The first official trailer for the seventh installment of FX’s bone-chilling American Horror Story may involve clowns, but it’s no joke.
“Do you ever feel alone? Does it seem like no one really understands you?” drawls a skin-tingling voiceover in the trailer released Friday (July 21), while an enormous group of clowns chant ominously in the background. “We can set you free… We want you,” the voice concludes.
Earlier this month, show-runners Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk revealed that the upcoming season will be sub-titled Cult, with a plot to revolve around the recent presidential election. Now, we know that this season will also involve dozens of identical creepy, red-nosed clowns.
The new trailer seems to confirm speculations around a photo posted to Murphy’s Instagram account in early July, which hinted the return of John Carroll Lynch’s Twisty the clown from season four’s Freakshow. While it’s unclear exactly how the clowns will tie in to the show’s political themes, the trailer’s “we want you” tagline and final image of a row of clowns pointing a finger at the viewer is eerily reminiscent of the infamous Uncle Sam “I Want You” poster, used to recruit American soldiers for World War I.
Show creators also recently announced that Lena Dunham will join the season seven cast, though the Girls star does not appear in the trailer.
American Horror Story: Cult premieres Sep 5 on FX. In the meantime, watch the full first official trailer below.