“American Horror Story” is in the fourth year of its run, but this season might just top them all. The season opener, “Monsters Among Us,” introduces a vivid cast of characters settling in Jupiter, Fla., in 1952. Among the members of a carnival-style sideshow are characters played by AHS regulars like Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters and Jessica Lange, but the truly chilling part of the story is the other new arrival: Twisty the Clown.
For those who don’t have even the slightest twinge of clown anxiety, the name sounds slightly ridiculous. How could anything be that scary? Though disgustingly stereotypical, Twisty is indeed an evil clown, though his motives remain unclear. Does he just like to murder people or is he in search of a captive audience for his new act (or both)? While the “evil clown” is done to death, it seems to fit with the carnival theme of the new season, even though Twisty isn’t part of the sideshow and it’s almost too much of a coincidence that he shows up at the same time to terrorize the town.
Perhaps the most disturbing aspect so far is the introduction in the third episode “Edward Mordrake,” of Emma Roberts as Maggie Esmeralda, a faux-fortuneteller who appears to be casing the joint. In the first installment of this Halloween two-parter, Esmeralda and her partner, Stanley, are con artists looking for their next “authentic” museum piece—a subject that takes on a particularly sinister tone, since it is first discussed in a gallery of bones and suspicious-looking jars. While Esmeralda seems uneasy around the other performers, Stanley worries only about “the size of the jar [he] has to get.”
The members of the troupe are a mixed bag. The back-and-forth between Bet and Dot, a pair of conjoined twins with warring personalities, is particularly well-written and Lange as Elsa Mars, the showrunner with dreams of fame, leaps from achingly sad to ruthlessly professional. Kathy Bates plays Ethel Darling, the troupe’s “bearded lady.” Her accent, frustratingly difficult to place and, at times, to understand, takes away from her sensitive portrayal of a mother struggling with guilt.
Creators Brad Falchuk and Ryan Murphy, who also created “Glee”—go figure—may have outdone themselves with the setting. The circus is eerie and opulent, just run-down enough to be stunning. However, AHS is known for its title sequences, and this season’s is a bust, using lots of obviously CGI effects when there are few in the actual show.
Overall, “American Horror Story: Freak Show” is a good thrill with a talented cast of characters, though at times the writing can be a little clichéd.
