American Horror Story: 1984 introduced Mr. Jingles in its premiere episode and provided a few details into his deadly past. The serial killer, played by AHS veteran John Carroll Lynch, is at the focus of the slasher-themed season. After being locked away for over a decade, Mr. Jingles made his way back to the site of his first massacre, Camp Redwood.
Xavier (Cody Fern) got a job as a counselor at Camp Redwood for the summer and he convinced his friends to come along since the camp was desperate for employees. Montana (Billie Lourd), Chet (Gus Kenworthy), and Ray (DeRon Horton) instantly agreed because they wanted to get away from Los Angeles during the Olympics, and the threat of the Night Stalker, a serial killer wreaking havoc in the area. Brooke (Emma Roberts) decided to join her new friends when she fell victim to the Night Stalker while alone in her apartment. Little did the group know, they were heading to the site of the worst summer camp tragedy in history. When they arrived at Camp Redwood, they soon learned there was truth to the legend of Mr. Jingles.
In classic campfire story fashion, Rita (Angelica Ross) revealed her knowledge of Mr. Jingles’ dark past. The man, Benjamin Richter, fought in the Vietnam War and supposedly had the highest kill count. He enjoyed the violence so much that Benjamin entered a second tour. After he killed, he would collect trophies and even made a necklace displaying the ears of his victims. The Army realized what Benjamin was doing so they gave him a dishonorable discharge. When he got back to the U.S., the only job he could get was a janitor position at Camp Redwood. Then Benjamin’s story took a darker turn.
Margaret (Leslie Grossman) filled the new counselors in with the rest of the story since she lived it as one of Benjamin’s surviving victims. She was a counselor at Camp Redwood in 1970 when Benjamin snapped and killed those sleeping in a filled cabin. Margaret remembered hearing the sound of keys jingling before he started slashing his way through the bunks. She was able to blend in with the pile of bodies so that Benjamin didn’t know she was alive. Due to her power of belief and her newfound faith in religion, she stayed still while Benjamin cut off her ear. Benjamin, who was then referred to as Mr. Jingles, was caught and Margaret served as the key witness. He was sent away to an institution and Margaret decided to reopen the camp to retake those bad memories and turn them into something better.
Unfortunately for Margaret and the rest of the Camp Redwood employees, Mr. Jingles escaped from the institution. He managed to fool an employee by pretending to hang himself before making his kill. Mr. Jingles then opened all of the cell doors and caused a mass breakout which served as a distraction so he could slip away unnoticed. Mr. Jingles made his way to the garage that Xavier stopped at on his way to the camp and killed the attendant before stealing his car. Of course, Mr. Jingles arrived at Camp Redwood in the midst of a thunderstorm, another way that American Horror Story: 1984 paid tribute to classic scary movies. He killed the hiker who was staying in the infirmary and went after Brooke but she managed to evade his attack. The fellow counselors didn’t buy Brooke’s story of the encounter but Mr. Jingles had his sights set on getting his revenge after being locked away for so long.
Next: American Horror Story Timeline: When Each Season Takes Place
