It might seem odd to suggest that Grotesquerie, the latest show from the ubiquitous, never knowingly understated Ryan Murphy (who co-creates and co-writes here), is more downbeat than his usual horror fodder. There are four highly theatrical massacres in the first two episodes alone, and a body count so vast that the number of corpses might outweigh the members of the living, breathing cast. Yet it is different to many of his other projects, which tend to err on the side of spectacle for spectacle’s sake. This is clearly grappling for a grander narrative in the gothic horrors on display.
Those horrors are plentiful. Niecy Nash is Lois Tryon, a no-nonsense, hard-drinking detective with a complicated family life, all of which are the basic entry requirements for a female TV cop. You can practically see “she sighs wearily” written into the script, though Nash shoulders her well-worn cynicism with poise. Lois thinks she has seen it all, until she is called to the scene of the first crime. A radiologist and nutritionist from the local university and their three children have been horribly – and I do mean horribly – massacred by a mysterious killer who has left no trace of his or her identity, but has left plenty of symbolic matter lying around. “If this isn’t a hate crime, I don’t know what is,” explains a lower-ranking police officer. “Hate against what?” asks Lois. “Everything,” he solemnly replies.
This isn’t subtle, then, but Murphy rarely opts for subtlety. This is a state-of-the-nation story in which doomsday thinking is front and centre. There is a sense of impending societal collapse, a theme which has fed previous seasons of American Horror Story, but here it is given theological and philosophical reinforcement. It explores fatalism, and asks whether evil and vice are inherently human. A local homeless man in robes preaches that “the end is near”. A journalist nun and true-crime enthusiast, Sister Megan (Micaela Diamond), who explains that cults are once again big business, guides Lois towards the religious themes that link all the crimes together. She is, notes Lois, “a cross between a sparrow and a Manson girl”, and she also offers an overarching authorial voice. Amid “horrible news and cataclysms at every turn, everything now feels personal to everybody,” Sister Megan says, noting the decline of logic as a force for good.
Whether the show can get away with balancing its simultaneous disdain for the hysteria of murder as clickbait and true-crime voyeurism, and the fact that this is a Murphy-led show about an intelligent, creative mass-murderer with flair, remains to be seen. One awful method of despatch brings to mind recent war crimes; this turns out not to have been accidental, as Sister Megan links the “atrocity” to “something that happens in places where this is no more hope and no more order”. Such hyperbole is tasteless, and I’m not sure a divided modern-day America warrants comparison to a real war zone. But its manifestation of fear and terror, in a world that feels unstable and embattled, is effective. The fact that it opts for slow creeping dread over jump scares – though there are a couple of those thrown in – makes it all the more chilling.
Grotesquerie looks eerily beautiful, in its gothic gloom. Onlookers are often paralysed by the gruesomely staged crime scenes, struck dumb with horror, which is a more effective metaphor. Its weakness is in not trusting this strong visual sense of itself, instead falling back on clumsy exposition that undermines it. “Great. A religious psychopath,” says Lois, as if the nun, the presence of brimstone and the scripture scrawled behind the dead bodies hung up on a wall like photographs hasn’t made that clear.
One of the big pre-release talking points of Grotesquerie has been the acting debut of American footballer and famous boyfriend Travis Kelce, but they’re obviously keeping their powder dry, as there’s no sign of him in the first two episodes. There is, however, a hot, Elvis-like priest (Monsters’ Nicholas Chavez) and Lesley Manville as Nurse Redd, an acidic, Ratched-esque nurse who cares for, and then some, Lois’ husband Marshall, who is in a coma. Watching Manville pull off some of the lines here is a masterclass in keeping a straight face while tasked with conveying the truly absurd.
Grotesquerie is a slow burn, but it is intriguing. Elsewhere, it touches on reality TV, addiction, guns, faith and the mundanity of marriage. It may be too much, all at once, and as is often the case with Murphy shows, it strives to find a balance between genuine provocation and being shocking just because he can be. Even so, these opening episodes suggest it is worth persevering with. This ambitious horror may well find its feet.
Grotesquerie is on Disney+ now and on Hulu in the US
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‘Grotesquerie’ channels Se7en, Hannibal, Longlegs, and religious serial killer thrillers in a compelling two-handed murder mystery.
“The end is near.”
Grotesquerie, for all intents and purposes, is Season 13 of American Horror Story, only it’s operating under an original title because the AHS brand has become so tainted. It honestly feels like Grotesquerie might have been developed as a new American Horror Story season, only for the series to pivot mid-production when they realized that this might be a cut above what AHS has been routinely turning out for the past few years. At this point, I wouldn’t even be surprised if Grotesquerie decides to become an anthology horror series of its own and basically turn into the new American Horror Story if it turns out to be a success and connect with audiences.
The biggest surprise about Grotesquerie is that it’s actually good. It bears a lot in common with American Horror Story, only it’s better, more focused, and grounded. It’s also almost wholly lacking in camp, which is appreciated for a Ryan Murphy production (although there’s a masturbation scene that gets awfully close). It’s worth pointing out that it’s the first Ryan Murphy production where he’s had a hand in writing every single episode, alongside Jon Robin Baitz (Feud: Capote vs. the Swans) and Joe Baken, the latter of whom wrote two of the best episodes to come out of American Horror Stories’ third season, “Bestie” and “Tapeworm.” It’s appreciated that one collaborative team is responsible for the entire season, but American Horror Story: Delicate’s lackluster results proves that a unified vision and minimal cooks in the kitchen doesn’t always result in creative success.
Fortunately, Grotesquerie begins with a brave, bold vision that signals a promising serial killer thriller.
Editor’s Note: This review covers the first two episodes of the series.
Grotesquerie begins with a series of rash killings that are reminiscent of Se7en and Hannibal as they indulge in sprawling murder tableaus, with a touch of Longlegs’ occult obstacles thrown in for good measure. These are disturbing visuals, but Grotesquerie is particularly successful when it comes to atmosphere. A heavy sense of dread hangs over everything. The brief flashbacks to the Burnside family murders and the specifics of their tragedy are among some of the most disturbing material to appear in a Ryan Murphy production, which is saying something. There are no doubt even greater horrors to come. However, while American Horror Story can feel sensationalist and absurd, Grotesquerie works carefully to cultivate a grimy patina that helps these murders come across as accurate depictions of human depravity. There’s a shot early on in Grotesquerie’s first episode where a detective vomits on flowers. This mix of beauty and bile feels like a metaphor for the series’ themes.
These tragedies are juxtaposed against scenes of domestic normalcy and peaceful families as the pendulum swings between horror and humane. “It’s inhuman. No, it’s unhuman,” is an early assessment that Niecy Nash-Betts’ Detective Lois Tryon provides for the Burnside family’s vicious crime scene. Right from the series’ start there’s a chilling feeling that the central serial killer will be some larger than life figure. That’s not to say that he’ll literally be a supernatural monster, but there’s a good chance that Grotesquerie is building towards a grandiose battle of wits between Detective Tryon and some super annihilator.
Niecy Nash-Betts cut her teeth in comedies for decades, but she’s slowly become one of Ryan Murphy’s most capable players between her performances in Scream Queens and her Emmy-winning role as Glenda Cleveland in Monster. Nash-Betts parlays this success into Detective Tryon, one of Grotesquerie’s leads and a character who features layered shades of her past Ryan Murphy production characters. Grotesquerie doesn’t shy away from the crappy hand that she’s been dealt and the apathy that’s seeped into the corners of her life. These crimes, as horrific as they may be, awaken her in a very primal manner. There’s a simple yet elegant sequence where slides of crime scene evidence are cast over Detective Tryon and envelop her body as if she’s been devoured by these murders. It’s a powerful, albeit pat way for Grotesquerie to hint at Tryon’s growing obsession with this case.
Nash-Betts’ Detective Tryon and Micaela Diamond’s Sister Megan Duval are also an excellent duo who immediately have chemistry. Nash-Betts really sells this material and excels in Grotesquerie, but Diamond is a revelation and is the series’ early MVP. She brings a cagey, squirrelly intensity to all of her scenes. Tryon and Duval achieve a unique camaraderie, yet their dynamic doesn’t feel anything like what’s present in other two-handed murder series, like True Detective, or any of Ryan Murphy’s past projects. Sister Duval’s morbid interests may initially seem atypical, but she becomes a welcome conduit for Grotesquerie to deconstruct the idea that cults and crimes have become a new form of faith and religion; a grim fact that’s seemingly corroborated by Murphy’s menagerie of TV series, many of which are variations on the same murderous themes. A sliding scale of cataclysms and callousness continue to consume the world while a nun and priest gossip over burgers about their favorite serial killers.
These first two Grotesquerie episodes establish a baseline between Tryon and Duval and it seems like their dynamic will boil down to the power of faith, like an alternate version of Mulder and Scully, minus the aliens. That being said, both Detective Tryon and Sister Duval know that the truth is out there and they’re determined to find it. Faith is what keeps Detective Tryon going, whether it’s with this macabre crime or her personal life. Tryon struggles with an incomplete jigsaw puzzle at home. Meanwhile, it’s no coincidence that Sister Duval later earnestly admits, “It seemed to fit,” after she makes a prediction about the Burnside massacre, as if she’s mentally putting together a puzzle. She possesses skills that are essential to Tryon.
It’s not unusual for Ryan Murphy series to start strong, only to veer off into messy mediocrity. It may be naive to think that Grotesquerie will be any different, but these first two episodes accomplish quite a bit when it comes to character, atmosphere, and storytelling. Grotesquerie covers more ground than one would expect, all while it finds an effective rhythm that never feels rushed or too lethargic. It’s still early, but Grotesquerie hasn’t succumbed to the typical pitfalls. Grotesquerie posits a world where potentially nothing is sacred, yet this new Ryan Murphy show shines bright and promises a hopeful future where this horror series may actually become something special and stick the landing.
Daniel Kurland is a freelance writer, comedian, and critic, whose work can be read on Splitsider, Bloody Disgusting, Den of Geek, ScreenRant, and across the Internet.
Daniel knows that "Psycho II" is better than the original and that the last season of "The X-Files" doesn't deserve the bile that it conjures. If you want a drink thrown in your face, talk to him about "Silent Night, Deadly Night Part II," but he'll always happily talk about the "Puppet Master" franchise.
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