Ryan Murphy continues his expertise as a horror-genre creator and, as such, his new FX series. Grotesquerie has his trademark dark humor thrown in with horror. The freshman show premiered on September 25th and carried several of the same elements of American Horror Story. In essence, you might want to reconsider watching Grotesquerie with your kids.
The premise follows Detective Lois Tryon, portrayed by Niecy Nash-Betts, as she tries to unravel a murder spree with religious themes. To better assist Lois, an eccentric Catholic nun (Micaela Diamond) swoops) swoops in and offers her insight. It all sounds somewhat blasphemous, but there have been instances where killers practice religious patterns with their victims. Not only is this method used to throw off law personnel, but it has a deep symbolic meaning.
Grotesquerie has an MPA rating of TV-MA, reflecting that it's only intended for mature audiences. I screened the first few episodes, and it fully deserves the rating. The series isn't for the faint of heart, as there is plenty of graphic violence and gore.
Let's get to the bottom why Grotesquerie received its TV-MA rating
Explaining the TV-MA rating of Grotesquerie
The Ryan Murphy horror procedural shouldn't be viewed by young children, those who are sensitive to blood and gore or are offended by the misinterpretation of the Catholic religion. Although Grotequerie is nothing more than the imaginations of its writers, it has bone-chilling moments.
I enjoy horror and gore, especially during the Spooky Season, as they can be either unrealistic or frightening to a degree. However, there is a limit, as the material could be inappropriate for kids.
Sex & Nudity: The nurse giving Lois's comatose husband a sponge bath is turned on by his genitalia and is having an orgasmic episode. There's a crime scene where three corpses are cut in half and disemboweled to a point where you see organs and body fluids, and at the church, there are corpses set up in a macabre style of The Last Supper painting.
Father Charlie (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) is buck-naked in his room, where his buttocks can be seen, and he self-harms himself with a whip.
No intercourse has occurred, but it's likely that it'll happen later on.
Violence: Yes, and while we don't see the killer visibly commit his crimes, he leaves graphic and robust evidence from his victims. There's a pattern to his rituals: they're homeless drug addicts, and every murder is done in a medieval fashion. A father murders his family, cooks their body parts, and then cannibalizes. It's a shocking introduction to the show's theme.
The violence is where Grotesquerie gets its TV-MA rating since Murphy amplifies it to a screaming level.
Language: Aside from general profanity, the F-bombs are dropped frequently, like eight times in two episodes, In addition to the general swears, and will increase throughout the season. The "S" word is also used in some situations.
Drinking & Drugs: Detective Tryon is a borderline alcoholic and smoker, and in many of her scenes, she has a glass of vodka. There's mention of street drugs, but no one is shown using them on-screen. That could very likely change.
Overall verdict: What age is Grotesquerie appropriate for?
Listen, Grotesquerie deserves its TV-MA rating on the account where the blood and gore can be overwhelming. If we had to place an age to watch, it would be 17 and up. Even then, they'd have to be mature enough to handle the narratives