American Horror Story is one of the scariest and most popular horror programs on television, but its fourth season, Freak Show, led to some very real controversy regarding the painted face jesters they lampooned.
Ryan Murphy has found major success with his bloody, controversial American Horror Story series. Each season of American Horror Story turns to another subset of horror for inspiration, which has allowed the anthology series to get experimental and ambitious with the ways that it scares its audience. In addition to the many frights and terrifying villains that American Horror Story has created, it also knows how to assemble a sensational cast of talented performers that truly disappear. Whether it’s the extreme storytelling or the outrageous characters, American Horror Story knows how to entertain its fans.
One of American Horror Story’s most memorable seasons is its celebration of the absurd with AHS: Freak Show. The season took the show and its cast to the bowels of freak culture and was able to tell a touching story about the power of community. The message in American Horror Story: Freak Show is strong, but the season is often remembered for the incredible make-up effects and unbelievable characters. Sarah Paulson plays a character with two heads. Evan Peters is a lobster boy. Kathy Bates is a bearded lady. Jessica Lange also gives one of her best performances in the series as the ringleader of this circus, Elsa Mars. However, one of the biggest presences in AHS: Freak Show is the murderous clown, Twisty.
Freak Show’s Twisty The Clown Prompted Backlash From Clown Communities
John Carroll Lynch’s Twisty the Clown, appearance wise, is like if IT’s Pennywise had a lovechild with John Wayne Gacy. Twisty’s look and crazed attitude is a lot to take in, which is likely why it caused such an adverse reaction from the group, Clowns of America International. Clowns of America takes offense to the way that American Horror Story sensationalizes clowns and contributes to the public’s growing coulrophobia (the fear of clowns). Clowns of America International already face an uphill battle and Murphy’s show hasn’t made their lives any easier. In spite of Twisty’s frightening appearance, the most tragic thing about this misguided character is that he has the best of intentions. Even though Twisty does seem to genuinely want to help children in his own menacing way, that didn’t seem to be enough to warm the hearts of the real clowns that were watching.
Even though Twisty the Clown ruffled feathers with some audience members, it didn’t stop Ryan Murphy from bringing the character back for other seasons. American Horror Story’s seventh season, Cult, turned Twisty into a pop culture icon with his own pulp comic series. AHS: Cult actually involves quite a bit of clown imagery and is easily American Horror Story’s most grounded season, yet the clowns of the world didn’t seem to take offense to AHS: Cult’s events. John Carroll Lynch continues to be a major player in the American Horror Story universe and as the show’s seasons become more connected, it’s not impossible for Twisty the Clown and his horrible bag of tricks to return.
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