It might seem odd to suggest that Grotesquerie, the latest show from the ubiquitous, never knowingly understated Ryan Murphy (who co-creates and co-writes here), is more downbeat than his usual horror fodder. There are four highly theatrical massacres in the first two episodes alone, and a body count so vast that the number of corpses might outweigh the members of the living, breathing cast. Yet it is different to many of his other projects, which tend to err on the side of spectacle for spectacle’s sake. This is clearly grappling for a grander narrative in the gothic horrors on display.
Those horrors are plentiful. Niecy Nash is Lois Tryon, a no-nonsense, hard-drinking detective with a complicated family life, all of which are the basic entry requirements for a female TV cop. You can practically see “she sighs wearily” written into the script, though Nash shoulders her well-worn cynicism with poise. Lois thinks she has seen it all, until she is called to the scene of the first crime. A radiologist and nutritionist from the local university and their three children have been horribly – and I do mean horribly – massacred by a mysterious killer who has left no trace of his or her identity, but has left plenty of symbolic matter lying around. “If this isn’t a hate crime, I don’t know what is,” explains a lower-ranking police officer. “Hate against what?” asks Lois. “Everything,” he solemnly replies.
