People like to be frightened. They like to have the hair on the back of their necks stand on end. They set themselves up for nightmares, all for the thrill of terror. New movies and television series cater to the general public’s thirst for fear with demented imagery and hellish themes, but none do so with such elegance as “American Horror Story.” The horror series is not only one of the most terrifying on television, but characters and plotlines keep fans engaged and reeling for more. It’s the first successful horror drama in recent years, and it shows no signs of letting up, until next year (gasp).

“American Horror Story” won’t be calling it quits, but one of its pivotal stars has announced her departure. Jessica Lange has appeared in all three seasons, but confirmed that next year’s fourth season will be her last, Entertainment Weekly reports.

“It ends up being a lot of time during the year being committed to something,” Lange said. “I haven’t done that for a long time. It’s like doing a stage play between the rehearsal and the run. This is a six-month commitment every year. That will be four years in a row. I want to have more time to myself I guess. Once it’s over and I have a full year ahead of me with nothing to do, who knows? It might not have been the best decision. But I think four years doing something is a sufficient amount of time.”

Co-creator Ryan Murphy added that Lange will not play the lead role in the fourth season, but that “she’ll have this great juicy part” nonetheless.

“American Horror Story: Coven” airs Wednesday nights on FX. Be sure to get your fill before Lange says goodbye.