Last night featured the premiere episode of this season’s American Horror Story: Cult. For those of you who don’t succumb to the show, AHS is a special kind of horror show because it hits the ‘reset’ button for each season. That is, when the show comes out each year the characters, plot and setting are all new. The only unchanging factors remaining are the fear factor and a handful of beloved actors (such as Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters and Kathy Bates).
Unlike most of my friends, I am not a fan of anything horror related. I’ll choose a comedy at the theater over a scary flick any day, and I go out of my way to avoid trailers that show up on my tv way too often. But there is something about AHS that seems to draw people in. Me? I’m still trying to figure out how Ryan Murphy went from the co-creator of Glee to this twisted, gory show… the transition must have been due to an existential crisis, because the two could not be more different. But the true scary part about this season is its draw from the present.
Many of the past seasons are inspired by some aspect of history. A few of the killers in the show are based off of murderers from the past, such as killer clown John Wayne Gacy and hotel owner H.H. Holmes. This fact alone is enough to instill terror in any viewer—especially those prone to nightmares. This season, however, does not pull its inspiration from events or people who lived in a much older time period. These events strike too close to home for my taste.
Not only did this episode force me to relive memories of our most recent presidential election, it also drew close parallels to our country’s current events. Riled up citizens encouraging racial prejudice and people fearful of an uncertain future are stories that can be found in the news each day. The realization that many of the crude words spoken by some of these characters could have easily been taken straight from a recent interview is horrifying. I did not need this show to give me chills thanks to what I can read in the news each day, but naturally Ryan Murphy provided anyway—in a more dramatic and extreme way, of course.
Along with the frightening comparisons to events that currently plague the U.S., this season is sure to push its boundaries just as much as the seasons that have come before it. Look forward to more Twisty the Clown moments, as well as more fantastic celebrity appearances. This season promises to feature Lena Dunham, Billy Eichner, and Colton Haynes, to name a few.