The trailer for “American Horror Story: Freak Show” is a bit of a let down. After weeks of vague (but creepy) fifteen-second teasers, FX’s full-length trailer is disappointingly ambiguous. Like the series itself, this trailer is a showcase for fancy editing and good talent, but is ultimately unthrilling and without substance. (For a show called “American Horror Story,” the trailer offers no actual scares, unless you count Kathy Bates’ beard.)
American Horror Story: Freak Show
B-
FX
The trailer offers a cool, voyeuristic peek through segments of the big circus tent. Through the peephole, we get glimpses of most of “Freak Show” ’s main players — the aforementioned bearded Bates, strongman Michael Chiklis, triple-breasted Angela Bassett, promiscuous Evan Peters and finally, Sarah Paulson as a very unconvincing two-headed lady. (Seriously, what is the deal with those shadows on her neck?)
But all is rectified when Queen Supreme Jessica Lange steps from behind the curtain. Ultimately, it ’s Lange’s show, and the trailer rectifies all its flaws in the end by reminding us what makes “American Horror Story” so compelling — the campy glory of seeing Jessica Lange under the big top.