The Terrifying True Story Behind Last Night’s Scream Queens

We already know Ryan Murphy has a penchant for using horrifying real-life events as inspiration for his scary television shows: American Horror Story‘s first four seasons featured no less than 10 terrifying-but-true story lines, and the fifth installment, Hotel, is basing its frights on Los Angeles’ own hotel of horrors Hotel Cecil. And since ya don’t fix what’s not broken, Murphy is now employing the same tactic with his latest fright fest, Scream Queens. [STOP HERE if you have not seen last night’s episode, “Beware of Young Girls.” You’ve been warned.]

The highlight of the episode was the return of Chanel No. 2—a.k.a. Ariana Grande—in that whole “fever dream” scene, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about. Instead, let’s focus on the unfortunate death of Mr. Munsch, Dean Munsch’s husband, whose body parts are found nailed to the walls and his head found floating in a fish tank by his mistress, former Kappa sister Feather McCarthy, in the house they now share. Dean Munsch is originally suspected to be the killer and is taken to an insane asylum—but after a bizarre bit of bologna detective work, she is set free. It appears Dean Munsch framed Feather (played by Tavi Gevinson) for the murder as revenge for having an affair with her husband. The craziest part about this gruesome story line, though? It’s partially based on a true story.

*Here’s what went down in real life: At the end of last night’s episode, we hear the 1970 song “Beware of Young Girls” by Dory Previn. In 1969, Dory discovered that her husband Andre was having an affair with a 23-year-old Mia Farrow. Mia was pregnant with twin boys and ended up marrying Andre after he left Dory—sending Dory into a psychotic breakdown. She was admitted to a psychiatric hospital and treated with electroconvulsive therapy—and while she was there, Dory wrote the song “Beware of Young Girls.” It’s also worth mentioning that Feather bears an eerie resemblance to a young Mia Farrow in the episode, pixie cut and all. *

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