With the recently announced news that American Horror Story season 4 would feature a carnival theme, it is possible that the show will take inspiration one of film's most significant horror classics.

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American Horror Story: Coven writer Douglas Petrie recently spilled the beans that season 4 of the horror anthology series would be set at a carnival, a concept first predicted by Enstars in December.

With the carnival concept essentially confirmed, this means that AHS co-creator Ryan Murphy could be taking inspiration from one of his favorite films, Freaks. The 1932 horror classic was revealed to be one of Murphy's favorite films by Asylum actress Naomi Grossman, who played Pepper.

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Grossman previously revealed that Pepper was based on a real-life sideshow performer named Schlitzie, one of the stars of Freaks. The film centers on a group of carnival performers, many of them deformed and relatively grotesque.

A potential carnival theme for season 4 of American Horror Story was referred to in an episode of Coven. Lange's character Fiona explained in a monologue that "life is a carnival," a line that was likely a deliberate hint.

The cast of American Horror Story season 4 is still a mystery, aside from regulars Jessica Lange and Sarah Paulson. Many other American Horror Story cast members like Evan Peters, Kathy Bates and Angela Bassett have expressed their interest in returning for season 4, though none of them have actually been confirmed.

American Horror Story season 4 premieres in fall 2014 on FX, though the network has not yet scheduled a set air date.

Watch the trailer for Freaks here:

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