Meet 'Twisty the Clown' From 'American Horror Story: Freak Show' Plus New Teaser

Screenshot from "Twisted Swinger" teaser
The most prevalent comment I've encountered so far about the upcoming season of "American Horror Story: Freak Show" is "I've loved the show so far but...I hate clowns!" Well, then maybe you should just stop reading here because according to an exclusive over at BuzzFeed, Twisty the Clown is promised to be “the most terrifying clown of all time” and may potentially cause "cardiac arrest." Excellent.

During a visit to the set in New Orleans, show creator, Ryan Murphy, provided some ominous hints at what's in store for the season, right off the bat:

“We said in the writer’s room that if we were going to do clowns, we were going to create the most terrifying clown of all time. That was our goal when we were writing him, but I’m worried about people being too afraid of our clown. It’s heart-stopping what he does. I’m worried. I’m worried that people are going to have cardiac arrests… The clown’s intro in the first episode is … even I was terrified of it. It’s brutal. Two crew members told me they have had nightmares about this clown since we started shooting and they’re not even scared of clowns. 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.”


Lynch, Courtesy IMDB
Twisty is being played by 51-year-old, 6-foot-three actor, John Carroll Lynch ("The Americans," "Crazy, Stupid, Love.") and he also gave his input on his twisted character, “I have a physical presence that has to be dealt with. People are honestly terrified of me. Just standing around in the makeup, not even filming. They’re freaked out.”

Lynch adds, "His actions are horrific, but his motives are really strangely, oddly pure. And that’s what is most human and most disturbing about it. As an actor, I’ve given up judgement of evil, as long as it’s human evil — we have to see ourselves for what we really are, and we’re capable of horrific things. I don’t intend to advocate for the horrific characters, but I hope they reflect humanity at its most vicious because we need to really look at ourselves and see it. Otherwise, we’re deluding ourselves into thinking we’re not capable of it. I know that I’m capable of doing anything that I’ve done as any character I’ve played. I’m grateful I’m not drawn to doing it, so I haven’t done it, but I’m capable.”

So Twisty sounds like a delight, doesn't he? Will you still tune in or will this new series of AHS be too much for your coulrophobic heart to take? Maybe you can take a look at one of the new teasers below and it'll change your mind? Doubtful.

The Freak Show comes to your town on Wednesday, October 8 at 10 p.m. on FX.



-Larissa Mrykalo