I love this show, and I am so excited for the new season of American Horror Story (AHS) to be coming out soon. I think I am even more excited about the new show American Horror Stories (AH Stories). AH Stories will only be featured on FX on Hulu and premiers July 15th. 2021. Yes, that means tomorrow evening I will be glued to our sofa in anticipation of what it will bring, just like I am every year for AHS. I don’t know much about it except it will be a different story every episode unlike the original AHS where every season is a different story.
AHS has aired 9 seasons so far with its 10 season titled ‘Double Feature’ premiering August 25th, 2021. The first five seasons are my favorite. Seasons 6-9 left me a little disappointed with lots to be desired. Season 9 titled ‘1984’ is my least favorite.
Season 5 Hotel
With American Horror Story Hotel being my favorite, I want to talk about it a little. At times it may be a lil harsh to watch, but wait isn’t that the reason I watch AHS? All seasons can be harsh and demented and anyone who knows me, knows I love a good demented, mind f*ck movie/show. My wife likes to give me shit about it, but she still loves me.
Lady Gaga
This was the first season to not star Jessica Lange, she always had the best lines in previous seasons and is a great actress. I was bummed to no longer have her featured in the Series. However they did get Lady Gaga on board, and Gaga did an amazing job. Before Hotel I was not a Lady Gaga fan, maybe it was the weird meat dress she wore. However now she has earned my respect and I think she is amazingly talented woman.
The Inspiration
The Hotel Cortez from AHS was initially based on an actual hotel in Chicago later known as the ‘Murder Castle.’ The “Murder Castle” was built by H. H. Holmes who is notoriously known as one of America’s first serial killers. It was Designed for Holmes to torture and dispose of the people he murdered, much like the character James March played by Evan Peters in AHS. Holmes lured his victims into his hotel during the Chicago World’s fair in 1893.
It was also partially based on the Cecil Hotel located in Downtown Los Angeles. Both the Cecil and Cortez are known for murders, suicides and accidental overdoses. Cecil Hotel also has links to a number of serial killers who reportedly stayed in the hotel back in the day. Richard Ramirez (a.k.a The Night Stalker) and Jack Unterweger both were said to have stayed there while committing their crimes. I
In AHS, James March hosts a ‘Devil’s Night’ episode 4 where the ghosts of dead serial killers such as Richard Ramirez, Aileen Wuornos, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer and the Zodiac Killer. They check into the hotel on one day each year, to kill the guests and enjoy a feast together. This obviously never happened at the Cecil. However the show clearly plays on the idea that the infamous hotel once hosted those killers.
The Music
The music from AHS Hotel features music as far back as 1883. But it seemed to really concentrate on music from the 1980s and 90s. Because of this it stood out to me more than from any other season. My favorite music tends to be from the 1980-2000s. It features music from artists such as, The Cure, Depeche Mode, New Order, Siouxsie and the Banshees and much much more. I often find myself replaying scenes from the show in my mind when certain songs are played on the radio. Here is a Spotify playlist of most of the music featured in the season.
