American Horror Story: Freak Show

Without a moment to spare for Halloween, the new season of "American Horror Story" has fans checking for beasts - really, make that comedians - under the bunk.

Brad Falchuck and Ryan Murphy's acclaimed collection arrangement appeared its fourth season Wednesday night, this time taking viewers inside a fair of "interests" positioned in Jupiter, Florida, in 1952.

"American Horror Story's" past seasons have included a frequented house, a shelter and a coven of witches.

A few of the FX arrangement's regular players are back, including Jessica Lange as the show's instigator; Evan Peters as Jimmy Darling, a.k.a. the housewife-satisfying "Lobster Boy"; Kathy Bates as Ethel, the "whiskery woman"; Angela Bassett as the three-breasted Desiree Dupree; and Sarah Paulson as conjoined twins Bette and Dot - and yes, Paulson plays both parts.

"Bringing her to strolling, talking two-headed life is accomplishment enough. ... Anyway the true enhancement is Paulson, who contributes the two sisters with such unique identities," said Time magazine's James Poniewozik in a review. "The way the two Paulsons convey themselves and respond to one another - even contend - is a triumph of both altering and execution. She's her own particular best co-star, playing the cause all her own problems."

Notwithstanding these '50s-time sideshow stars, there's another person sneaking around town: John Carroll Lynch's extraordinarily unpleasant jokester, Twisty, who happens to have an affinity for homicide and capturing.

As such, precisely what you need to see just before you turn out the lights. It was clearly excessive for some.

But reaction from critics has been more mixed.

"'Freak Show' ... still has the high style we've grown to expect," said the New York Times' Mike Hale. "And it still has plenty of clever touches in word and picture ... But it's not particularly scary, and doesn't even feel that creepy or freakish, despite the sideshow setting and the obvious attempt to emulate one of the eeriest of American movies, Tod Browning's 'Freaks,' from 1932."

Entertainment Weekly agreed that "American Horror Story: Freak Show" owes much to that 1932 film but adds that "Murphy and Falchuk pay homage to that movie while skillfully mixing fresh aspects with the familiar. 'AHS' may no longer have the element of surprise on its side, but it remains, to quote the lyrics of a certain David Bowie tune performed by (Jessica) Lange, the freakiest show."

New York Magazine's Vulture cautioned that it's too early to tell, but at least "on the basis of its first two episodes," "American Horror Story: Freak Show" appears "to be the best (season) yet, or at the very least, the best directed."