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2010's, American Horror Story, American Horror Story: Freak Show, Angela Bassett, Denis O'Hare, Emma Roberts, Evan Peters, Finn Wittrock, Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange, John Carroll Lynch, Kathy Bates, Michael Chiklis, Sarah Paulson, Wes Bentley
This fourth season of the hit horror anthology entitled Freak Show boasts even more weird content than before. Even though there were flaws in the previous installment Coven, I think Freak Show emerges as the weakest season so far, putting it well below the supreme greatness of Murder House and Asylum. Though that may be the case, the cast, style and blend of strange and extremely unusual horror makes it at least have some currency and effectiveness, albeit in something of a tired capacity. Be warned, there will be spoilers in my review.
The setting is Jupiter, Florida 1952. Elsa Mars(Jessica Lange) is a glamorous German expat who is running a struggling freak show and has delusional ideas set on stardom. The floundering freak show’s fortunes have dwindled due to the increase in popularity of television and immense stigma aimed towards the performers in the show. She comes across a rare find: conjoined twins named Bette and Dot(Sarah Paulson), who were found looked away in their sheltered house with their mother brutally murdered. Although they share a body, they are two distinct personalities; Bette is dreamy and romantic, whereas Dot is stern and unsmiling. Yet they are very conflicting and occasionally their personalities overlap, clearly shown when it is later revealed that the sweet Bette was the one who murdered their horrible mother for locking them away. Elsa sees the girls as saviors for her show and takes them under her wing and in time they prove a prize-winning draw. But this comes at a price as Elsa grows increasingly jealous of the attention lavished upon them. The other members of the sinking freak show are Jimmy Darling(Evan Peters), who has hands that are webbed giving him the nickname ‘Lobster Boy’, his loyal mother and bearded lady Ethel(Kathy Bates) and later Jimmy’s strongman father Dell(Michael Chiklis) and his hermaphrodite wife with three breasts Desiree(Angela Bassett). Ethel keeps the fact that she is dying and that Dell is Jimmy’s father to herself because of history. Yet as the show begins to take off, horror and deception soon invades in various forms. A menacing clown known as Twisty(John Carroll Lynch) , clad in a horrific mask, begins to terrorise and kill people in the surrounding areas. He later finds a helper in the form of spoiled man-child Dandy Mott(Finn Wittrock), who is bored with his rich life and obsessed with the freak show, in particular Bette and Dot. But after being turned away by the show and when Twisty is taken away by a Halloween spirit adding to his collection, Dandy soon evolves into something more sadistic than ever, much to the worry of his subservient mother Gloria(Frances Conroy). After a police officer insults Jimmy and the other members of the troupe, out of anger Jimmy kills him and has to cover up the murder. Two money hungry con artists, Stanley(Denis O’Hare) and fake fortune-teller Maggie Esmeralda(Emma Roberts) infiltrate the camp, but while Stanley is willing to murder one of the freaks to get his dirty hands on a profit, the observant Maggie gets cold feet despite her skewed moral compass as her conscience catches up with her. So who will survive as carnage creeps in and evil rears its head once again, predominately in the form of the psychotic Dandy?
As I have already mentioned, Freak Show is for my money the weakest season so far. So I think it’s best to get my thoughts on the stuff that didn’t work out the way first because there is still some good parts to it and it isn’t a complete failure. I sometimes found some of the characters this time where not written with the usual verve that the show is known. And the fact that important characters seem to appear and then disappear, either by being killed off or god knows what else is a bit jarring. I just felt that Freak Show didn’t have the grip that past entries have so successfully evoked. The pacing could have been kicked up a notch or two, as certain episodes did drag before finding a bit of a groove. Then again, I know every season of a show can’t be amazing, but I expected a bit more from American Horror Story.
Moving on to the positives of this season, of which there are a number of. The visual palette popped with bright colours of the carnival, that acted as irony to the disturbing events brewing beneath the surface. The addressing of themes of prejudice provides a modern resonance, because while steps have been taken in the world to eradicate discrimination, it is still there. Freak Show portrays the circus troupe as human beings who have done nothing wrong but look different to others. Through this, we feel a sense of kinship towards them in their struggle for acceptance in a cruel world. I loved the two-part episode set on Halloween that features Edward Mordrake(played splendidly by Wes Bentley), a man with another head that speaks to him who collects a freak every Halloween. There is such an eerie feeling when he’s on screen and though his brief appearance we get glimpses into both Elsa’s and Twisty’s past and unearth tragedy in both. Freak Show also ups the ante on bloodshed this time, with many scenes of murder emerging as extremely disquieting and very disturbing to watch. And not forgetting an excellent score that combines with the unusual nature of the show and sends a doom-laden pulse through each frame. While I’m discussing music, I have to speak of the musical numbers that are sprinkled throughout. Modern songs placed in an older setting can often be jarring, but here it is quite enjoyable. The title sequence follows with a stop motion evocation of the carnival, complete with nightmarish clowns, carousels and strange figures. Once more, the title sequence is a tone setter with the customary unusual tics that have become the show’s trademark.
And despite the negatives that somewhat spoil the potential that this season had, the talented cast makes up for some of these errors with good work, often rising above the limited material they’re given to work with. The amazing Jessica Lange signs off from the show in style portraying the manipulative Elsa, who’ll do just about anything to keep her star in the ascendance. Lange just brings a whole wealth of emotions and drama to the character that I think her presence will be missed in future seasons of American Horror Story. Sarah Paulson turns in captivating work as the Siamese twins Bette and Dot. The way she displays the opposite personalities of both and then sometimes wraps them together is quite marvellous to view. Evan Peters exudes a sense of pathos and dignity as Jimmy, whose beliefs that the troupe should be treated equally is to be admired but whose actions regarding this sometimes end badly as he challenges the norm. Kathy Bates exhibits her usual high calibre mark to the role as the strangely accented Ethel, dealing with the fact she is dying and staying loyal to those around her. Angela Bassett has a sassy ability that she incorporates into Desiree, while Michael Chiklis as strongman Dell, who is fearing that a secret will get out, imbued the part with strength and emotion. Both of the roles played by Bassett and Chiklis I felt were underwritten, but they both sidestepped this flaw and made the parts better.
Joining the cast and making a huge impact is Finn Wittrock in the evil role of Dandy. Essaying the part with bratty antics, a stunted, petulant manner, sinister smiles and arrogance, Wittrock makes Dandy a really frightening monster as his boredom with his rich life begins to manifest itself as murderous and heinous crimes. This season may be weaker, but one can’t fault the work of Wittrock here. John Carroll Lynch makes a mark despite his brief appearance as Twisty the clown. By turns immensely creepy and then when his back story is revealed quite sad, his presence can’t be forgotten. Frances Conroy has all the right nervous ticks and worry as Dandy’s mother Gloria. A delightfully slimy performance from Denis O’Hare as a remorseless con man is a highlight of the weirdness this show can conjure up, and Emma Roberts is convincing as his accomplice who has a change of heart after getting to know the troupe and feeling sympathy for them.
So while pushing the envelope once more with disturbing content and featuring a great cast once more, Freak Show lacks the killer punch of past seasons. Hopefully the next season can bring back some magic.
beetleypete said:
Something else I have never seen, so will have to happily take your word for it.
Still, I was born in 1952, and I like Jessica Lange, (sometimes) so it can’t be all bad!
Cheers mate. Pete.
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vinnieh said:
Jessica Lange is an amazing actress, she always manages to impress me.
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finnwest2015 said:
Nice post Vinnie
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vinnieh said:
Cheers Finn.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Great review Vinnie! I’ve heard many mixed reviews about the season, so I’m still on the fence over whether I’m going to watch it.
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vinnieh said:
It is a really mixed season, but there is still quality there.
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fragglerocking said:
I think I won’t live long enough to start watching this series, so will pass, but good review as always 🙂
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vinnieh said:
Thanks. What makes you think you won’t live long enough, are you OK?
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fragglerocking said:
Oh LOL yes I’m fine, I just meant that life is short and I have so much to do that fitting a whole 4 season series in wouldn’t happen anytime soon 😀
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vinnieh said:
That’s good to hear, you had me worried for a moment there. I take it you don’t watch a lot of television?
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fragglerocking said:
Not huge amounts, we usually watch something at 10pm and go to bed at 11.30, we are busy with hobbies and work most evenings 🙂 The series we do watch are Walking Dead,Homeland,Vikings and of course Game of Thrones. And we did all series of 24 and Generation Kill. Band of Brothers & The Pacific. Gave up on Trueblood, after season 4, it went downhill. There that’s my whole TV history over the past 10 yrs!!
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vinnieh said:
May I commend you on your exquisite taste in television.
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fragglerocking said:
Cheers Vinnie 🙂
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SusanElizabeth said:
“This fourth season of the hit horror anthology entitled Freak Show boasts even more weird content than before.” Ha, “more weird content than before.” You could not have started this review off with a better take.
My least favorite season as well. I know what you mean. I’m not sure if I’ll finish this one or not. I abandoned it after a few episodes. I’m still curious but I don’t know….you gave a balanced review and didn’t skirt around the show’s flaws. That makes me think it’s not worth returning to, what do you think?
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vinnieh said:
It’s not all bad, but it’s really weak in comparison to the past seasons. Thanks for liking my opening line, I needed a really good one to capture attention. I felt that there was a tired feeling hanging over Freak Show.
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SusanElizabeth said:
That’s a good way to put it…it’s still something different than other tv shows but compared its past seasons its the weakest one.
Have you started watching Hotel? I haven’t had a chance yet.
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vinnieh said:
I haven’t started watching Hotel yet, but I’m sure I will be very soon.
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SusanElizabeth said:
Me too.
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Mario said:
I rate Freak Show above Coven, but seasons 1 and 2 are still my favourites!
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vinnieh said:
Murder House and Asylum really set a high bar for others to reach.
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Jay said:
These photos are enough to creep me out! I don’t watch myself but these DVDs have been passsed around our office like mad.
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vinnieh said:
It is a hugely popular show that’s for show and those photos I featured are not even the most creepy things in the show.
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gayguidecambodia said:
Reblogged this on Gay Guide To Asia & Cambodia and commented:
So while pushing the envelope once more with disturbing content and featuring a great cast once more, Freak Show lacks the killer punch of past seasons. Hopefully the next season can bring back some magic.
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Jordan Dodd said:
Hmmm doesn’t sound like I’ll ever get into this, I tried to watch the first season but couldn’t really get into it. That sucks to hear its only gone downhill.
BTW howdy! I’ve been away for a while, we had a film festival, check out my posts on it! 😀
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vinnieh said:
Nice to hear from you dude, will be over to your site very soon.
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Jordan Dodd said:
I went away for ten days, its weird not reading any other blogs in that long!
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vinnieh said:
I can imagine it was.
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vinnieh said:
And just out of curiosity, are you looking forward to the new Bond movie?
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Nicola | Rust and Stardust said:
Great post Vinnie. I love American Horror Story. Asylum was my favourite !!!
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vinnieh said:
Asylum was my favourite as well, I found it really had a lasting impact that was hard to forget.
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Nicola | Rust and Stardust said:
Yes it was so disturbing especially because it wasn’t altogether unrealistic of what happened in psychiatric institutions in those times 😕
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vinnieh said:
I agree, it really tackled the horrific treatment of mental illness back in the 60’s. Thankfully now we’ve come a long way.
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Nicola | Rust and Stardust said:
We sure have come a long way 😀
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emmakwall said:
You watched this fast Vinster! Excellent review brother, as ever 🙂
Scream Queens starts on E4 tonight – you in?
🙂
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vinnieh said:
I may check Scream queens out.
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emmakwall said:
Oh please do!! Would love to discuss with you 🙂
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vinnieh said:
I’ll try Emma, but I can’t promise anything.
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dbmoviesblog said:
Great review, haven’t heard of this before, but the film is also a bit disrespectful since there is a real girl(s) with two heads living in the US at the moment 🙂
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vinnieh said:
I had no idea there was a girl like that today. This series was aired last year or the year before. Thanks for commenting.
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dbmoviesblog said:
You are welcome, I always enjoy reading your blog, and if you are interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNQc4NziUWc
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for your continued praise.
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HusbandAndHusband said:
I’m so happy you reviewed Freak Show!! I couldn’t agree with you more. This season was by far the worst. First off, there was not one freak show actually performed but instead their acts consisted of singing and that alone. I didn’t care for that. Every time a song was brought on in past seasons “The Name Game” in Asylum and Stevie Nicks in Coven it made sense. I enjoyed them. But Freak Show was overkill. However, some of the episodes were fantastic! Peppers story was overwhelmingly heartbreaking. Elsa’s backstory was also spot on. Unfortunately, this is the only season Aaron and I can’t get ourselves to watch again. The first three seasons we’ve watched more than twice, but again, this season was hard to get into.
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vinnieh said:
I just felt that there could have been so much more greatness that instead fell flat. I did find some of the singing good, but I could see why people would say it was overkill. I would have liked if Twisty was in it a lot more than he was. I did however think that Dandy was a truly creepy character, whose acts were chilling and disquieting. They didn’t half take advantage of his physique though, he was naked a hell of a lot.
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HusbandAndHusband said:
Yeah it was kind of ridiculous how many times they made him naked. I also though twisty could have been in it a lot more. Truly, with such an amazing setting, incredible cast, and potential storylines–this season should have been the best.
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vinnieh said:
Though I must say he had a real peach of a bum. Twisty creeped me out so much but then when we saw his past I felt sorry for him.
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HusbandAndHusband said:
It was very sad.
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vinnieh said:
Poor Twisty.
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HusbandAndHusband said:
Poor Twisty indeed
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vinnieh said:
He was a misunderstood character. And with regards to Dandy being almost constantly nude, you can imagine Finn Wittrock reaching for the script and being like “Oh I’m naked again”.
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HusbandAndHusband said:
lol probably
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vinnieh said:
It must have been a nightmare having to constantly stay in shape.
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Hypersonic55 said:
Cool review man, very well-written as always and detailed. I have heard similar thoughts on Freak Show as a season of AHS from many other fans and reviewers online and to me I didn’t understand it, however, I was looking at it from the perspective of a newcomer. Freak Show was my introduction to this series, and it was pretty much by accident, but after watching a good few episodes I actually started getting into it and while not every episode was super captivating, I did enjoy the series as a whole. I will say that some of the episodes dragged, decisions made with some of the key characters I didn’t agree with and some of the visual stuff that went on in this show was SO weird and funky, it made me uncomfortable on a few occasions.
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vinnieh said:
I’m hoping that the new season Hotel kicks things up a gear.
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simondaniel27 said:
Found myself not caring and eventually stopped watching until it was over. Just watched the last episode.
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vinnieh said:
I can see why, it was a generally weak season.
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gruadacreations said:
I absolutely love the American Horror Story Series. You have some great reviews here. I will be expecting season 5 Hotel Cortez right?
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vinnieh said:
Yes I will review that. I did watch it when it aired but was too busy to right about it. That will be rectified shortly.
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gruadacreations said:
Awesome! It was a great show. Can’t wait to see the next one.
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vinnieh said:
I enjoyed Hotel. At the moment, I’m taping the new series and plan to watch them all over a weekend.
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