American Horror Story: Cult premieres tomorrow night on FX with a terrifying new season centered on the 2016 election and the events both preceding and following that dreaded night.

With an talented array of newcomers, the seventh season tells a chilling and reflective narrative that needs only a scary small push to exaggerate the events from where it derives.

The more I think about the newest season of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuck’s horror anthology series, the more striking and layered the themes and imagery become. The killer clown terror craze of 2016 acts as a springboard to the exploration behind the driving force of the latest election: fear. With a newly elected one in the White House, a horde of murderous clowns freely terrorize a divided Michigan suburb including the anxiety ridden Ally Mayfair-Richards (the unrivaled Sarah Paulson — who easily tops her iconic Lana Winters performance in her best role yet), wife Ivy (Alison Pill), and son Oz.

We open with a recap of Hilary v. Trump events that led to that fateful November night and witness the extremes of two very different reactions to the election results. In a chic uptown home, Ally wails in devastation, while downtown, Kai (Evan Peters — in his best AHS role since “Murder House”) gleefully revels in victory in a small, dimly lit house. He even goes so far as to grind up a bag of Cheetos and paint his face to celebrate his newly elected leader.

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With each new character, the story of Cult becomes more engrossing, more evident and is fully encapsulated when hellish new neighbors Harrison (Billy Eichner) and Meadow Wilton (Leslie Grossman) move across from the Mayfair-Richards.

Harrison is a beekeeper who idolizes the cult-like concept of the hive and the bee’s singleminded determination to work together to fulfill a uniform task (while also shedding light on the swarm of bee-themed promos). To add an extra layer to these zany and creepy characters, they both share a faux sense of political awareness and social justice that elevates the satirical take on the post-Trump era.

Being a huge fan of Hulu’s Difficult People, I was pleasantly surprised both when Billy was cast and when I saw his performance (in episode two) because of his dynamic ability to play comedic and dramatic exceptionally well (look sharp, 2018 Emmys!). After shouting on the street and verbally eviscerating celebrities, Billy shines as a dramatic actor that effortlessly transitions into horror while seamlessly integrating his hilarious nature.

Another highly anticipated role in Cult’s casting is Kai’s sister Winter (Billie Lourd), who I was also ecstatic to see added to the roster especially after the disappointing cancellation of Scream Queens (also from Ryan Murphy and Bran Falchuck). Winter put her college education on hold to campaign for Hillary and is equally stunned by the election results — especially when her brother mocks her with his orange dusted face. After an “honesty” session with Kai (where they are locked by pinkies, flesh to flesh — also seen at the very end of the main titles) she tells him she fears him the most, which is when she takes a nanny job for the Mayfair-Richards.

Despite his mother Ally’s coulrophobia (fear of clowns), Winter strokes Oz’s morbid fascination with the grotesque Twisty (the unforgettable clown from season 4: Freak Show) comics. It’s too early to confirm but we can already assume she’s attempting to isolate Ally from her family on Kai’s orders. Murphy has teased the relationship of Ally and Kai as “a love story for the ages,” so it’s highly possible she’ll help drive Ally into her brother’s arms. With her previous role playing a literal unfeeling character (Scream Queens) or a small, cameo appearance (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), it’s captivating and refreshing to see such a new depth to Lourd’s acting.

Alison Pill and Colton Haynes (Detective Samuels) act as the few grounded characters who try live normal, unaffected lives post-election and add a sense of stability and reason. Though it’s still the beginning of the season, some of Samuels’ racist remarks and the bloody opening credits makes me think these two aren’t nearly as collected as they appear to be. If they do enter the cult side of the show, it’ll be extremely interesting to see these two already intriguing actors test their abilities within these roles.

Throw in a petrifying and authentic grocery store clown chase (the setting is crazy realistic in that you can actually point out brands usually blurred out on television which further roots this season in our actual living world), deployed ICE agents, unreliable media (featuring the return of the great Adina Porter), and mysterious chemical weapons being spray tested in our neighborhoods and you’ve got the most unnerving season of American Horror Story yet.

Catch the can’t miss premiere of American Horror Story: Cult tomorrow night (9/5) at 10 p.m. EST on FX!