Actress Sarah Paulson reacts to viral “Killer is Escaping” TikTok trend
Hulu, TikTokSarah Paulson’s iconic line from American Horror Story: Asylum has taken TikTok by storm, inspiring the likes of Lizzo, Billie Eilish, and others to join in on the trend — but she isn’t convinced they know the sound is from her.
TikTok is a hive for creative content of all kinds, birthing numerous memes, trends, and dances. In the spirit of the Halloween season, some spookier trends are taking over the site, including an iconic line from American Horror Story.
In the series’ Asylum storyline, actress Sarah Paulson notably calls out “The killer is escaping!” The scene is unique in that she delivers the line with a completely deadpan expression in spite of the horrifying urgency of her tone.
The contrast between her tone and her facial expression has sparked a hilarious meme on TikTok, with users lip syncing to the line while appearing to be completely unfazed.
Although a ton of influencers and celebrities have hopped on the trend, perhaps one of the best viral TikToks to spawn from the meme comes from Billie Eilish, who somehow managed to sync her flaring nostrils to Paulson’s terrifying howls.
It seems that Paulson is well aware of her newfound status as an internet meme queen… but she isn’t certain that everyone knows the sound comes from her line on the show.
Sarah Paulson has the perfect response to being a TikTok trend
She discussed the trend in an Instagram live stream with fellow actress Leslie Grossman, noting that a huge lineup of mainstream celebrities had used the sound in their own TikToks. She said: “They have no connection to me, they just know that there’s some weird chick saying, ‘The killer is escaping’.”
“I was doing one of my screams that the kids like to tell me how horrible they are. And it’s like, that’s just how I scream! Let’s see how you sound when you’re running for your life, kids!”
Thus far, it looks like fans are living for Paulson’s humorous response to the trend, although they collectively disagree that no one knows the sound comes from her line in the show.
With Halloween fast approaching, we’ll have to wait and see if any more big-name celebs hop on this trend that Paulson so humbly believes wasn’t inspired by her impressive acting chops.
