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American Horror Story: Coven Trailer: First Look at School For Witches, Jessica Lange's Fear-Inducing Powers—Watch!

Exclusive! In addition to season three's first trailer, we've got an exclusive new poster for the FX series' highly-anticipated Oct. 9 return

By Tierney Bricker Sep 20, 2013 12:00 AMTags
American Horror StoryFX

Class is now in session.

Halloween has come early, and we're handing out the best TV loot on the street that is the Internet: The exclusive trailer for American Horror Story: Coven. And in a word? It's epic. In three words? It's ridiculously freakin' epic! Season three of Ryan Murphy's FX anthology hit centers on a school in New Orleans, Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies, which is run by Cordelia (Sarah Paulson) and teaches young witches how to protect themselves against mysterious attacks that have been plaguing their kind. Fed up with the witch hunts, Cordelia's powerful and estranged mother Fiona (Jessica Lange) returns home from Los Angeles to take action.

We're giving you early admission to the bewitching (and frightening) academy, including a first look at Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Emma Roberts and Gabourey Sidibe's spellbinding AHS debuts! Plus, we've also got an exclusive new poster for the new season, premiering Oct. 9, which features Lange lookin' like a total HWIC (head witch in charge, of course!). We're not worthy, we're not worthy!

"The only thing you have to be afraid of is me," Fiona, the Supreme witch in New Orleans, tells the school's four remaining students, before flinging two of them against the wall with a mere flick of her wrist.

But in addition to disciplining the young witches, Fiona is protecting them as well. "You girls need to learn how to fight. When witches don't fight, we burn," she tells the girls, including Taissa Farmiga's character Zoe, the school's latest recruit who is harboring a deep secret, tough Queenie (Sidibe) and troublemaker Madison (Roberts). Cue a shot of a witch (Why hello, Lily Rabe!) being burned at the stake.

But AHS: Coven spans centuries and features real-life historical figures from the 1800s: Marie Laveau (Bassett), an influential practitioner of voodoo, as well as infamous socialite/serial killer Madame LaLaurie (Bates). And we get to see both ladies in terrifying action in the 30-second trailer. (We're pretty sure Bassett's cackle at the end will haunt us in our nightmares for the rest of the TV season.)

Coven will tell the secret history of witches and witchcraft in America; over 300 years have passed since the turbulent days of the Salem witch trials and those who managed to escape are now facing extinction. Let's just say not all kinds of witches get along as the voodoo witches aren't exactly thrilled that the Salem ladies have invaded their territory. Season three is war of the witches, y'all!

In addition to Lange, Farmiga and Paulson, AHS fan favorites returning for season three include Denis O'Hare, Frances Conroy, Alexandra Breckenridge and Evan Peters.

Executive producer Tim Minear recently teased that fans can expect to see a lighter tone this season, saying, "This year is a drama, but there is a lot of humor. We are embracing a kind of velocity and fun with the series this year. This is going to be the most friendly place for women on television this year. Friendly, until we do the things we do."

American Horror Story: Coven premieres Oct. 9 at 10 p.m. on FX.