For some Americans, the Nov. election contained real-life horrors that would stay with them forever. It brought an end to one of the most controversial political events in history. However, in the mind of producer of the Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy award-winning show “American Horror Story” Ryan Murphy, the reign of terror had just begun.

American Horror Story’s seventh season focuses on extremists from both sides of the recent election. The premiere of “American Horror Story: Cult” gathered its biggest audience so far and  enticed many fans. According to FX Networks, on Tuesday Sept. 5, 3.93 million people across the world tuned into FX to watch the chilling masterpiece unfold.  

The main character Kai Anderson (Evan Peters) is a white nationalist who supports Donald Trump and seeks revenge on those who voted for Hillary Clinton in his own perverted ways. Ally Mayfair-Richards (Sarah Paulson) is a psychotic lesbian who has a breakdown due to Trump’s victory, triggering the return of several of her previous phobias, such as trypophobia (fear of holes) and coulrophobia (fear of clowns). Their stories cross paths when Kai picks Ally as one of  his victims because of her support for Clinton. He decides to target her weakness, her impressionable son.

As an avid American Horror Story fan since its first premiere in 2011, I love when the series ties drastically different story lines together in later seasons. I was thrilled when writers brought back the murderous clown, Twisty, from season four’s “Freak Show” as one of Ally’s fears triggered by Trump’s win. This character has always been the scariest for me since I despise clowns. Viewers are left guessing whether this is a hallucination or the serial killer clown actually returning.

As the show went on, the clowns proved to be real but were made to look like Ally was slowly losing sanity since they only revealed themselves to her. I love thought-provoking plots, and guessing what is real and fake throughout the entire show is a thrill for me. Murderous mythical creatures and sarcastic political humor are two checks from me!

The series has always done a phenomenal job in balancing different genres in one show. My favorite is when they bring romance into a twisted storyline. For example, I hope the main lesbian relationship of this season lasts through the gruesome obstacles they’ve faced so far, such as a blood-thirsty cult on the rise and multiple murders. It brings something wholesome and beautiful to contrast the ugly gore showcased. They keep the audience guessing on what abnormal and otherworldly thing will happen next, while also adding cruel humor into the dialogue.

I have yet to watch an episode without pausing it to laugh out loud at the hilarious jabs at today’s leaders and political figures. This show always has you thinking “it can’t get any weirder than this,” but then it somehow does.

I have very high expectations for this season due to the real event that it is based around. So far, it has not disappointed me. Adding supernatural occurrences to a real life event like this was a brilliant idea because it accommodates all genres and viewers in some way. It doesn’t just focus on one fear, but many fears to which people can undeniably relate. Murphy used this foundation to create a season full of plot twists and nightmarish fantasies beyond my strangest imagination.

Karson Langrehr is an In-Focus Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.