American Horror Story: Freak Show

"I love my monsters."

"Freak." It's a word often cruelly used to describe those that are considered different. Those that break away from the so-called norms of society in appearance or behavior. And in its own way, 'American Horror Story' has always been a bit of freak itself. A clear outcast among the television landscape never content or comfortable playing by the rules, the series continues to be a macabre oddity with a narrative rhythm and style all its own, infamous for its twisted scares and unconventional plotting. But as strange and unusual as the anthology series remains, the show refuses to take this label as an insult. No, like its characters, the series wears its unique attributes like a badge of honor. A very, very bloody badge of honor. 

For its fourth season, the series turns its attention to a "Freak Show" set up in Jupiter, Florida during the early 1950s. Led by the aging German singer Elsa Mars (Jessica Lange), who desperately craves stardom, the carnival of oddities is home to an eclectic family of performers. But when a murderous clown (John Carrol Lynch), two con-artists, and potential betrayal from within all threaten to disrupt their lives, the unusual troupe will have to band together to fend off outsiders and punish those who wish them harm.

As with previous installments, the filmmakers once again bring back several familiar performers from past seasons, casting them in entirely new roles. Series headliner Jessica Lange is rather perfect (as always) as the narcissistic yet complicated Elsa Mars, and other 'Horror Story' mainstays like Evan Peters, Denis O'Hare, Frances Conroy, Emma Roberts, Angela Basset, and Kathy Bates all turn in memorable performances as well. Likewise, the show wisely adds a few new, talented differently-abled performers like Mat Fraser into the mix, giving the season an added level of authenticity. With that said, special note must really go toward Sarah Paulson. In the dual roles of conjoined twins Bette and Dot, the actress is able to craft two entirely different personalities that manage to play off each other without ever feeling unnatural. 

Of course, she is aided by some fantastic VFX, helping to create a fully believable two-headed woman on screen. The rest of the show's makeup, production designs, sets, and effects work are equally strong, fully bringing the "Freak Show" setting to life with palpable personality and appropriately creepy ambiance. The season's iconic "Twisty" the clown is particularly memorable for his ghastly appearance, joining previous monsters like Rubberman and Bloodyface into the collective nightmares of loyal viewers. Distorted shots, wide angles, and spooky lighting help to draw out some scares with the show's typical bag of tricks, and the filmmakers also throw in some clever split screen POV techniques to evoke the different perspectives of the conjoined twins.

Throughout the thirteen episodes presented, the story chronicles a violent yet ultimately affecting tale about society's outcasts. Thrown away by the rest of the world, the carnival performers find solace in each other (which makes their growing betrayals all the more damning). The writers also play around with the very concept of "freaks" to great effect, showing us men and monsters of all shapes and sizes -- revealing that sometimes the most horrific and evil creatures of all, are the ones that look the most beautiful on the outside. Season highlights include the show's traditional Halloween two-parter and a late season flashback episode that fills in some gaps about how the "Freak Show" was formed, adding some rich layers to the complicated character dynamics.

Unfortunately, though a definite improvement over the previous year's distressingly uneven 'Coven' storyline, 'Freak Show' continues to demonstrate many of the same issues. The overall plot ends up being more cohesive than that messy narrative, but the show still tends to meander, causing certain beats to run in circles. On that note, the characters' motivations fluctuate too much, and by the time the season has ended, it becomes rather hard to feel sympathy for anyone. In some form or another, almost all of the major players are murderers and it's hard to really root for anyone when all they seem to do is kill each other.

Similarly, the show's overwhelming amount of gore can also be a bit much. I'm usually not the squeamish type, and I found the splashes of twisted imagery to be quite effective in 'Murder House' and 'Asylum,' but here the constant carnage really does become rather repetitious and downright gratuitous while rarely coming across as genuinely scary. Between disturbing snuff films and baths full of blood, I started to question why any of it was really necessary. 

Still, as troublesome as certain aspects of the production can be, "Freak Show" does end on a very strong note. In fact, without giving too much away, the season finale might actually be my favorite of the entire series. The final scene is strangely ethereal and surpassingly sentimental and oddly moving and faintly haunting… and just kind of perfect, bringing an unexpectedly emotional conclusion to the story that helped to elevate some of the otherwise uneven material that gets us there.

Proudly celebrating all of the "freakish" qualities that make the series so unique (and occasionally problematic), 'American Horror Story: Freak Show' offers another batch of demented, twisted, gruesome, and sometimes even genuinely affecting horror. Though this new storyline is prone to the show's trademark meandering and the characters are disappointingly inconsistent, the series remains worthwhile and the show's themes dealing with outcasts, stardom, loyalty, family, and acceptance are powerful. While this might be Jessica Lange's final season, her swan song offers a fitting conclusion for her time on the series, leading to a powerful curtain call for her memorable performances. With new connections now revealed between previous seasons, 'American Horror Story' continues to evolve beyond its anthology roots, weaving an increasingly connected universe full of ghosts, monsters, witches, freaks, killer clowns, and pesky red carpet stains. 

The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

20th Century Fox brings 'American Horror Story: Freak Show' to Blu-ray in a 3-disc set packaged in a keepcase with a cardboard slipcover. All thirteen episodes are spread over three BD-50 discs. After some skippable trailers the discs transition to standard menus. The packaging indicates that the release is Region A coded.