AMERICAN Horror Stories viewers have been left with their stomachs churning after watching ‘disgusting’ scenes of a man-eating tapeworm.
Episode three of season three, titled Tapeworn, explored the theme of body dysmorphia in the fashion industry.
The grotesque episode, seen through the eyes of aspiring model Vivian Lee Finch, looked into the drive for young people to get ahead in the demanding fashion industry.
Vivian’s hunger for success and fame throws her into the cut-throat New York fashion jungle.
At the start of the episode she is a size 4, but once she heads to picky Sheila Klein’s modelling agency, she is immediately told to lose weight to fit in and become successful.
As the episode progressed, Vivian took drastic measures to lose weight.
She is eventually introduced to a tapeworm digesting scheme, which is supposed to be a quick-fix weight loss diet, and that is where things take a particularly grotesque turn.
At first Vivian is happy with the results as she effortlessly loses weight.
Still, later on she discovers the tapeworm’s appetite is relentless and unmatched, driving her to desperate measure to try and remove it from her body.
Ultimately the efforts lead to her untimely and bloody death.
Fans have been left repulsed and horrified since the episode hit the streaming platform, and they have taken to X(Twitter) to express their thoughts on the episode.
One user wrote: “Oh my God, this b***h just pulled a tapeworm out of her a**, then it attacked her and killed her.”
Another said: “Watching #AmericanHorrorStories, and it’s the tapeworm episode. I feel sick. I would never do that.”
A third penned: “The tapeworm episode was absolutely disgusting. Pls, don’t ever do that again. OMG.”
While a fourth echoed: “BRB need to go vomit after tapeworm on #AmericanHorrorStories.”
However, another viewer seemed to enjoy the belly-turning episode as they typed: “The #TapeWorm episode of #AmericanHorrorStories was AMAZING!!!! Just the right amount of creepy and believable! The whole model industry thing is something they should re-visit for a whole season!! 10s across the board!”
Another viewer of the episode pointed out the reality behind the storyline, reflecting on how many people destroy themselves in hopes of gaining success in the modelling industry.
They expressed: “This episode was really hard to watch because seeing her waste away like that made me think of all the models that developed an eating disorder.
“And the lengths they go through to please a toxic industry that cares too much about a person’s body.”
American Horror Stories is the new spin-off series of the original American Horror Story.
The spin-off is a four-episode anthology series featuring different horror stories in each episode.
American Horror Stories can be streamed on Hulu or Disney+ in the UK.
