Showrunner and writer Ryan Murphy loves to roll the dice and deliver unhinged stories to unsuspecting viewers. Grotesquerie walks down the same windy, twisty path as other entries in the Murphyverse, following the story of Detective Lois Tryon (Niecy Nash-Betts) and Sister Megan Duval (Micaela Diamond) who hunt down a mysterious serial killer adopting a religious angle. Now, this isn’t the first show – nor will it be the last – to explore this type of concept, but someone better get the buckets of holy water ready, because Murphy appears to be summoning the evil spirit of Valak with this latest series. Also, it needs to be asked: Ryan, are you okay, buddy? Be warned that mild spoilers for Grotesquerie follow.

Experiencing life through Ryan Murphy’s eyes and mind

Speaking at the virtual press conference before the debut of Grotesquerie, Ryan Murphy fielded numerous questions about the show. Everyone remained cagey about what it’s about – and even after a few episodes in, it’s still not quite clear what exactly is taking place. That said, this isn’t unusual for anyone who has watched all 3,567 seasons of American Horror Story. To say Murphy pulls out the rug from under the viewer would be putting it mildly, since he’s more than capable of transporting the audience to an entirely different genre by the second half of a series.

Murphy explained how he wrote all the episodes of Grotesquerie with Jon Robin Baitz and Joe Baken and believes it to be one of his more personal projects. “It was a meditation on what I think is going on in the world and what we’re all going through,” he said. “And how we’re feeling like this existential question: Are these end times? And if so, what can we do to fight and keep our humanity? And those were the things I was writing about.”

While we can agree that the world is in a weird place right now, it still hasn’t gotten to the point where someone recreated a murderous rendition of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper featuring the homeless, such as what happens in Grotesquerie‘s second episode, “True Crime Catholics.” Also, let’s hope no sickos take notes here either. However, Murphy uses visceral and haunting metaphors to drive a biting message home. By crossing the lines of decency and humanity, Murphy provokes and asks the important question: If we, as people, are too far gone from ever going back

Grotesquerie is more Seven than American Horror Story

Ryan Murphy’s other works, such as American Horror Story and Ratched, tinker with the grotesque and gruesome; however, nothing quite touches what happens in Grotesquerie‘s opening episode. Murphy portrays Lois Tryon as a broken-down individual. Not only is her husband, Marshall (Courtney B. Vance), in critical condition, but the rest of her life also unravels as she seeks solace at the bottom of every bottle. She isn’t in a good place as it stands and her nerves fray further when she gets called down to a murder scene at a family home.

The scene plays out like a cross between Hannibal and David Fincher’s Seven, as the police piece together a horrifying sequence of events. Not only is the husband murdered, but his head is also severed from the body and cooked in the oven. From there, the assailant feeds him to the petrified family. That’s not the worst of it, though, as the serial killer does something unthinkable to the baby.

Subtly isn’t a tool in Murphy’s arsenal, as he runs the gamut of the macabre and deranged in his storytelling approach. Resultantly, Grotesquerie might be too hot – pardon the awful pun – for some to handle, but there’s a method behind it. Much like Seven, Murphy needs to break down the characters experiencing the horrors and all the emotions that come with it. In Seven, Brad Pitt’s David Mills succumbs to wrath and it changes him. Similarly, in Grotesquerie, some characters won’t ever be the same again after what they witness, but this is all a test of the power of the human spirit and if there’s a limit.

Don’t ever change, Ryan Murphy

Whether it’s exploring asylums, covens, or serial killers, Ryan Murphy never shies away from extreme topics. His approach polarizes, but he poses questions that people may never have thought of – or had the courage – to ask. Grotesquerie proves to be no different, even if it does feel like Murphy Mayhem raised to the max.

Clearly, Murphy has a lot on his mind and this show acts as a vehicle for him to grapple with an existential crisis. It shocks the system and widens the eyes, for sure, but according to Murphy, Grotesquerie isn’t all doom and gloom. “I feel like this definitely has raciness and some action, but it’s not cynical,” he said. “It’s about the search for hope and light in a dark place. That’s what ultimately I found and what I was interested in writing about. And it gave me hope.”

All in all, Ryan Murphy appears to be okay for now. However, the same can’t be said about the poor characters in Grotesquerie after what they have been put through here.