Painful Predictions for Season 7 of 'American Horror Story'
A return to 'Freak Show' outlines a truly horrific potential for Ryan Murphy's next season.
As with the end of every season of American Horror Story, Ryan Murphy arrived, delivered some murder porn, and then left his audience feeling thoroughly unsatisfied, and frankly, a little hungover. After the weird hodgepodge that unfolded in Wednesday’s Roanoke finale, the world needs a bit of a breather. And yet, there’s no end in sight. Let the predictions for season 7 begin.
The season 6 finale of American Horror Story was … interesting. Flora is the only character left standing after Lee offered to take her place among the ghosts. At least, that’s what we were led to believe. The final shot of the season is of the Butcher and her followers marching forward to consecrate the land with the blood of the gathered police officers and EMTs — and, possibly, Flora. Cue screaming. End scene.
On to round seven we go.
“Next year, we will be going back to some Freak Show characters,” Murphy told Entertainment Weekly in October. “Deeper histories and mythologies. So we’re sort of still exploring season 4 in season 7.”
'Round and 'round we go. When we'll stop? Nobody knows. Not even Ryan Murphy, apparently.
In the past few months, Murphy has already outlined plans for at least three more seasons of AHS. One is next season’s “mythology” surrounding the characters from Freak Show, another is the promised Coven-Murder House crossover season, and the third is the magical “secret season” Murphy keeps name dropping. The “secret season” is assumed by some fans to be the one surrounding the mythos of the first Supreme — played by Lady Gaga in My Roanoke Nightmare during Season 6.
As for the upcoming season’s theme — further exploring the lives of Freak Show characters — it has the potential to go horrendously wrong.
Season 4 was, undoubtedly, the most offensive season of American Horror Story yet, using physical disabilities as fear-mongering props that masqueraded behind “historical accuracy.” It was a disaster, both thematically and plot-wise (natch), so returning to any of the stories presented in Freak Show could spell disaster, since AHS isn’t nearly as woke or clever as its showrunner thinks it is.
But maybe Murphy will surprise audiences for once. Maybe American Horror Story will be worthy of the praise Murphy bestowed upon himself and his work in the meta convention scenes in Roanoke’s finale. Maybe, for once, AHS will make sense and treat its outsider characters — and its audience — with respect.
