The American Horror Story Role You Forgot Eric Stonestreet Played 14 Years Before Dexter: Resurrection
Before he was TV’s affable scene-stealer, Eric Stonestreet took a nerve-shredding turn on American Horror Story: Murder House as Derek, a terrified psychiatric patient most fans forgot. With Dexter: Resurrection putting him back in the spotlight, that chilling cameo is suddenly must-see again.
File this under great TV moments people forget: before he was everybody's favorite sitcom softie, Eric Stonestreet wandered into the first season of American Horror Story and turned in a legitimately creepy little performance. With the show gearing up for Season 13, it is a good time to dust that one off.
Yep, that was Eric Stonestreet in Murder House
Back in AHS: Murder House, Stonestreet shows up as Derek, a jittery psychiatric patient spiraling over urban legends. It is a quick appearance, but it hits hard: all nervous tics, mounting dread, and the kind of unraveling you do not usually get from an actor known for making people laugh.
What makes it fun to revisit now is the contrast. Watching him snap from disarming to panicked on a dime is the giveaway that the guy always had more in the tank than punchlines. Long before Dexter: Resurrection put him back in the spotlight, this was a warning flare.
The role that hinted at darker lanes for Stonestreet
His Derek turn is a blip on the AHS timeline, sure, but it does not feel like a throwaway. It is a miniature character study about fear eating a person alive, played with zero sitcom safety net. The fear, the twitchy energy, the sense that his brain is running ahead of him and straight off a cliff — that is not comfort-zone acting.
Looking back, you can draw a line from that cameo to the more grounded, thornier choices that came later. AHS did not just add a horror credit to his resume; it proved he could go pitch-black without winking at the camera. That matters when your next big headline is a show literally called Dexter: Resurrection.
AHS Season 13: what is actually going on
American Horror Story is officially moving forward with Season 13, and the usual clampdown on details is in full effect. Still, the chatter points to a tonal pivot back toward the unnerving, psychological flavor that made Murder House pop. That is the kind of sandbox where a character like Derek works — haunting, human, and quietly terrifying.
- The anthology has shapeshifted for years — haunted houses, cults, urban legends — and the new season is expected to keep that tradition of reinvention intact.
- Early expectations suggest a return to the slow-burn, mind-games vibe rather than splashy shock-for-shock's-sake.
- Whether Stonestreet pops back in or not, Season 13 sounds like it wants to honor the show’s roots: characters balanced on the edge between fear and fragility.
That is also why Stonestreet’s Murder House beat still lands. AHS has a habit of turning tiny roles into something sticky in your brain, and Derek is one of those under-the-radar examples. If Season 13 leans into that side of the series again, do not be surprised if people start rewatching and saying, Wait, that was Eric Stonestreet?
What do you want from Season 13?
Do you want the show to steer back into the psychological weirdness of early AHS, or keep swinging big with new flavors? Drop your wish list — casting dreams, setting ideas, the whole thing.
If you want to catch up: all seasons of American Horror Story are streaming on Hulu, and Season 1 of Dexter: Resurrection is on Paramount+.