TMZ managed to get their ever-grasping (but often accurate once they’ve grasped!) hands on some photos from the set of American Horror Story‘s upcoming sixth season, whose teaser trailers thus far have included a series of completely vague yet still somehow disturbing imagery.
The new photos seem to reveal a theme (or part of a theme): the Roanoke Colony — often referred to The Lost Colony (as its members mysteriously went missing in the late 1500s). Of course, American Horror Story is wont to digress in innumerable flashbacks — recall the Countess’ 20s era L.A. subplots, or Ramona’s ’70s era L.A. subplots, in Hotel — and surely TMZ’s findings could solely be indicative of one of many stories in Season 6, or indicative of nothing whatsoever. It’s doubtful that AHS would be able to pull off anything as deft or focused as, say, The Witch, but there is something exciting about the potential of a series that calls itself American Horror Story going back to the very origins of American horror.
What TMZ found was from a set in Santa Clarita, California (a place that in real life looks nothing like anything you’d see on the East Coast). The set itself is a colonial farm, and supposedly the cast has been seen in Pilgrim garb. The one major clue about it being set within this particular colony was the word CROATOAN — which was carved into a tree onset. When the people in the Roanoke colony disappeared, “Croatoan” — the name of a Carolina Algonquian Native American group in North Carolina — was the only clue left, carved into a fencepost.
The colony was founded by poet/explorer Sir Walter Raleigh, and ceased to exist in the midst of the Anglo-Spanish War. In 1587, Raleigh ordered settlers to Roanoke Island, and 115 people altogether set up the colony, but there was (surprise!) tension between the colonists and the natives, and the appointed Governor John White sailed back to England to try to get help for what was perceived as an endangered settlement.
On John White’s return in 1590, he found no remains whatsoever of any of the 115 people who’d settled at Roanoke — but there was also no indication of a violent struggle; again, all that seemed at all strange was the word “Croatoan” — which was possibly taken to mean that they’d simply relocated to what was then called Croatoan Island, as all of their housing units on Roanoke Island had been taken down. But their whereabouts were never actually confirmed, and theories — most non-supernatural, abound.
The season will premiere on September 14, and will star Lady Gaga, Angela Bassett, Denis O’Hare, Cheyenne Jackson, Evan Peters, and Matt Bomer — at least as far as the confirmed cast goes.
And, here for your enjoyment is a millipede crawling on a head:
Watch the rest of the teasers.