Plot: While a murderous clown terrorizes the small town of Jupiter, Florida, an unusual discovery at a farmhouse leads to the potential salvation of a local Freak Show.
I have to start by saying that I have had mixed feelings while waiting for this new season to start. I have been a huge fan of the American Horror Story since episode one and look forward to every Wednesday night. However, this season contains the thing that scares me more than anything and that has given me reservations.
Upon watching the Freak Show premiere episode, my reservations were affirmed. That clown, Twisty (John Caroll Lynch), is, hands down, the scariest thing I have ever seen. He is everything that nightmares are made of. I am not even embarrassed to say that I teared up a little from the very first scene that he is introduced. Sure, I have horrible clown fear and my opinion of him may be pure bias, but I may or may not have hugged a pillow to get through the entire episode.
Twisty’s makeup is top notch in terms of horror. His face looks like he is wearing someone else’s scalp and there is a giant, terrifying, Joker-like smile plastered on his face. As for what he does, I can’t even talk about the awful torture he puts his victims through. I can only say that I will double lock my doors and, despite that, will not sleep well tonight.
As for the rest of the episode, Sarah Paulson plays Siamese Twins Bette and Dot Tattler, the new editions to the freak show. Each sister has a completely different personality, just further proving that Paulson is an incredibly talented actress. I already sense another Emmy in her future.
Jessica Lange is German superstar wannabe Elsa Mars, the ringleader of the group. She holds a lot of secrets but seems to genuinely care for her group of “monsters” as she affectionately calls them.
Kathy Bates is the bearded lady, best friend to Elsa and mother to Jimmy Darling (Evan Peters), the lobster boy.
This season even marks the inevitable return of fan favorite, Pepper (Naomi Grossman) who has herself a male pinhead counterpart.
Based on the season premiere, this is set to be the scariest season of American Horror Story yet. I am both excited and terrified to see where this story goes.
Make sure you tune in on Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. on FX. You won’t want to miss this.
Rating: 8 out of 10
All Photos in Galley Credit: Frank Ockenfels/FX except Wes Bentley, credit: Michael Becker/FX
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Ann Hale is the horror editor for Pop-Break.com and a senior contributing writer, reviewing horror movies and television shows. She is also the American Correspondent for Lovehorror.co.uk. Ann attended East Carolina University, majoring in English Literature. She is a collector of Halloween (the film) memorabilia and is a self-admitted opinionated horror nerd. You can follow her, her collection and her cat, Edward Kittyhands on Twitter and Instagram @Scarletjupiter
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