By Rachel Moon

Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the newest addition to the American Horror Story collection. I give you Freak Show, the fourth installment in an astonishing series that holds audiences captivated and revolted, but still coming back for more. Originating in Jupitar, Florida, this remarkable anthology follows a troupe of freaks as they battle strange dark entities, savage threats on their lives, and attempt to deal with the devils of society.

“You’ve already bought a ticket” and there’s no going back after witnessing what’s behind closed curtains. Arriving at the carnival you’ll find your attention captured by the alluring Elsa Mars. She’s known as the star of the show, who leads the carnival with an iron hoof.

Each freak brings something new to the table in this carnival of peculiar individuals, poisoned minds, and supposedly innocent bystanders. The immoral rule and the innocent fall like flies on freak dung. Jupitar, Florida is a torture chamber disguised as a masquerade ball.

The carnival’s main headliners captivate both audience and characters alike are Elsa Mars, the Bearded Lady, the Conjoined Twins, and Dandy Mott. Some critics claim that Dandy Mott is the star of the show, but the spotlight is not all that it would seem. “It’s all fun and games” until someone turns up dead. Show business is not for the weak of heart; especially in one of the last remaining freak shows.

American Horror Story: Freak Show, shattered the previous record holder Son’s of Anarchy with “13.36 million viewers- 8.6 million demo viewers and 5.25 million in the younger bracket.,” making Freak Show the new record holder for “the most-watched single program in FX history” during the last 20 years. The season premiere(debut) racked in a total of “10 million viewers, 6.54 million demo viewers, and 4.08 million adults 18-34.”  With these numbers, Ryan Murphy has established himself as a successful producer that has the fans yearning for more stimulating, thought provoking, and freakish seasons. Anonymous fans are already exclaiming that season four is going to “be a real challenge to outdo.”

Freak Show takes its audience on a roller coaster and  like all good series, they use a pusher man tactic by marketing twists and fadeouts, which is similar to the “boy who cried wolf.”. Taking this to the next level, Freak Show uses non-twists and double-fadeouts, which makes the audience question if something really happened. Ryan Murphy has really brought the show to a higher level by out thinking his viewers.

Ryan Murphy included a wide variety of characters throughout the entire season. Near the end, he continued to introduce new characters. Some would think this to be a crude tactic, but it fits in with Ryan Murphy’s approach to keep viewers on their toes. Freak Show knows no rules. Never knowing what’s going to happen next, audiences find themselves lost and bewildered. It’s twisted, dark, chilling, and thrilling to the bone.

American Horror Story: Freak Show is the unsurpassed ruler of all four seasons. Combing their brilliant acting, insane camera work, and originality, Ryan Murphy has created a masterpeice on grounds equal to Frankenstein’s tour de force. Millions around the world are obsessing over Freak Show. So take a seat, get comfortable, because “theres no turning back” once the show begins.

https://youtu.be/Gw1aarm2DuU

Catch the new season of American Horror Story this October.

All photos/media are property of FX,