The Most Bizarre American Horror Story Theories Out There

Freak Show is arguably AHS's weakest season, but if you see it through the looking glass (see what I did there?) it holds up to the classic pretty well. Thismisspage started a thread on Reddit that reveals some of the more obvious parallels: Elsa's opium smoking is similar to that of the caterpillar; Dot and Bette are Tweedledee and Tweedledum; Dandy plays croquet just like the Queen of Hearts; and Twisty the clown wore a much creepier version of the Cheshire Cat's grin. Also, there's a ton of top hats (and in a ton of other seasons too), which calls to mind the Mad Hatter.

Incidentally, all the top hats were just Ryan Murphy's way of hinting at the season five theme of Hotel. Murphy told Entertainment Weekly that top hats are an allusion to the 1935 film Top Hat, starring Fred Astaire, that is also set in a hotel, and to Lady Gaga's album with Tony Bennett, Cheek to Cheek (which is also a song from the film). Because Gaga deserves every mention she can get.