American Horror Stories – latex in the foreground

World

American Horror Stories is a series that paves the way for latex to enter the next, higher level of presence in movies and mass media. It is a horror series in which the leading actors have been dressed in latex from head to toe. Their rubber outfits become an integral part of their character.

American streaming service Hulu (available only in the USA) on July 15, 2021 began making available the first season of American Horror Storiers. It is a 20th Television production created by Rayan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. The series is a spin-off of the American Horror Story series. It has a form of an anthology so each episode is a separate story. Our attention is drawn to the first two episodes of the entire first seven-episode season. They have been titled “Rubber(wo)Man”. This title is, of course, not coincidental, so it’s worth looking at a little closer.

To refrain from significant spoilers, let’s look at “Rubber(wo)Man” mainly in terms of latex creations. The story begins with teenage Scarlett (played by Sierra McCormick) moving into a new house with her fathers, Michael and Troy. It is not a random house, it is the Murder House. Its name is a reference to the original series. It is the Rubberman’s house, which is famous for murdering its inhabitants. Very soon Scarlett finds in the closet of the new house a mysterious outfit, which turns out to be… a black latex suit, a mask and gloves. Fascinated, the character immediately decides to try on the new outfit. Be sure to watch this scene and see what happened:

We have to admit that Scarlett’s reaction is very natural. The immediate desire to try on new clothes is probably familiar to anyone who has bought themselves a new latex at least once, especially in the form of a whole catsuit. Much is also revealed by the mysterious smile on the teenager’s face, which appears just before she takes the suit off the hanger. She definitely can’t pass it by indifferently. What’s a fitting of new latex without a look in the mirror? Exactly. That’s why Scarlett turns to the mirror as fast as she can. There she sees her own skin, dressed from head to toe in black latex. After a moment, however, she sees in it… a man. This is Rubberman. Thus Rubberman becomes Rubber(wo)man.

Although the scene of finding the rubber garment ends with Scarlett throwing it in the trash in horror, of course, the story doesn’t end here, in fact, it just begins. For it turns out that the outfit appears in the closet in Scarlett’s room. The girl is convinced that it was one of her fathers who brought it back home. Without thinking, she dresses it again and decides to scare the fathers. See how it looked:

The truth is, however, that no one brought the clothes home. It just appeared on its own. Scarlett was chosen. In this way, latex becomes an integral part of the character, and her further actions take place in latex. To feel the atmosphere of the series, let’s have a look at the final scene of “Rubber(wo)Man”:

Latex clothing has become a way in the series to transform the character into someone else, into a new character who can kill. It gives her strength and confidence. Finding the mysterious suit, Scarlett is fascinated and intrigued by it. Also later, despite her earlier scare, she dresses it again without hesitation to make a joke to her fathers. This creates a realistic image of latex. Of course, outside of the movie fiction of latex murder, the emotions are very much in line with reality. Latex allows you to be someone else, to stand out and gain confidence. This is a very important aspect that comes up in the opinions of rubber wearers. Latex (especially a full latex with a mask) allows for a kind of detachment from reality, becoming a different person. Thanks to this many people feel much more attractive. The whole, therefore, adds up to a very large set of positive emotions that make you want to wear the rubber once again and return to those emotions.

Finally, there are a few more behind the scenes photos uploaded on social media by the actors themselves. They are primarily Sierra McCormick (Scarlett), Devyn LaBella (Scarlett’s double) and Troy Castaneda (Rubberman). Latex seems to bring a lot of fun to the actors and is a new experience. We are waiting for the possibility to see the series outside the US and, of course, for other productions with such a large share of latex.

PS Remember – wear latex, but don’t murder 😉 .