American Horror Story is an American anthology series, has several seasons and each is different from the previous one, with different characters and stories, although still wrapped in an air of mystery and terror. The fourth season, AHS: Freak Show, is one of the most underestimated. Not that it has a lot of reviews, but it’s one of those seasons that leaves fans feeling weird. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the best either, and it was empty for a lot of fans. of the series.
However, Freak Show deserves a special and different analysis and will likely be valued over time. When it premiered, we had only followed three seasons: Murder House, the classic horror story of a haunted house; Asylum, the acclaimed season set in a 1960s asylum; and the critical Coven, who tells the story of a contemporary witch clan.
- So Freak Show wasn’t talking about witches.
- Ghosts or crazy people.
- Freak Show was talking about people who.
- Until not long ago.
- Had been condemned and classified as “monsters” or monsters.
Why is it important to buy again this season? Because its circus aesthetic is exciting, envelops us with a special atmosphere, transports us to the 50s and, above all, values and embraces differences on and off screens.
Circles of Freaks, began to appear in the mid-18th century, lived their heyday in the nineteenth century and disappeared in the mid-20th century. In these circuses, the protagonists were real people who had malformations or abnormalities, some of whom could undergo surgery today.
At the time, it seemed that these people were doomed to live a life of absolute marginality, and the circuses of “monsters”, however unethical they may seem, represented an opportunity, a path of progress; although in many cases it was also a form of exploitation.
There are many cases of Siamese twins that today could have been separated without many complications by surgery and that, nevertheless, have been explored and exposed in circuses of aberrations, thus, anyone with a malformation or that is physically distinguished by anything (being very big, very tall, very strong, etc. ) could also end up in a circus of this type.
Does the plot regain the essence of the film? Monsters (1932) and takes us to a monster circus in Jupiter, Florida, where strange things have happened: murders, revenge, trafficking in human beings, etc.
The circus owner, Elsa Mars, is a woman who promises to save these people and give them a more dignified life by participating in her show, but there’s so much more behind her, in fact, she’s also a monster (she lost her legs). ) and hides her insecurities behind the scenes, what she really wants is to succeed, to be a star, and she will be willing to do anything to achieve it.
The complexity and depth of the characters are fascinating. Everyone deserved an individual analysis, everyone has fears, insecurities, dreams, etc. , just like anyone else. They will claim, more than once, the right to be treated like any other mortal, the right to live with dignity and to be seen as what they really are: people.
Many of the show’s characters are inspired by real characters, and many of them are suffering in their own skin, which means living today under the monster tag.
It is common for American Horror Story to borrow certain aspects of reality, to take stories from popular folklore, to the most recent history and even to cinema. The similarities with the film Monsters are not coincidental, as the series clearly takes advantage of this influence.
AHS: Freak Show is inspired by real stories, collects characters like Edward Mordrake (the man who had an “smart” face on the back of his head) and, to make this whole circus environment more believable, feeds on the actors than playing the characters. But the idea of the monster wasn’t always the same. It doesn’t just correspond to people with certain physical characteristics. The monster is everything that escapes the established, to the norm.
Music also plays a key role this season and, among all the musical pieces presented to us by AHS: Freak Show, highlights the homage to David Bowie, a maniac from head to toe, an extremely special character, both in physics and musical. Bowie softens the show’s bloody massacre, its aesthetics and essence take on Elsa’s character who, one way or another, admits to being a monster. The song Life on Mars ?, in addition to the heavy burden of social criticism, borders on surrealism and represents an ode to the monster, to the different.
In turn, the song Heroes appears on one of the strong dishes of the series to remind us that we can all shine, we all deserve to be heroes, even for a day. Similarly, Evan Peters’ character takes for him the Ven as you are mythical, of Nirvana, a band that has escaped the rule, that has broken barriers and that, with this song, invites us to be as we are, to accept ourselves.
Inclusion is the secret of this season, acceptance and respect for differences. Ryan Murphy, creator of the series, has saved actresses who, due to age or physique, are no longer as profitable in Hollywood. We are talking about Jessica Lange and Kathy Bates. who play characters that, despite their age, go beyond the classic old woman of the cinema; they are complex and worth exploring.
Murphy came back to save them for FEUD: Bette and Joan, as well as other actresses, like Susan Sarandon; proving that age should not be an obstacle in the world of entertainment and that talent goes far beyond beauty. In addition to giving these actresses a second chance, she also included an actress with Down syndrome, Jamie Brewer, whom she had previously relied on in other seasons, giving her a role that had little to do with Down syndrome.
She also offered the opportunity to a transgender actress, Erika Ervin, not in the role of a transsexual, but in that of a woman higher than normal. She also featured the world’s youngest woman, Jyoti Amge; Mat Freser, actor born with a certain upper limb disease, known as focomelia; Chrissy Metz, an obese actress; Rose Siggins, a woman with no lower limbs due to illness; and Ben Woolf, the deceased actor suffering from pituitary dwarfism.
It is important to note that most of these characters do not embody evil, each is different and has different concerns. However, the scariest character of the season is the most “normal” character, Dandy Mott, a rich young man who, bored of having it all, embarks on a journey into the world of terror and murder.
AHS: Freak Show is proof that we can all shine, that we all deserve to be recognized, that there is no age or form for talent, and that our differences have relative value. Despite the macabre aspect of the plot, the dark and enigmatic story, Freak Show brings some light to our lives, it shows that, as Bowie said in his music, we can all be heroes, if only for a day.
“We can be heroes, just for a day. ” – David Bowie-