‘American Horror Story: Freak Show’ To Be Darker Than Previous Season


With the new season of American Horror Story premiere fast approaching, fans are starting to salivate at the most minor of announcements and speculation to hold them over until then.

Last week, we reported on the possibility that Neil Patrick Harris may play a character in the upcoming season, but this week, we bring you something a bit more concrete. At this year’s summer press tour of the Television Critics Association, FX CEO John Landgraf gave Entertainment Weekly a little info on what to expect from American Horror Story this year, as well as implications of years to come:

“Some years it’s going to be big and bright and brash and campy the way Coven is. Other years it’s going to be dark and brooding—like Asylum was. I guess I would put Freak Show half-way in between the two. It’s not quite as brooding and formal and Hitchcockian as Asylum, it’s got a little bit more humor and a little bit more camp, but its got a brooding period feel to it also.”

American Horror Story is a unique show to be sure; one that has its own self-contained seasons with their own style and tone, and it’s quite daring that they haven’t felt the need to connect them in some way in this world of expanded universes.

American Horror Story: Freak Show will take place in Florida in 1950s, and Landgraf promised this season would “have a really different look from a design and cinematography standpoint than any of the previous incarnations,” leading one to speculate what aspects will be different.

A Twitter post from show creator Ryan Murphy that we wrote about last week shows a black and white photo of the conjoined twins Dot and Bette, and fans wonder if it’s at all indicative of the direction of the cinematography. Perhaps there will be some black and white episodes this season to enhance the dark and brooding side of the season.

It’s no secret that this season of American Horror Story was inspired by the Todd Browning’s 1932 horror flick, Freaks; a film that emphasized the humanity of the so-called freaks in the freak show. This film was originally shot in black and white, so there is a distinct possibility American Horror Story may go either go this route or have scenes of black and white in it. It’s also probable that the themes of inner and outer beauty from the classic film will also be a centerpiece of the season, though there has been no confirmation.

What do you think of this recent development? Will they be toning down the camp this season or is that something you’ve grown to appreciate?

[Image Via American Horror Story trailer]

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