The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

A real American horror story?

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DESIGN BY/STEVEN VERDILE

We all know American Horror Story (AHS) is infamous for having explicit, gory and downright bizarre plots. And now, news of their upcoming installment suggests that an even scarier story will be introduced—the 2016 election.

The creator of the FX drama, Ryan Murphy, revealed some small details on an interview earlier last week. When asked about any new things happening for AHS on the Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen interview, he said, “I don’t have a title, but the season that we begin shooting in June is going to be about the election that we just went through. I think that will be interesting for a lot of people.”

Then, Cohen asked probably the most important question, which is whether there will be a Donald Trump character. To this, Murphy candidly replied, “maybe.”

An uproar began on social media shortly after the news spread, as people began to speculate about what exactly the show will focus on and how they will portray the main characters of last year’s tumultuous elections.

Junior Mary Servidad, said she was “excited.”

“I think it’s really ironic and controversial—I’m sure they’ll see a rise in viewers,” Servidad said. “I hope the show is as compelling as the plot suggests.”

Whether you love or hate AHS, there’s no denying this series gives audiences fascinating stories to watch and talk about. Sure, this might be a sly way to boost their ratings, but why be so cynical about the intentions for their upcoming project?

The fact of the matter is that AHS has never been a conservative (pun intended) TV show. It uses current events, history and pop culture to create an elaborate drama that’s never been done before. It pushes the limits every single season.

However, there are some who believe that the series goes a tad too far at times—which might explain the dip in viewership in 2015’s very carnall Hotel season.

Like many fans who are apprehensive about the upcoming AHS season, junior Danny Iannello doesn’t like the newest theme.

“Of course I’m going to watch it, but I feel like they’ll lose a lot of viewers. Or maybe it’ll be good because it’ll get more people talking about it and more people may watch it?” Iannello said. “Overall, I’m not happy that’s the theme but it is the 7th season, maybe they’re running out of ideas.”

While it makes sense that some people are afraid that the show might make matters worse in America—especially between the media and the government—by exaggerating the negative aspects of last year’s elections, it’s clear why AHS would take that risk.

The 2016 elections were in no way a traditional affair, with the campaign trail, as well as the end result, impacting the whole world. Everyone was talking about it, everyone had an opinion.

Therefore, AHS’ new season will be just as controversial and buzzworthy—just the way they like it.

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About the Contributor
Angelica Acevedo, Editor-in-Chief
Angelica Acevedo is a senior journalism major with a minor in history. She has been involved with the Torch since her freshman year, and served as News Editor, Social Media Manager, Opinion Editor and Managing Editor in the past three years. As Editor-in-Chief, she hopes to continue to publish impactful, interesting and important stories that the St. John’s community needs to know. Angelica also hopes to grow the newspaper’s staff and contributors by creating an outreach position that will serve to reach out to students that are interested in practicing journalism and organizing workshops to keep them involved. Moreover, she wants readers to understand the work that journalists do and will advocate for more media literacy during her last year at St. John’s University. Have any questions? Email Angelica at [email protected] 

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