Created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the cable network FX, the series is produced by 20th Century Fox Television.

[11] The season has been described as being heavily influenced by classic horror slasher films such as Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Halloween.

[21] Later that month, Billie Lourd, Cody Fern, Leslie Grossman, and John Carroll Lynch were confirmed to be returning to the series, with new cast members Matthew Morrison, DeRon Horton, and Zach Villa.

[23] Later that month, series veteran Lily Rabe confirmed via her Instagram account that she would appear in the seventh episode of the season.

[27] On July 8, 2019, it was reported by Deadline Hollywood that Sarah Paulson would have a smaller role in 1984 than in previous seasons, due to her commitments to Murphy's Netflix series Ratched.

The site's critical consensus reads: "A near-perfect blend of slasher tropes and American Horror Story's trademark twists, 1984 is a bloody good time.