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American Horror Story – Freak Show, Episode 2 Massacres and Matinees

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American Horror Story – Freak Show, Episode 2

Massacres and Matinees

Aired Oct 15, 2014

Horror

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

13 Reviews

A citywide curfew threatens to shut down the freak show; a strongman from Ethel's troubled past arrives at camp; Gloria arranges a terrifying play date for Dandy; the Tattler Twins reveal a talent that could knock Elsa from the spotlight.

Critics Consensus

The dark themes of "Massacres and Matinees" are reminiscent of themes of season two, only more vibrant this time around.

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Jessica Lange

Elsa Mars

Kathy Bates

Ethel Darling

Sarah Paulson

Bette & Dot Tattler

Michael Chiklis

Dell Toledo

Angela Bassett

Desiree Dupree

Evan Peters

Jimmy Darling

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Erik Adams

AV Club

01/21/2015

B

Twisty is my least favorite part of the season so far, but the throat-clenching tension of "Massacres And Matinees"'s cold open uses John Carroll Lynch's character to marvelous effect.

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Darren Franich

Entertainment Weekly

01/21/2015

The second episode of Freak Show was directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, whose sensibility is garish and loopy but also precise and formalist, like Wes Anderson directing a snuff film.

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Scott Neumyer

Wall Street Journal

01/20/2015

The novelty and newness of the season premiere has worn off, the world building has mostly subsided, and the show has to start digging into its mystery and plotting. To say that's been a sore spot for much of the FX series' run would be accurate.

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Angela L. Harmon

The NitPic

12/16/2019

Massacres and Matinees was exciting to watch and had some serious OMFGWHATISTHAT moments, so I'm feeling kinda great about this season right now.

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Tom Fitzgerald and Lorenzo Marquez

Tom & Lorenzo

06/08/2018

But - again, compared to other seasons - they're letting this one take its time... We sense some confidence in the scripts this time, as if people know exactly where they want to go and how they're going to get there.

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Matt Fowler

IGN Movies

01/21/2015

8/10

As early as it may be in the season, I'm enjoying the Freak Show characters and story.

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Synopsis

A citywide curfew threatens to shut down the freak show; a strongman from Ethel's troubled past arrives at camp; Gloria arranges a terrifying play date for Dandy; the Tattler Twins reveal a talent that could knock Elsa from the spotlight.

Executive Producer: Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Dante Di Loreto, Tim Minear, Jennifer Salt, James Wong, Bradley Buecker
Network: FX
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Horror, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date: Oct 15, 2014