One of my favorite Halloween binge-watches is “FREAKSHOW,” the fourth season of FX’s “American Horror Story,” which is set in the real-life town of Jupiter… right here in wonderfully weird State of Florida!
The plot centers around Elsa Mars, an aging but ambitious German ringleader and her motley crew of freaks, who struggle to find both an audience and acceptance in their straightlaced 1950’s backwater town.
Although Jupiter itself was not actually one of them, Florida did in fact have several circus towns. Some of their notable residents served as inspiration for the show’s characters—which, of course, we have explored in previous posts.
Unfortunately, the show is not an entirely authentic Florida experience as it was shot in the bayous of Louisana rather than the swamps and scrub of our beloved Sunshine State.
This is most obvious when a couple is brutally attacked by a maniacal clown on the banks of “Lake Okeechobee…” which looks little more than a mucky brown pond instead of the vast, almost oceanic expanse we know and love so well!
However, true Floridians will appreciate several other nods to our history and culture—apparently, the REAL caramel popcorn comes from St. Petersburg, and even my dear sweet little Homestead was mentioned as the only place to procure proper squash!
And of course, my favorite line delivered in this series, uttered with steely-eyed sizzle by the mesmerizing Jessica Lange as Elsa Mars when confronted about the sudden disappearance of conjoined twins, Bette and Dotte:
“I put them on a bus to Tampa. Although for me, death would be preferable to Tampa.”
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(Sorry, Tampa readers! This may also have been an in-joke as actress Sarah Paulson , who plays Bette and Dot, is from Tampa herself!)
Did you watch this season of AHS? Did you catch any other funny references to our State that I missed? Do you think they did a good job representing what makes us weird, wild, and wonderful—or could they have added a little more Floridiana to make to give it a more authentic feel?
For what it’s worth, “Freakshow” gets the Florida Folk History stamp of approval!
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