FX’s horror drama The Beauty bears all the hallmarks of Ryan Murphy’s evolving artistic identity—one that continues to push beyond conventional boundaries and lean unapologetically into narratives that flirt with excess, discomfort, and psychological extremity.
Whether The Beauty represents a departure or a distillation of Murphy’s sensibilities is open to debate. What is clear is that it reinforces the version of the creator audiences have watched take shape over time: an auteur unafraid to operate outside the bounds of rationality, crafting stories that probe obsession, vanity, and the darker edges of human desire. The result is a series that is equal parts repellent and mesmerizing.
Beauty Standards Run Amok
The show situates itself firmly within the lineage of modern cautionary thrillers centered on the pursuit of bodily perfection. In that regard, it draws clear parallels to films like The Substance, embracing body horror at its most extreme. At the core of the narrative is a transmissible agent that temporarily renders its recipients “beautiful” by fashion-industry standards—but at a devastating cost. Those infected become uncontrollably violent, plagued by an insatiable thirst and a tendency toward spontaneous combustion. Murphy spares the audience nothing; the series is unrelenting in its graphic depictions of bloodshed and physical decay.
Entry Point
The story begins following a young man who has spent his life feeling invisible and unloved, never the object of affection or desire. Years of rejection have driven him toward despair and nihilism. In desperation, he turns to the internet in search of a solution—only to find something far more dangerous than he anticipated. Faced with the pangs of invisibility and the resolve to end it all, he is offered one last hope. He accepts the extreme intervention. It delivers instant results but also unleashes something beastly within him. From there, the narrative becomes a race to uncover the origins of the insidious agent as it spreads chaos and destruction.
A Fringe Experience
Murphy has been candid about the thematic inspiration behind the series. In earlier commentary, he described The Beauty as his metaphorical take on society’s growing fixation with appearance and perfection—specifically what he has referred to as “Ozempic culture”—framed through the lens of a sexually transmitted disease that transforms individuals into their “absolute perfect self.” The concept unfolds as a nightmare scaled to grotesque proportions.
Murphy’s creative imprint is unmistakable, echoing the transgressive energy of American Horror Story while escalating it into even more provocative territory. While the core idea is not entirely new, the execution is deliberately shocking—an unrestrained, often disorienting experience that at times feels akin to a bad trip. Its appeal will likely be niche, resonating with most viewers drawn to material that thrives on excess and operates on the fringes of plausibility.
The Beauty: Catch It
The Beauty is an eleven-episode series currently streaming on Hulu, and while it may not be for everyone, it stands as another uncompromising entry in Murphy’s ever-expanding catalog of provocative storytelling.
Uncut Diamonds 