'AHS' is related to supernatural events, souls seeking revenge, and haunted houses. But this seventh season has not had anything paranormal. It is clear that Sister Jude 'Jessica Lange in Asylum' was not wrong when she said that famous phrase 'all monsters are human'.
In this season, we witness the degradation of humanity, at its most frightening side. Everything begins in a complex atmosphere, just the day of the elections in which Trump came out victorious and became president of the United States. And it is that administration which will be one of the keys of the season.
The dangers of fear and manipulation
It is a controversial season, with many detractors; However, I think it is also one of the most reflective, where media manipulation is put in the spotlight. In addition, we can identify an effort to show how our society resembles a circus of clowns.
Our fears and phobias, sometimes, become our worst enemy, something we see clearly in the character of Ally 'Sarah Paulson'. The series starts by focusing on her phobias 'trypophobia and coulrophobia' and how they affect her daily life, her wife, and her son. But nothing is what it seems in "American Horror Story" and, as always, things can twist and take a totally unexpected course.
The character of Kai Anderson 'Evan Peters' is the center of the action.
At the beginning, we see him as a very intelligent young man, with a great capacity for manipulation and with very radical political ideas, that will lead him to create a kind of sect or Cult. With the pass of the time, we will discover how this character uses the fears and insecurities of others to achieve his goals.
"AHS: Cult" presents the danger of cults and the influence of their leaders, drawing the personality of them and showing how the most insecure and vulnerable are their favorite victims.
Building the leader
This whole cult environment is deeply reinforced by the constant allusions to other well-known leaders of cults. These include promoters of the most numerous collective suicides in history, such as Jim Jones and his 'drinking the Kool-Aid', Marshall Applewhite and his sect Heaven's gate or David Koresh, leader of the Davidians.
Among them, is highlighted Charles Manson, known for his cult 'The Family' and because he organized one of the most famous murders in history. We mean the murder of Sharon Tate, wife of the director Roman Polanski, who was also pregnant. The murder is recreated in the series and leaves the viewer speechless.
Kai will be the narrator of the stories of these well-known leaders, in addition, it is Evan Peters, the one in charge to interpret them. Kai sees in them great men of history, with great ideas, idealizes them and tries to imitate them, but is very critical and analyzes the reasons for their failures. Therefore, try to forge an improved image of all these leaders; he is inspired by them.
There is no lack of violence to which we are used to, but it presents us with a very different perspective. It shows the worst of humanity to make us reflect on the manipulation we live with daily via the media and current political systems, especially the American one.
