Get Ready For Serious Nightmares, Freaks

For those of you who watch the ridiculous, psychotic, yet outrageously fun American Horror Story series, or for those of you who have watched the promos and don't deem yourself ready to get nightmares on a regular basis, one thing is very clear. AHS is terrifying, and AHS: Freak Show is bound to be crazy scary too, what with that Killer Clown running about.

Remember Bloody Face from American Horror Story: Asylum? Remember the crazy baby monster demon from American Horrory Story: Murder House (aka Season 1)? Yeah, these are not things that can easily erased from your thoughts. Asylum made me more afraid of surgery than ever before. What if I get a former Nazi scientist as my doctor? (Anything can happen, people!) So obviously when promos and main titles for American Horror Story: Freak Show started showing two women sharing the same face, kids getting abducted under tents and, of course, a crazy killer clown with the most nightmarish smile ever, I started to wonder: Will this be the scariest American Horror Story season yet? And what exactly will make us so afraid?

Well seeing as I don't have super powers and don't work for Ryan Murphy (a girl can dream through), I can't exactly spill any scary details. But thanks in large part to Murphy bragging that the big killer of American Horror Story: Freak Show will be the "most terrifying clown of all time," we know it's getting real up in Season 4. And "scary" coming from him is actually very, very terrifying. But what, exactly, will be haunting our dreams?

Let's start with the main event. Twisty the Clown is the killer Ryan Murphy has been bragging about for a few weeks now. Murphy said in an interview with Buzzfeed that the inspiration for Twisty the Clown did in fact come from another psycho clown that has haunted children and adults for decades: Pennywise from Stephen King's It. That alone would be frightening enough, but there's an added element to Twisty that makes him hit a little harder: Unlike It's psychological warfare, Twisty is a flesh and blood killer.

Apparently, Twisty is retired and living in Jupiter, Florida, where Freak Show is set. When Elsa and her freaks arrive, it disrupts his killing and he sets out to ruin their lives, probably literally. Murphy told Entertainment Weekly that Twisty wears a mask on the lower part of his face and there's good reason for it. "There comes a point in the season where takes the mask off and when you see what’s under you will faint in terror,” he says. If that doesn't have you shaking in your boots, then you are clearly Superman and I applaud you.

Gathering a few spoilers from around the internet, I've found that Buzzfeed teases a scary sex tape and a frightening picnic. We've seen some pretty gratuitous scenes in American Horror Story's past but a scary sex tape could take the cake and while the picnic seems harmless, let's not forget the infamous Zodiac Killer murdered people in not so scary settings, like the park during the day. Plus according to TVLine, it also looks like Finn Wittrock's spoiled rich kid character Dandy Mott might be more bizarre than he lets on. And if musicals freak you out, Murphy has thrown in yet another musical number into Freak Show according to EW, this time it's to the tune of a David Bowie song.

Whatever happens this season on American Horror Story: Freak Show, it's safe to assume one thing: Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk aren't messing around when it comes to manifesting the Horror in AHS. Every season, we've seen some horrifying moments and every season we come back for more. They know what they're doing. Bring on the killer clowns, monsters, freaks, and anything else you've got. We're ready and waiting.

Images: Michele K. Short/FX