Freaks and Freakishness as an Element of Horror. The Example of "American Horror Story: Freak Show" (PDF)

Seminar paper from the year 2022 in the subject Film Science, grade: 1,3, University of Cologne (Department of English), course: Thinking (about) the Human. Meanings, Tensions, and Contradictions in U.S. History, language: English, abstract: Looking at movies like "Freaks" or "American Horror Show", the question is how this concept can be understood in the context of 'freaks' and 'freakishness', whether it is sorely related to physical deformity, how this concept is expressed culturally, what "horror" is and how it works. Above all, there is the question of how 'freaks' and 'freakishness' are associated with horror. How they are supposed to generate fear in the viewer, and how this could be concretely illustrated by an example.

The series "American Horror Show: Freak Show" and the episode "Rosa Cubcakes" are approached from the perspective of these questions. In order to find basic answers to these questions, the first part of this work roughly deals with 'freaks' in American history and culture, terms are explained and the understanding of freaks and their representation in films is discussed. This is followed by a reference to monsters and their connection to the horror genre, which is outlined in its early development in America. In order to understand the effect of horror in films better, basic, typical film techniques of the horror genre are discussed. In the second part a short introduction of the series follows and then the analysis of the episode Rosa Cupcakes where the focus lies on the representation of 'freaks' and 'freakishness' with their connection to horror. Finally, the insights gained are related to the questions mentioned at the beginning and put into the overall context.