Every year around this time, FX begins putting out teasers for the newest installation of its hit series, American Horror Story. It’s tough to glean a ton of information from the short segments, but despite this, they are nearly always creepy and worth a watch. In the latest short trailer for the fall season, titled American Horror Story: Freak Show, we get a dolled up artist with three legs on a trapeze hoop popping in and out of the picture. Plus, there are sound effects that make the image seem eerier and more ominous.
In terms of the freaks we’ve seen so far, the trapeze artist doesn’t seem so scary, although I’m not sure where she or he tucks that extra leg. If you want excessively scary, last week, American Horror Story released another trailer for Freak Show that focuses on a man with a split tongue eating a lollipop. Another trailer focuses on a four-fingered hand with a non-human texture. I’ll take a trapeze star in the spotlight any day.
While the hoop itself doesn’t explain much, showrunner Ryan Murphy has opened up his mouth enough to give us a heads up on what American Horror Story: Freak Show will entail. This time around, the drama will hop to the 1950s, following a Florida freak show run by Jessica Lange’s German character that is well beyond its heyday. Lange’s Freak Show entourage will include Sarah Paulson, who will play conjoined twins Bette and Dot, Michael Chiklis, who will play a vulnerable strong man, and Wes Bentley, who will play a tormentor in the community. Other actors involved with the new season include Matt Bomer, Finn Wittrock, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts and Denis O’Hare. Murphy hasn't released character details for everyone involved with Freak Show, but not knowing is half the fun.
American Horror Story has a proven track record of using many of the same actors and actresses each season, albeit asking them to populate very different roles. Whether or not you are a huge fan of horror, if you’ve ever wanted to really see range in a group of actors, American Horror Story is one of the best examples of really pushing actors to take on different personas. Plus, Murphy often chooses some amazing and outside-the-box guest stars to pop up when you least expect them.You can find out what direction Freak Show will take the likes of Paulson, Bates and Lange when it hits FX’s schedule on October 8. While we wait, expect more trailers from FX along the way.
