American Horror Story – The Last Season Full Of Phobias And Manipulation

For those who have not yet heard of it, American Horror Story is an American series made by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. It is a series that does not follow previous seasons. It’s always a whole new standalone story, and not many references are made to previous seasons.

However, it is true that there are not so many changes in the main cast, especially until the fifth season. The actors are more or less the same and play different roles from one season to the next.

American Horror Story gives the viewer some freedom, and they can choose the order in which they watch the seasons. They can even skip one if they do not find it very interesting. But the most loyal fans look at the whole series. They like to follow it year after year and discover all the little connections that exist in the different seasons.

American Horror Story, a place between reality and fiction

As the name suggests, American Horror Story uses real and fictional stories from American popular culture and turns them into stories full of terror. So far, they have worked with many cultural and historical references such as:

• The world of cinema: The fourth season is called Freak Show with reference to the film Freaks (1932).
• Popular American folklore with characters such as Piggy Man, which appears in Murder House and in Roanoke.
• Ancient legends like the ancient lost colony of Roanoke.
• Known crimes, such as the black dahlia, a crime that is still unsolved and has inspired many movies, series, etc.
• Serial killers like Aileen Wournos , John Wayne Gacy or Zodiac Killer.

This year we are experiencing a very different season, with a completely different cast. However, two veterans are still involved – Evan Peters and Sarah Paulson.

American Horror Story – The Cult

AHS has made us witness supernatural events, souls seeking revenge, haunted houses, etc. But this seventh season has not included anything paranormal. It is clear that Sister Jude (Jessica Lange in Asylum) was not mistaken when she uttered the famous quote “all monsters are human”.

This season we are witnessing the degradation of humanity, at its most frightening. It all starts in a charged atmosphere, set on the day of the last US election, which saw Trump emerge victorious and become president. As it turns out, politics will be one of the main themes of the season.

We have been warned that we are facing a completely different season. This is the second time the series has been “re-tuned”. The first time was with Freak Show, another season where the paranormal was not so relevant. The trailers are very strange as we see references to trypophobia (the fear of small hole clusters), clowns and Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump masks.

The dangers of fear and manipulation

This is a controversial season, which has received a lot of criticism. However, it is also one of the most reflective, where media manipulation is in the spotlight. In addition, it seems to be trying to show us how our society in some ways resembles a circus with the clowns.

Our fears and phobias sometimes become our worst enemy. We see this clearly in Ally’s character (Sarah Paulson). The series begins by focusing on her phobias, trypophobia and coulrophobia (fear of clowns) and how they affect her daily life, her partner and his son. But nothing is what it seems in American Horror Story. As always, there is controversy in history, and it takes a completely unexpected turn.

The character of Kai Anderson (Evan Peters) is at the center of the action. At first we see him as a very intelligent young man, with a great capacity for manipulation. He has very radical political ideas that make him create a kind of sect or cult. Little by little , we discover how this character uses the fear and insecurity of other people to achieve their goals.

Character development

We are witnessing an incredible development in the characters. Each of them experiences many changes as the series progresses. Of these, Kai and Ally’s stories stand out in particular. While one regains his sanity, the other seems to lose it. When one is vulnerable, the other is strong.

AHS: Cult clearly shows the danger of sects and their leader’s influence. It represents their personalities very well, and shows how the most insecure and vulnerable people are their favorite victims.

The members of the sect are not called by their real names, but by nicknames. In this way, Kai strips his followers of their own identity.

Everything can take an unexpected turn at any time. Any character, depending on the circumstances, can suddenly become more vulnerable. They are later subjected to manipulation that is very difficult to escape.

To build a leader

The cult themes have constant allusions to other well-known cult leaders. They include some of the most notorious suicide pact in history. Jim Jones and his ” drinking the Kool-Aid “ episode are in, as are Marshall Applewhite and his Heaven’s Gate sect and David Koresh , leader of the Davidians…

Of all the themes, Charles Manson, known for his sect “The Family”, stands out. He staged one of the most notorious killings in history. We’re talking about the murder of Sharon Tate , the wife of director Roman Polanski , who was also pregnant. The series recreates the murder and leaves the viewer speechless.

Kai is the narrator of the stories of these famous leaders, and it is Evan Peters himself who is responsible for interpreting them. Kai sees these people as some of history’s greatest men and full of good ideas. He idealizes and tries to imitate them, but is also very critical and analyzes the causes of their mistakes. Throughout the series, he tries to create a better image of all these leaders. He is inspired by them, but he tries to improve and perfect them.

Looking back

Kai’s thoughts are inspired by the leader’s life, but also by his own experience. In retrospect, we relive critical moments in Kai’s life. We are led to think that, perhaps, behind this narcissistic personality, there is a person who has suffered and who was also a victim. This thought immediately makes us reflect. Each of us chooses how we face adversity. We all choose how to face our fears and overcome them. In American Horror Story: Cult, Kai becomes a very narcissistic misogynist and treats the women in the cult as totally inferior.

This male-female rivalry reaches its highest point, and we suddenly see a world that is antagonistic to misogyny. In this world, we see the story of Valerie Solanas and her SCUM Manifesto, along with her attempt to kill Andy Warhol. There is no shortage of violence, as has always been the case, but we have a completely different perspective. We see the worst of humanity to make us reflect on the manipulation we live with daily in the hands of the media and today’s political systems. Especially the American.