Freak Show: The Circus is in Town

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Sean Koepfinger, Lifestyles Reporter

­­­ The latest installment in the “American Horror Story” anthology, “Freak Show,” made its premiere this Wednesday, and it sure was freaky. Right off the bat we’re introduced to long time AHS star Sarah Paulson’s new character, or characters rather. Paulson plays two-headed conjoined twins, Bette and Dot Tattler, and they are a real show-stealer.

Paulson’s acting ability is truly incredible, giving us two competing personalities. Bette is a dreamer and more emotional than Dot, who is, conversely, pessimistic and cautious. The dynamic between the two characters is enthralling on its own, but Bette and Dot are only two of the “freaks” that we were introduced to.

Evan Peters also returns to AHS once again, and thankfully has a speaking-role this season as Jimmy Darling the “Lobster Boy,” who suffers from severe syndacty­­ly (the fusion of two or more digits together.) Jimmy’s short fuse and defense of his fellow “freaks” make him a lovable character, but will undoubtedly cause trouble for him and the other performers in the future, as he’s already killed a police officer while protecting his family.

As the newest members of the freak-show family, Bette and Dot are arguably the protagonists of the series, but the series’ major antagonist is equally as captivating. The mysterious and deranged Twisty the Clown serves as this season’s main villain, and he is simply terrifying. Only one episode in, Twisty is already racking up an impressive kill count, plus a bonus of two kidnapped victims. If you found Stephen King’s “It” scary, then consider Twisty the scarier older brother of Pennywise. His silent stalking and permanent, horrifying smile coupled with his brutal slaughtering and tormenting make for some serious nightmare-fuel in what is arguably AHS’s most terrifying villain yet.

The only thing more frightening than Twisty is Jessica Lange’s atrocious German accent. While Lange is an amazing actress and has given us some amazing characters on AHS in the past, her portrayal of ringleader and wannabe star, Elsa Mars, is dampened by an indiscernible accent that comes and goes. There are just some actors and actresses who simply cannot pull off believable accents.

So we’ve got creepy carnies, killer clowns, and a cop’s corpse. Seems like a solid start to what’s shaping up to be the most enthralling season of “American Horror Story” to date. Let’s just hope we get more Twisty and less of the awful German accent.

Did you catch the season premiere? Let me know what you thought of it below.