Is anyone else already looking forward to season 4 of "American Horror Story"? I'm totally loving the wacky witch school storyline of "American Horror Story: Coven"—Hermione wouldn't last a day around those wild, sex-crazed students. You also have freaky Franken-Kyle, a voodoo queen, and the jazz-loving Axeman. It's kooky and spooky and totally amazeballs, so how can season 4 of "American Horror Story" possibly top this one? Here are a few horror-themed ideas for next season:
Season 4 of "American Horror Story" could do something completely different by exploring some spooky Native American legends. Native Americans were actually mentioned in "American Horror Story: Murder House"—psychic medium Billie Dean revealed that Native Americans were once haunted by the deceased settlers of the Roanoke Colony. Of course there's the old horror movie trope of haunted houses being built on top of "ancient Indian burial grounds," but I would like to see creatures like skinwalkers, which are Navajo witches who can turn into animals with otherworldly powers. Native Americans also believed in various forms of ghosts and beasts, including Bigfoot-like creatures and the Wendigo, a cannibalistic half-beast. Of course there'd have to be some "Ancient Aliens" stuff thrown in there somewhere.
If you've ever seen the movie "Freaks," then you know that the greatest show on Earth is one of the greatest places to set a horror story. But of course Ryan Murphy's freakshow would have to have a big twist. Instead of just featuring pitiable people born with disfiguring disorders, perhaps it should be run by a mad scientist who makes his own freaks. We've already seen the creation of a Centaur this season, and last season featured the monstrous results of Dr. Arden's experiments. And surely you remember the bloodthirsty Infantata from season one. I'd love to see P.T. Barnum's infamous Fiji mermaid brought to life by way of a twisted experiment.
Surely Ryan Murphy is eventually going to take on these popular supernatural beings. This season we've seen a Hollywood starlet as a witch, so why not turn a vampire into a rock star? Adam Levine could return to play this role. Since "American Horror Story" storylines can take place during different time periods, it might be fun to see him as a glam rock vampire from the '70s (think David Bowie). Murphy does love music, so he'd do an amazing job with the incredible era that also brought us disco and punk.
The setting of "Murder House" was a little like a haunted hotel since so many people were packed into that place, but it could be fun to see "American Horror Story" revisit its ghostly roots with a real haunted hotel. And there are so many great horror movies about spooky hotels to get inspiration from! Murphy could set next season in a sprawling hotel like the one featured in "The Shining," or he could choose a smaller place like the Bates Motel from "Psycho." But obviously his haunted hotel needs some sort of twist. Perhaps it should be run by the devil himself (or herself).
I can't see Ryan Murphy taking on "Jaws" or the Loch Ness Monster, but there are plenty of humanoid creatures from the deep that he could pay homage to. I can definitely picture swamp witch Misty Day creating her own Swamp Thing friend using the leftovers of a human who can't be healed. All she has to do is mix those body parts with a little Louisiana mud and plenty of swamp moss. As mentioned above, Murphy could try to make mermaids frightening, or he could haunt a lake with the ghosts of people who drowned there. Maybe they were all killed by a terrifying humanoid lake monster created by the mad scientist with the circus freaks.
Here I'm thinking along the lines of the cannibalistic killer families in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "The Hills Have Eyes." I can definitely picture Murphy doing something similar, but in a different setting. He could use the myth of the Wendigo mentioned above. Native Americans did believe that people could turn into these monsters by eating the flesh of other human beings. Murphy might also consider doing his own twisted take on "The Munsters." I'd love for him to show us how members of a family become a vampire, a werewolf, and a Frankenstein's monster.
Murphy has already done zombies, but he hasn't brought their bandage-covered cousins back from the dead yet. I can definitely picture "American Horror Story" being set in a spooky museum. However, instead of being haunted by Robin Williams as Teddy Roosevelt at night, it will be visited by someone trying to resurrect a mummy or two. Perhaps Jessica Lange's character will want to conjure up Cleopatra to ask her about her favorite age-defying beauty treatments. Murphy could also sprinkle this idea with a little "Ancient Aliens"/"Stargate."
Some of the ideas above definitely might seem a little cliché to you. However, so far "American Horror Story" has explored nothing but horror clichés with its haunted house, horrific asylum, and school full of witches. Luckily, the show has proved that it's still possible to bring something new to overused horror tropes. So what would you like to see on season 4 of "American Horror Story"?