In case you needed to feel 90 years old today, the internet is providing a little reminder even your grinding knees can’t match. That offensive reminder came in the form of American Horror Story fans, who are celebrating the ten year anniversary of one of the show’s best seasons.
That’s right, its worse than you thought. AHS did not celebrate a decade on the air in early October 2024, Freak Show, the fourth season, did. American Horror Story is actually 13 years old now, right on the precipice of being a whole high schooler.
While half of us reel from the slap in the face that is that revelation, the remainder of AHS fans are taking to social media to discuss what many of them consider the show’s supreme season. Rotten Tomatoes wouldn’t agree — season 4 is middle of the road on the review site — but fans are still haunted by the events of the P. T. Barnum-themed season.
Freak Show, like other seasons of the Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk-created series, follows a spate of familiar cast members — prominently featured are Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Frances Conroy, and Jessica Lange — this time as they work to save among the last surviving “freak shows” in the United States. Plenty of horror elements (including a killer clown) eventually rear their heads, and mayhem, murder, and at least one horrific and unforgettable body horror moment ensured the season was seared into viewer memories for years to come.
As a whole, American Horror Story has enjoyed a surprisingly successful run, particularly considering its unique approach. The series features an ensemble cast of frequently returning stars, who are injected into fresh horror scenarios, taking on brand new characters, each season. For 12 seasons and counting, its resulted in persistently popular and perpetually disturbing releases, and a fanbase that’s stuck it out for nearly a decade and a half of gristly content.
Despite some middling storylines, there’s not a season of American Horror Story that is distinctly unpopular. The least popular of the bunch is season 5, Hotel, which sports a still-reasonable 64% Tomatometer score. The vast majority of the show’s other seasons — including Freak Show — fall comfortably in the 70s, and the most popular season by far is fittingly the slasher-themed 1984, which boasts a nice cozy 88% score on the Tomatometer.
Freak Show may not have the approval of critics, but it certainly has the approval of fans, who took to X to share their persisting admiration for the season on its tenth anniversary. Some would even place it among the “top 3 best seasons” of AHS, with one fan boldly proclaiming it “the last good season of AHS.”
With fan descriptions dubbing Freak Show as everything from “iconic” to an “endless parade of nightmarish delights,” its clear that the season still has legs 10 years on. Its certainly memorable — I’m not sure I’ll ever forget the Clown’s unmasking or Elsa Mars’ gristly backstory — and if its still earning praise a decade past release, you know its worth a watch. But be wary — AHS has never shied away from the brutal, the gory, or the straight-up disgusting.
Published: Oct 8, 2024 03:48 pm