AHS Freak Show Theory: What Really Happened To Elsa Mars

Season 4 of American Horror Story, Freak Show, was the curtain call for Jessica Lange; her character, Elsa Mars, seemed to have a happy ending, but one theory suggests it might just be smoke and mirrors.

Jessica Lange made a lasting impression on fans of Ryan Murphy’s horror anthology series in season 1, Murder House, as Constance Langdon, the neighbor of the Harmon family, who recently purchased the haunted Southern California home. While Lange reprised her role as Constance in season 8, Apocalypse, which served as the highly-anticipated crossover season between Murder House and season 3, Coven, she hasn’t returned as a main cast member since season 4. In many ways, Freak Show was a spectacular send-off for Lange, who was front-and-center in all four of her seasons of American Horror Story.

Elsa Mars, the ringleader of Fräulein Elsa’s Cabinet of Curiosities in Jupiter, Florida; it is marketed as one of the last remaining freak shows in the United States. Originally from Germany, Elsa thought herself a star like others from that era. She often took to the stage as a performer and sang for her audience. It is during one of these performances that one theory draws on regarding Elsa’s ultimate fate after her life is taken by Edward Mordrake. She seems to find peace and a happy ending amongst her slain “freaks”, where they accept her as one of them and all is forgiven.

AHS Freak Show Theory: Elsa Mars Gets Punished In The Afterlife

Reddit user littlesweetbird concocted a theory which implies a more tragic fate for Elsa Mars than Freak Show‘s finale initially suggested. In the season finale, “Curtain Call”, Elsa performs on Halloween. According to the lore presented earlier in the season, Halloween is a night where no freak will perform, due to it reportedly summoning the spirit of Edward Mordrake, who will not leave empty-handed. If summoned, Mordrake will take a soul back with him, as part of his eternal company. Elsa’s choice to perform is one made after she’s managed to have a successful career—which even garners her a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame—but is threatened by her past emerging; the snuff film that depicted Elsa losing her legs resurfaced, which convinces her that any continuing success will be cut short.

Even though Elsa had a hand in much of the misfortune that befell her troupe, they welcome her back with seemingly open arms. Even Ethel (Kathy Bates), with whom she had a tumultuous relationship, seems to have forgiven her, reflecting a sentiment Elsa seems to believe whole-heartedly: “stars never pay“. In episode 1, “Monsters Among Us”, Elsa performs David Bowie’s “Life on Mars”; the theory points out that there’s an out of context shot of Elsa watching herself perform next to a projector, looking “distraught“. In the previous season, Coven, it was addressed that when someone is in Hell, they are often stuck in a sort of loop where they have to replay unpleasant actions over and over again that are specific to what will hurt or bother them most. In Coven, Misty Day (Lily Rabe), who has the gift of resurgence and a fondness for animals, was forced to dissect and resurrect the same frog.

It’s possible that Elsa was forced to replay her actions that led to the deaths of her friends—including her beloved Ma Petite—on the projector, watching herself perform onstage when it all began. The lyrics of Bowie’s song reflect this as well. If Elsa’s reunion with her fellow performers was really just the start of another show, where she would take the stage and perform “Life On Mars”, then maybe the Elsa who was seen in that shot was the real Elsa, trapped in Hell/purgatory with Edward Mordrake and his troupe and the one onstage reflected her past self. It’s a tragic theory, and even plausible, though it has never been confirmed in any capacity. American Horror Story doesn’t shy away from tragedy, and it’s arguably a suitable fate for Elsa, given that she would be helpless to change her fate after everything transpired, and she’d be stuck perpetually bearing witness to her choices to harm the only people who ever truly accepted her.

About The Author

Jack Wilhelmi
(581 Articles Published)

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Jack Wilhelmi is the horror features editor at Screen Rant, and has been with the site since 2019. He is a lifelong fan of the horror genre, and loves any excuse to discuss genre-related topics, since none of his friends dare challenge him in horror trivia. He has been published on the independent horror blog Morbidly Beautiful, and has covered major genre film festivals such as Cinepocalypse in Chicago. He has also served as a judge for the Ax Wound Film Festival.

In his free time, he is a devoted dog dad to a high-spirited rescue pup named Peter Quill and enjoys volunteering with various animal rescue organizations. Jack likes to travel and explore dark tourism-related and other various haunted locations. He enjoys studying psychology, the paranormal, and will watch literally any schlocky B-movie on the planet for a laugh.

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