"Carnival of Terrors" is the first episode of American Horror Story: Freak Show and serves as the premiere of the series fourth season. It first premiered on June 23rd, 2014.
| Season 4, Episode 1 | |
| Air date | June 23, 2014 |
| Written by |
Tim Minear |
| Directed by | Douglas Petrie |
| Episode Guide | |
|---|---|
| Previous The Seven Wonders |
Next Hands-On |
Synopsis[]
A down on her luck gymnast Colleen Walters joins the local travelling Freak Show, The Fenner Bros Cirque after the bizarre murders of three snoops in the closing year of 1957. In present 2014 a prostitute Cheryl Landers is found gruesomely murdered near the site of the Cirque De Moleil opening up on the grounds to which the Fenner Bros Cirque took it's famous last stand in 1959, following the grim discovery of Miss Landers remains six rambunctious college youths attending the Cirque De Moleil vanish.
Plot[]
1957[]
Matilda Jenkins, Avery Whitmore and Carlos Guane Jr. attend the in town infamous travelling freak show, the Fenner Bros Cirque and under the acting curiosity of Carlos venture away from the main circus grounds out to the private cabin quarters of the circus entertainers.
There they discover a collection of corpses and strange acts of mulitation being performed as instructed by head entertainer Madame Ludwiga Brunhilde.
The trio's sneaking around does not undetected and they are happened upon by none other than Madame Brunhilde herself who then in turn after learning of the three's snooping and through hynopsis intention to divolge the secrets behind their top acts summons a horrific dead jester designated as The Sin Marker to execute the three young adults.
First Avery who in turn tries to protect his unrequieted crush Matilda by shielding her from the ominous pursuing undead jester.
Avery has an axe spiralled into his back and despite Matilda's usherings to return and help Avery the Jester comes and finishes Avery by brutally ripping the axe from his back and then plunging it's right hand into his back and yanking out his spine and skull.
Carlos and Matilda rush away into the woods surrounding the Big Top and just as they come to the crowds of people exiting after the end performance they are tackled by the Fire Breather, Metal Man and Boneless Woman entertainers who bring them to a clearing in the woods.
There overseeing a shallow river bed of rocks Carlos is killed whilst fighting off the others to buy time for Matilda to escape whilst sobbingly apologising for everything.
The Jester proceeds to punch it's right 'death hand' into his back and then snap his head to the left side from the right.
Matilda covered in mud, blood, grime and sweat rushes out to the small river and begins to toggle her way down stream before collapsing amongst the rocks.
She sways away with the stream believably to safety sighing with relief as tears stream onward after her ordeal.
Eventually Matilda comes to a stop against a river log near an enbankement and as she prepares to holster up and make her way to safety the Jester leaps down before her and with the death hand punches down into mouth as Matilda lets out a final horrified scream.
2014[]
In present day Coney Island, New York at the site where the Cirque Fenner once stood comes the set up for a modern day freak show circus/large travelling carnival set up Cirque De Moleil.
We are introduced to the Grady Twins Robert and Andy and Robert's fiance Marilda Evanescne who under blind head entertainer Federico Moleil are setting up his modern freak show spectacular for the world.
Marilda is revealed as having an affair with Andy and plans to run away with him to Kyoto where they will be set up with her Japanese, former college roommate Yuki Sayimati.
Marilda however begins to see a bizarre emotionless clown foreign to their circus all over the grounds and reports her sightings to belly dancing performer friend Casadia Georgette, ring leader Moleil and both Robert and Andy.
Andy after finishing with his work on the carnival set up that afternoon comes to gather the stowed away cash from his secret on the side job as a vetenarian aid.
Marilda searches for her mystery clown and Andy then proceeds out the surrounding woods of the grounds having spotted a bloodied man stumbling around.
Andy then begins walking his way back after seeing the bloodied man revealed as Carlos Guane Jr. from 1957 in a disfigured state (sporting a stretched out face and skin) whom is attempting to tell him something but is muttering sentences at an alarming, fast and frightening outset.
Andy turning around comes face to face with the clown to which Marilda had been seeing all over the grounds.
Andy's body is later discovered by Casadia, Janet Van Dymer the Moleil freak show singer and Empress Evans a contortionist/former stripper.
Andy's body is found to be wilted down and in a mummified like state as and is seen as possessing no eyes and tongue.
Engraved on all surrounding trees in the clearing where Andy's body is found in blood is the messages of Evil and See No Evil.
Moleil hears of what has happened and discards the story of Andy's demise as upon coming to the clearing after being informed of the murder he finds no wilted corpse and makes the trio of girls to not mention their little story to either Robert or Marilda.
1957[]
Down on her luck gymnast Colleen Walters who recovering the physical, emotional and sexual abuse she was dealt by munchausen suffering manic mother leaves her New Mexico home and comes to Coney Island where after meeting a handsome acrobat Thomas Wainier whom she follows along to the Cirque Fenner signs down as a performing act, substituting for a missing acrobat Samantha Interio.
Colleen is assigned her own cabin but finds the morning after's wonderful big blowout performance ( alongside new found friend and colleague Thomas) interrupted by a persistant Detective Gates and his partner Price who have come to question the entertainers on the the murder of Matilda Jenkins, Avery Whitmore and Carlos Guane Jr.
Samantha Interio is then seen with a lit match screaming down in the dark as something is coming towards her.
2014[]
Prostitute Cheryl Landers makes her way to Cirque Moleil with a letter for Marilda when she suddenly strikes a flat.
She is eventually picked up by a kind towman who takes her and the immobile vehice away.
He then begings to blood suddenly pour from his face as their deep personal conversation turns sour when mentioning the towman Burt Saunders parents.
The blood is revealed as his own which occurs under severe stress as his orifices pull out and rage pours in.
He then plays a game of riddles for Cheryl's life as he has locked the door.
Cheryl succeeds at answering all riddles though sustains a stab wound to the chest anyway from a ceremonial knife.
Cheryl then fights back and rips forth the bloody face mask of Burt's revealing a deformed man beneath.
Cheryl kicks free off the truck which loses control and crashes along with her immobile chevy.
Cheryl makes her way down to wreckage and using Burt's tyres fashions spares forself and begins to start up her car.
As she does however she turns as on her mobile dials 911 coming to face the Jester with no eyes who with it's death hand slashes Cheryl's throat leaving her to bleed out to death on the bonnet of her car.
A jeep full of rambunctious young youths that had passed the stranded Cheryl from before is then shown arriving at the Cirque De Moleil.
The group is led by cautious academic pre-med Ariana Dauntry and her Varsity boyfriend Newell Phillips whom are approached by many 'freaks' of the Cirque De Moleil whom Ariana notices share an uncanny resemblance to the freaks of the 1950's Cirque Fenner.
The group comes to board a ride known as the 'Carnival of Terrors' which derails whilst descending deep into the labyrinths below.
The episode ends as the group awaken severely injured from the ride derailment and upon getting to their feet and assembling hear strange rustling noises and then prankster of the group Ryder Fowles has the back to the front of his throat slashes through with a ceremonial blade by an ordinary looking carnival clown, which as Ariana screams opens it's mouth to do so revealing a severed tongue.
Featured Character/(s)[]
Matilda Jenkins[]
Matilda Jenkins is the lifelong friend of Avery Whitmore and Carlos Guane Jr. whom in 1957 attends the recently arrived Coney Island Freakshow Cirque Fenner.
She had been roped into attending by friend Carlos Guane Jr. whom like Avery she viewed as a brother she never had.
Matilda hailed from a family with a physically and sexually abusive dad and drunken mother.
Matilda has two older sisters, one Marie-Jeanine Jenkins (whom like her and her eldest sister Julie was sexually abused their father Hank) whom proceeded to hang herself.
Her mother's name was Janet and Matilda had a strong resentment against her eldest sister Julie for running out and leaving her and Marie behind with their horrible parents.
Matilda had planned in 1955 for her and Marie to move in with Avery and Carlos whom were always planned runaways to be fuelled on Avery's inheritance money and Carlos' stolen mechanic job money.
Matilda however by the time she had returned to the house to collect her sister with Avery and Carlos discovered her sister's hanging corpse.
Carlos had then after that proceeded to return to the Jenkins residence and brutally smash in Hank Jenkins' face in a hot kitchen iron before chasing mother Janet Jenkins around the house and raping her on the house stairwell before repeatedly slashing at her upper torso and face with a ceremonial blade, confiscated from his mother Frederica.
Matilda learnt in her and Carlos' last moments before dying at the hands of the 'Sin Marker' that he had been the one to murder her parents and mostly not on her and her sister Marie's behalf but rather on behalf of himself as his father Antonio had been a physically and sexually abusive drunk whilst his mother Frederica remained a catatonic negligent parent in his ordeals.
Matilda's disfigured corpse was found not far from the strewn out bodies of Avery Whitmore and Carlos Guane Jr. in the Market Ground Hodge River where her body had washed up against a large tree log with her red robe having been caught on the log.
The red robe Matilda had been wearing the night of her murder in 1957 was the red robe made for her by Marie on April 17th, 1955 only months before her sister's tragic suicide.
Matilda's funeral was held the same day as Avery Whitmore and Carlos Guane Jr.'s at Hodge Creek Cemetary, Matilda's grave being next to Avery Whitmore's and right beside her sister Marie's.
Matilda had been shown to be a compassionate, beautiful brunette like her sister Marie with a taste for the theatrical, theatres and circuses which prompted her interest in the Cirque Fenner something her sisters and her had always wanted to go to, but due to a case of Marie coming down with Chlamydia from their father in 1953, the only other year the travelling freakshow of Cirque Fenner had been stationed at the Market Ground in Coney Island.
Matilda was murdered like Avery and Carlos for discovering the secret behind the freaks of Cirque Fenner's Freakshow which is abduction, captivity, torture and mutilation was the cause for all the entertainer's abnormalities despite the ringleader Madame Ludwiga Brunhilde and new addition Colleen Walters.
Avery Whitmore[]
The son of a prestigious Coney Island Banker Richard Whitmore who had single handledly raised Avery and his sister Florence. Richard's boss Roger McCorman had murdered his father before his eyes and he had been left with his inheritance and the inability to prove McCorman guilty for his father's murder.
Avery had met Matilda Jenkins in childhood as his mother Nora who had passed away due to terminal cancer.