It is that time of year again. Yes, we all love pumpkin-spiced everything, the leaves falling off the trees and those cool, crisp days of fall. But I have been counting down the days to watch scary movies and a particularly scary TV series. October does not just bring us Halloween; it brings us “American Horror Story.”

If you are not familiar with the “American Horror Story” series, you should be. Every season features the same cast members, with a few exceptions, but has a different horror theme. With its fourth season premiering tomorrow night, this year’s 13-episode season is titled, “American Horror Story: Freak Show.” Expect some scary faces, and yes, that includes a killer clown.

Jessica Lange leads the cast of the show, every season, with this one rumored to be her last. Her stunning performance in last season’s “American Horror Story: Coven,” won her an Emmy. Joining her in the cast are Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Evan Peters, Emma Roberts and Michael Chiklis, among many others. Among those many others is the world’s smallest woman, Jyoti Amge.

“American Horror Story: Freak Show,” will be set in Jupiter, Florida, in 1952 and centers around one of the few remaining freak shows. With its members desperate to keep the show in business, it is expected that the characters will be at his and her freakiest. Jessica Lange plays ringleader Elsa Mars, with Kathy Bates as her right-hand lady (bearded lady, that is). Angela Bassett will play a woman with three breasts and Michael Chiklis is playing “the strong man.” The biggest surprise of the cast’s roles, however, is Sarah Paulson’s character, who will have two heads. I, for one, cannot wait to see how Paulson has pulled off such a heavy role.

In the past three seasons, many different roads have been taken as far as themes. The first “American Horror Story,” focused on a haunted house, complete with ghosts, illusions and an eerie backstory. This season set the creepy tone for what was to come in future seasons. However, Season 2’s “American Horror Story: Asylum” had a much darker, cynical nature. This season featured one creepy insane asylum, with nuns, a deranged Nazi doctor and a killer who skinned his victims.

Season 3 had its dark elements, but had a lighter, more humorous tone to it. “American Horror Story: Coven” took place in New Orleans and focused on witches Marie Laveau (The Queen of Voodoo) and Marie Delphine LaLaurie, a 19th century socialite who murdered and tortured slaves.
As you can imagine, this show is not for the faint-hearted and can be pretty gruesome. Each season is rated MA for mature audiences and has featured haunting sequences of death and gore in each theme, but “Freak Show” is expected to take scares to a whole other level.

Producer Ryan Murphy, has announced that this upcoming season is to be the scariest of them all. He has shared that crew members have had nightmares since shooting scenes with the killer, “Twisty the Clown.”

“Two crew members told me they have had nightmares about this clown since we started shooting — and they’re not even afraid of clowns,” Murphy said. “I think he’s pretty extraordinary because, when you see why he’s a clown and why he’s wearing the mask…just you wait.”

It is because of this curiosity, intensity and the many twists throughout each season that fans, including myself, count down the days until we can indulge in another season of unexpected horror.
“American Horror Story: Freak Show” premieres Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 10 p.m. on FX. If you are looking for that perfect TV show to obsess with over the next few months, you don’t want to miss out on this one.

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