In its first three years, FX’s American Horror Story has become something of a Halloween institution, beginning with the show’s cavalcade of elegantly disturbing promos and posters that turn late summer thoughts to all the delightfully dark things that October has in store. With the first official extended trailer released today, Season 4 of American Horror Story is making every effort to continue the tradition.

Although AHS is known for the show’s plot ups and downs nearly as much as its deliciously spooky imagery, showrunner Ryan Murphy has called this season “quite terrifyingly dark” and I’m intrigued by its sideshow theme:

“American Horror Story: Freak Show begins its tale in the quiet, sleepy hamlet of Jupiter, Florida. The year is 1952. A troupe of curiosities has just arrived to town, coinciding with the strange emergence of a dark entity that savagely threatens the lives of townsfolk and freaks alike. This is the story of the performers and their desperate journey of survival amidst the dying world of the American carny experience.”

As usual, the first extended trailer has been preceded by a number of 10-second teaser spots, some of which were exceptionally creepy.

Did we mention that this season includes some kind of terrifying killer clown?

You can check out the first two teasers, Lick and Admit One, over on AHSFansite. American Horror Story: Freak Show premiers Wednesday, October 8 at 10 PM and will feature returning stars Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Evan Peters, Francis Conroy, Emma Roberts, Denis O’Hare and Gabourey Sidibe.

Related Posts:

– Come, Come into my Coven: American Horror Story Season 3

– Silent Sundays: Freaks (1932)

– Paradise Found: Creepy Clown Photographs by Erwin Olaf

Categories: Trailers

Tags: AHS, American Horror Story, circus, clowns, Freaks, halloween, horror, scary clown, trailers, tv, TV shows