On October 8th, the new season of American Horror Story will premiere. This season takes place in a circus freak show in the 1950's in Jupiter, Florida. Just so everyone knows, there is very little that is freaky or scary about Jupiter, Florida. In fact, its probably one of the most normal places in the state, and thats saying something. However, Gibsonton, Florida has been home to sideshow performers and some of the more famous circus freaks, including the Lobster Boy and Percilla the Monkey Girl. Popular from the 1800s until the 1960s, sideshow attractions were an important piece of the circus, drawing in viewers to gawk at human deformities, body modifications and people who eat sharp, pointy things. From what we've been able to piece together from advertisements, cast lists and reports, many of the performers that will be seen in the new season of American Horror Story: Freak Show are based on actual people with oddities that made a living off of sideshows. While we understand now that gawking at human deformities is not appropriate, it was a form of entertainment back when. From ectrodactyly to gigantism, the freak show provides plenty of inspiration for a season that follows those on the outskirts of society, with some of their stories being even scarier than fiction.
