, and they harbor disdain for those involved in the production. After Mama Polk was killed, the Polk family's pact with Thomasin died with her.
    • Mama Polk (portrayed by Frances Conroy and Robin Weigert) is the matriarch of the Polk family. She is very maternal and cares very much for her children, going to great, often objectively immoral, lengths to protect them. She rescued Elias from the Roanoke colonists and kept him alive, seemingly good-heartedly, but the extraneous amputation of Elias' leg reveals that she kept him alive so she may eat him. After eating a piece of jerky, which turned out to be a piece of skin from Elias' leg, she claimed that he was rotten, and had him killed. After Flora, Shelby, and Matt escape the house through a secret passageway, Mama Polk orchestrates their kidnapping, and plans on delivering them to the Butcher so they can be sacrificed as part of the Polks family's agreement with the Butcher. During the production of Return to Roanoke, she orchestrates another kidnapping, and tortures Lee, Audrey, and Monet in retribution for their perceived role in the loss of her grandchildren, who were turned over to child services during the search for Flora. An escaped Lee knocks her unconscious, and she is subsequently bludgeoned by Audrey.
    • Jether Polk (portrayed by Finn Wittrock) is one of Mama Polk's children. Like the rest of his family, he is feral, a cannibal, and the offspring of incest. However, unlike his relatives, he hasn't killed anybody and has the capability of empathy for other people. He is also more sympathetic than the rest of his family, struggling with his maturing, and self-esteem. He and Mama Polk torture Lee in retribution for her part in the pejorative portrayal of the Polks, as well as the role she was accused of playing in the loss of his relatives. He consumes part of her leg, as well as takes off her ear. He has dreams of becoming famous, which Lee promises she can do, should she be released. He is killed by Lee when she seduces him and escapes.
    • The Piggy Man (portrayed by Marti Matulis) is a member of the Polk family who lived during the sixteenth century. The human who would eventually become the Piggy Man was an English colonist who deserted Roanoke colony after stealing provisions from the storehouse. As punishment, Scáchath scalped him, and left him in the woods. He was later found Roanoke colonists, who returned him to civilization. As penance for his betrayal to Roanoke colony, the Butcher forced him to wear a pig's head, nailed a pig's tail to his tailbone, and tied pigs feet to his hands and feet. He was subsequently tied to a spit and roasted like a pig. His ghost continues to haunt Roanoke Island, and is seen taunting the residents of the house. He can be temporarily repelled by shouting "Croatoan". The Piggy Man inspired the actions of Kincaid Polk centuries later, which would serve as inspiration for the Piggy Man urban legend featured in "Piggy Piggy".
    • Kincaid Polk is an ancestor of the Polk family. He would transport hogs to Chicago where they'd be slaughtered. During the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893, Kincaid put on a pig mask inspired by his ancestor, the Piggy Man. His actions provided inspiration for the urban legend of Piggy Piggy, as referred to in "Piggy Piggy" in the first season. The urban legend differs from the actual actions of Kincaid, in that Piggy Man was a Chicago butcher who would wear a pig mask and slaughter actual pigs, until the pigs killed him and dismembered his customers.
    • The Polk grandchildren (portrayed by Dustin Jones and Connor Rosen) were the two feral grandchildren, likely produced from incest, of Mama Polk. While searching for Flora, they are found to be abandoned in a dilapidated farmhouse, suckling a pig, repeatedly yelling "Flora". They are taken to a hospital and interrogated, asked if they have any knowledge to the whereabouts of Flora, but neither of them are able to say anything but "Croatoan". They are subsequently taken into the custody of child services and confiscated from the Polks, angering them greatly.
    • Ishmael Polk (portrayed by Frank Collison, portrayed by Grady Lee Richmond) is the husband of Mama Polk and the patriarch of the Polk family. He has tense encounter with Matt and Shelby when they outbid him for the Roanoke farmhouse, where he tells them that "they don't want this house". When they lose at the auction, he drives away, but is assigned blame for many of the paranormal occurrences in the house by Matt and Shelby out of jealousy for losing the house, and is frequently accused of racism by Matt, who believes he is taunting them because they are an interracial couple, but is later revealed that he had nothing to do with the paranormal events. He is seemingly difficult to find and secluded, as one the cops informs Matt that he is often unable to track him down and that "keeps to his own". During the production of Return to Roanoke, Ishmael ends up being killed by Audrey.
    • Cain Polk (portrayed by Orson Chaplin) is one of the children of Ishmael and Mama Polk. He was killed by Matt during his occupation of the Roanoke house.
    • Lot Polk (portrayed by Chaz Bono and Frederick Koehler) is the son of Ishmael and Mama Polk. He attempts to kill Dylan when he hotwires his pick up truck, but is fended off by Lee before he can kill Dylan. He flees Roanoke upon his parent's death, who had previously protected him against the colonists during the Blood Moon period. He later hunts after Lee upon her acquittal in her trials, assaulting her live TV interview, killing much of the crew and knocking out Lana Winters, only to be shot and killed before he could kill Lee.
  • The Roanoke Police Officer (portrayed by Colby French) is a police officer apart of the local Roanoke police department. He and his department are initially unhelpful and dismissive of Shelby's allegations of being drown by a torch-wielding, and expresses no expectations of locating the Polks, of whom is accused of attempting to drown Shelby. After several more occurrences, including an attempted assault on Matt, the immolation of another person on their property, the same torch-wielding clan breaking into the house, and the burning of a totem in effigy, he agrees to deploy a police officer outside the household indefinitely after accusations of apathy to their safety.

Minor characters
  • Mason Harris (portrayed by Charles Malik Whitfield) is the protective father of Flora, and the former husband of Lee. While married to Lee for several years, they raised their daughter Flora together, until Lee got fired from her job due to her painkiller addiction, causing her to spiral in alcoholism, withdraw from Mason, and neglect her responsibilities to her children. Due to Lee's behavior, Mason was able to get primary custody, but granted Lee three days of visitation for every two weeks Flora spends with Mason. When he hears Flora speaking about a paranormal entity massacring her, he accuses Lee of deliberately putting Flora in an unsafe environment in order to keep her visitation rights. He immediately takes her home, but has to return to the house when Lee kidnaps Flora, but returns to find Flora has been kidnapped. He and Lee assemble and dispatch a search party to find Flora, but upon no progress, a frustrated Mason accuses Lee of orchestrating a fake kidnapping so that she may flee to another country with Flora and retain full custody. Unable to relax, Mason pushes Lee in a fit of rage and takes a walk in the woods, but is found the next day to have been killed and burned beyond recognition, and posthumously hung in a symbolic display. Both the police and Shelby believe Lee to have killed him, but a lack of evidence bars charges being pressed. During the filming of Return to Roanoke, Lee confesses to murdering Mason, but it has been implied that somebody helped her, this however remains unsolved. His ghost remains on Roanoke Island.
  • Flora Harris (portrayed by Saniyya Sidney and Simone Baker) is the daughter of Lee and Mason Harris. While being raised by both her parents for the first few years of her life, her father won primary custody when Lee began forgetting to pick Flora up for school, but is allowed three days of custody for every two weeks in Mason's custody. Flora visits her mother at the Roanoke farmhouse, and comes in contact with Priscilla. While Lee believes this to be an imaginary friend fabricated by Flora to cope with the divorce, in actuality, she is communicating with a spirit of a sixteenth century Roanoke colonist. Priscilla promises to make Flora a bonnet if she can "make the blood stop". Moments later, a vase falls and breaks on the floor. In pile of debris is an old-style bonnet. Later, Flora bargains with her so Priscilla will allow of them to live, but when she relays this to her father, Mason takes her home, vowing to get full custody rights. In response, Lee kidnaps her. An enraged Mason returns to take her home, but Flora was lured outside and kidnapped by Priscilla by the time he arrives. A search party is dispatched to retrieve Flora, and with the assistance of Cricket, it is found that Priscilla has been hiding Flora so the Butcher wouldn't kill her. She is found to be playing with the ghosts of the Butcher's victims, but Lee is hampered by the ghosts of the colonists before she is able to retrieve her daughter. Flora executes an unsuccessful escape, and an enraged Butcher returns to the farmhouse, threatening to kill her. Priscilla ultimately distracts her and allows Flora to return to her family. She then joins Shelby, Lee, and Matt in their escape from Roanoke. She withdraws from her mother when she learns that her mother killed her father, and testifies against her mother in court, recounting viewing Lee bludgeon Mason. An hour before Lee began her interview with Lana, Flora is reported missing. Flora is found at the Roanoke house during the Blood Moon period, trying to reconnect with Priscilla. While staking out in the house while the police try to negotiate Flora's release, believing it to be a hostage situation, Lee insists on staying in the house and protecting Priscilla from the Butcher.
  • Nurse Miranda Jane (portrayed by Maya Berko and Jenna Doolittle) and Nurse Bridget Jane (portrayed by Kirsten Rakes and Areana Cirina) were nurses who previously worked at an assisted living facility in Rochester, New York in 1988, but resigned among suspicions that they were responsible for the deaths of several patients in the facility. The two fled to North Carolina to escape a possible investigation, and converted the Roanoke farmhouse into their own assisted living facility, attracting applications due to the inexpensiveness. However, their acceptance hinged on the beginning letter of the patient's first name. Once they accepted the patients, they would torture and kill the patients. When a patient was killed, they would write the letter of their first name on the wall in an attempt to construct their favorite word: Murder. They were killed by the Butcher due to their lingering on her land, and they continue to reside in the house as ghosts. The word "MURDER" went unfinished, instead only writing "MURDE", but was resistant to any attempts to cover up, always returning when painted over. Instead, it was covered by wall paper. Matt seems them in what he believes to be a hallucination, but are instead found to be the spirits of the nurses. They finish writing the word "MURDER" just prior to filming Return to Roanoke, when they kill Rory Monahan and write the final letter on the wall, "R".
  • Rhett Snow (portrayed by Billy Snow) is an Uber driver who was driving Cricket back to his hotel from the Roanoke farmhouse. He nearly hits Flora when she runs out into the road. Immediately after, Cricket abandons his ride in pursuit of Flora. He leaves after Cricket doesn't return for an extended period of time. He also drives Dylan to the Roanoke house for his scene.
  • Priscilla (portrayed by Estelle Hermansen and Savannah Rose), otherwise referred to by Flora as The Girl with the Funny Clothes, is a young girl who was sacrificed by the Roanoke colonists to the ancient Gods, as per the requirement of Scáthach's deal with the Butcher, who continues to travel with the spirits of the Roanoke colonists as a ghost. She communicates with Flora while she is visiting her mother, and makes a deal with her that she will make her a bonnet if Flora is able to "make the blood stop". Moments later, Flora breaks a vase in the house and leaves a bonnet in the debris, engendering unease in the house. Later, Priscilla informs Flora that her entire family is going to be killed, likely by the Butcher, and is offered Flora's doll in exchange for their safety. To protect Flora, Priscilla lures her into the woods and hides her new friend from the Butcher. When she is found after a failed escape execution, Priscilla distracts the Butcher and releases Flora to her family, much to the dismay of Thomasin.
  • Doris Kearns Goodwin is a historian who was featured in My Roanoke Nightmare who explained the significance of Edward Philipe Mott to the Roanoke farmhouse. She rejects the notion that Edward assisted in Shelby and Matt's escape the house, unconvinced that ghosts exists. Despite this she adds that she would never spend a night in the house.
  • Guinness (portrayed by Henderson Wade) is a slave owned by and the lover of Edward Philipe Mott. He causes Edward to leave his wife and child and abandon his old life so he may live in North Carolina with him. Neither are shy about displaying their affection for each other publicly, but Edward is open that he loves his art more than his lover. When his art is destroyed by the Butcher, he rejects the notion that it would be Guinness, but he is reminded that he is still a slave when he begin to grow prideful, due to this idea that he is superior to his fellow servants. Upon the sacrifice of Edward, he flees and informs the police of the ceremony. In lieu of evidence of Guinness' version of events, he is arrested for the murder of Edward, as well as for hiding the body.
  • The Chen family is a family of Chinese immigrants who have dedicated themselves to assimilating into American society. They moved into the house in 1973 and continued to live there, despite several encounters with the Piggy Man. Their attempts to protect themselves with Chinese folk magic ultimately fails and they are killed by the Butcher. They continue to reside in the house as ghosts, more malicious in nature as spirits. Grace attempts to kidnap Flora, and all four of them collaborate in an effort to refrain Dominic and Shelby from escaping the house. In death, their skin has paled significantly to resemble a porcelain white, and they have acquired the ability to move their body in a contortionist fashion, as well as climb on walls and ceilings.
    • Gary Chen (portrayed by Hahn Cho) is the patriarch of the Chen family, and does not allow his family to speak Chinese in the house.
    • Daisy Chen (portrayed by Becky Wu) is the matriarch of the Chen family, who is resistant to the adoption of American culture.
    • Grace Chen (portrayed by Megan Truong) is the oldest daughter of the Chen family.
    • Amy Chen (portrayed by Miya Chech) is the youngest daughter of the Chen family.
  • Diana Cross (portrayed by Shannon Lucio) is the skeptical assistant to Sidney hired prior to the pre-production of Return to Roanoke. While initially supportive of Sidney and his endeavor for the My Roanoke Nightmare sequel, continued developments feed into her skepticism. She criticizes the use of gag-scares during Return to Roanoke, including the remote opening of drawers and cupboards and the remote screening of a haunting video. She continues to challenge all of Sidney's demands, including his erratic obsession with the placement of trailers and hidden cameras. She is shown the several pig fetuses arranged in a circle on set, and becomes uneasy, as compared to a relatively calm Sidney, who accuses Agnes. Later, upon seeing footage of a man getting decapitated in a malfunction with a chainsaw, she demands that he cancel work for the rest of the day and suspend production. When Sidney refuses, she flees the production scene and records an affidavit where with a testimony of her side of the story. While driving, she encounters a mysterious figure dressed in old fashioned attire. Expressing no interest in learning the identity of the woman, she drive away. Seconds later, the Piggy Man rises from the floor in the back seat and she is stabbed to death. Sophie, Milo, and Todd find her, badly injured from a car crash, wandering through the woods. She flees from Sophie, who pursues her to help her get assistance to her wounds. Sophie finds her dead, still lodged in the car. The police never recover the body and her recorded footage is only found months after her death.
  • Alissa (portrayed by Chelsea Alden) is a member of the production crew who was killed alongside Sidney by Agnes.
  • Sophie Green (portrayed by Taissa Farmiga) is a blogger and My Roanoke Nightmare enthusiast who visits the set during the Blood Moon to create an internet documentary series about their experiences with her friends Milo and Todd. She and her friends discover a badly injured Diana Cross, who had just suffered a car accident, wandering the woods. Sophie and her acquaintances pursue a fleeing Diana in an attempt to find her help, only to arrive at the scene of the crash, where Diana is dead, still lodged in the car. The police accuse her of fabricating the report as a publicity stunt, which she vehemently denies. Despite being given strict instructions not to return to the Roanoke house, she is determined to establish her credibility, and resumes her expedition to the house. On the way, Lee kills her friend, Todd, prompting her and Milo to flee to the nearest shelter. They takes refuge inside Sidney's trailer, where they sees Lee returning the house. Fearing for the lives of Audrey and Monet, she and Milo arrive at the house to warn them, but end up being captured by the colonists and Lee, and are sacrificed and burned.
  • Milo (portrayed by Jon Bass) is an amateur documentary maker and a My Roanoke Nightmare enthusiast who travels to Roanoke Island during the Blood Moon period. He, Sophie, and Todd defy the orders of the Roanoke Police Department, who accuse him of fabricating the story for publicity, and return to their trek to the Roanoke house. He and Sophie abandon their expedition after Todd is killed by Lee and take refuge in Sidney's trailer. Persuaded by Sophie, they resume their trek to the house to save Monet and Audrey from being killed by Lee. However, they are captured by the colonists before they can reach the house and are impaled, sacrificed, and burned by Lee and the colonists.
  • Todd Connors (portrayed by Jacob Artist) is an amateur documentary maker and a My Roanoke Nightmare enthusiast who travels to Roanoke Island during the Blood Moon period. He is skittish, and quickly abandons his expedition upon seeing a dead Diana Cross, but manages to relax prior to his police interview, and resumes his expedition to the house, against the demands of the Roanoke police department, who accuse him of engendering the story as a part of a publicity stunt. On the way to the house, he encounters Lee who, under the influence of Scáthach, kills him.

References
  1. http://www.ew.com/article/2016/10/18/american-horror-story-roanoke-twist-coven
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