FX’s new scary series, American Horror Story, has brought the cable channel some of its highest ratings to date so, naturally enough, they’re bringing it back for a second season. And what better day to announce it than on Halloween?

Another 13 episodes have been ordered for year two. There are still nine installments left in the current season. They’re expected to run until December 21st when the season wraps with a double episode.

Here’s the press release about the renewal:

“AMERICAN HORROR STORY” FANS GET HALLOWEEN TREAT, NOT TRICKS

New Hit Drama from Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk Gets Second Season Order

Tracking to Become Highest Rated 1st Season of Any FX Series

Four-Episode Halloween Marathon Airs Tonight at 10:00 PM ET/PT

Nine All-New Episodes Remain in Season One

LOS ANGELES, October 31, 2011 – Fans of American Horror Story got a Halloween treat today from FX as the network placed a second-season order of 13 episodes from Twentieth Century Fox Television, announced John Landgraf, President and General Manager, FX Networks.

American Horror Story, created by producers Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, is the eighth FX drama series to earn a second season order. Nine all-new episodes of AHS remain in the first season airing Wednesdays at 10:00 PM E/P, with the final two episodes airing December 21.

“It’s one thing to have the ambition and guts to reinvent a genre in a way that makes it captivatingly fresh for a broad audience – it’s something else entirely to have the craft to back that ambition up,” said Landgraf. “Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk have hit the trifecta with Nip/Tuck, Glee and now American Horror Story, which will be scaring FX’s viewers to death for many years to come.”

AHS is producing outstanding ratings, growing though its first four weeks in the network’s target audience of Adults 18-49. On a Live+7 basis, through two weeks, first-run episodes of AHS are averaging 4.2 million Total Viewers, 2.9 million Adults 18-49, and 1.7 million Adults 18-34. It is currently tracking to become the highest-rated first season of any series ever on FX, certain to surpass Murphy’s award-winning hit drama Nip/Tuck in Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34 (2.1 million Adults 18-49; 1.0 million Adults 18-34 – 2003), and also above the award-winning drama Justified in Total Viewers (3.4 million P2+ – 2009).

On a Live+3 basis, last week’s fourth episode was the highest-rated episode of the season in delivery of Adults 18-49 (3.1 million) and Adults 18-34 (1.85 million).

The premiere episode of AHS (most current available) delivered a multi-run telecast audience of 8.0 million Total Viewers, 5.4 million Adults 18-34 and 3.0 million Adults 18-34.

The series premiere episode of AHS (Oct. 5, 10:00 PM) ranked as the #1 for the network among its target demos of Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34. It delivered 3.14 million Adults 18-49 and 1.77 million Adults 18-34, which marked enormous gains of +54% and +49% in those demos when compared to the Live+Same Day premiere data. The debut episode of AHS also ranks #1 all-time among FX series premieres in delivery of Women 18-49 and Women 18-34.

Tonight beginning at 10:00 PM E/P, FX will air a special Halloween marathon of American Horror Story featuring the first four episodes. In this Wednesday’s (Nov. 2, 10:00PM E/P) fifth episode, “Halloween, Part 2”, Halloween night concludes with Tate (Evan Peters) coming face-to-face with his past, and Ben (Dylan McDermott) and Vivien (Connie Britton) are haunted by one of the house’s newest guests.

American Horror Story revolves around the Harmons, a family of three who moved from Boston to Los Angeles as a means to reconcile past anguish. The all-star cast features Dylan McDermott as “Ben Harmon,” a psychiatrist; Connie Britton as “Vivien Harmon,” Ben’s wife; Taissa Farmiga as “Violet,” the Harmon’s teenage daughter; Jessica Lange in her first-ever regular series TV role as “Constance,” the Harmon’s neighbor; Evan Peters plays “Tate Langdon,” one of Ben’s patients; and Denis O’Hare as “Larry Harvey.” Guest stars for the series include Frances Conroy as the Harmon’s housekeeper; Alexandra Breckenridge as the Harmon’s housekeeper; and Jamie Brewer as Constance’s daughter.

American Horror Story was co-created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, who serve as Executive Producers along with Dante Di Loreto. The series is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television.

Led by Chairmen Gary Newman and Dana Walden, Twentieth Century Fox Television is the prolific producer of a wide range of award-winning blockbuster network and cable series including “Glee,” the two-time Golden Globe winner for Best Series, Comedy or Musical and “Modern Family,” the two-time Emmy winner for Outstanding Comedy Series. Twentieth Century Fox Television comprises the flagship studio, as well as sister companies Fox 21 and Fox Television Studios, and currently has more than thirty series on the air domestically and around the globe.

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from the Fox Networks Group. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 98 million homes. The diverse schedule includes a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning original series, an established film library with box-office hits from 20th Century Fox and other studios and an impressive roster of acquired hit series. For more information about FX, visit our web site at www.FXnetworks.com.

What do you think? Are you glad to hear that the show has been renewed? There have been horror shows in the past. Why is this one so successful?