So far, American Horror Story has taken viewers into a haunted house, an asylum, a New Orleans coven and a 1950s freak show, but co-creator Ryan Murphy promises Season Five – premiering on FX Canada on Wednesday, October 7, at 10 p.m. ET – will be the series’ bloodiest yet. “It’s much more dark… a little bloodier and grislier, I think, than anything that we’ve done before,” he told Deadline. “It’s straight horror this year.”
Are you ready for what lies in store? Here are eight things you need to know to brace yourself accordingly.
1. Inspired by a Canadian?
Murphy has hinted that the new season was partly inspired by the mysterious death of Canadian student Elisa Lam, who was found dead in a water tank atop the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles in 2013. Strange video-surveillance footage of Lam, taken at the hotel the night she disappeared, sparked rumours of drugs, possible mental illness and even paranormal activity playing a part in her death.
2. Everything’s Connected
Hotel is connected to all the preceding seasons, and Murphy has teased that viewers can expect characters from past AHS seasons to check in. Most notably, Season Five will feature ties to the L.A.-set first season: the Harmons’ Murder House will appear in one episode, and Christine Estabrook will reprise her role as seemingly nice but truly nasty real-estate agent Marcy. Like previous seasons, Hotel will jump back and forth in time – this season, to the 1930s and the hotel’s seriously demented founder (Evan Peters).
3. Bedbugs Will Be the Least of Their Worries
Season Five takes place at the fictional Hotel Cortez in Los Angeles, a dark repository for the city’s down-and-out, disillusioned, desperate and depraved. The art deco property – filled with winding hallways and secret rooms – is presided over by the bloodthirsty Countess (Lady Gaga), who uses the razor-like nails of her diamond-studded gloves to kill.
4. Speaking of Killers…
Hotel will play host to a pair of sinister ne’er-do-wells, affectionately nicknamed the Ten Commandments Killer (whose murders relate to the Biblical laws) and The Addiction Demon (who has no eyes and no mouth, but wields a very sinister weapon).
5. Hello, Familiar Faces!
In addition to Peters, the halls of the Cortez will be filled with former AHS cast members, including Matt Bomer (as the Countess’s boy toy), Kathy Bates (as his overprotective mom), Angela Bassett (as one of the Countess’s former lovers), Sarah Paulson (as a junkie), Wes Bentley (as a detective probing a series of murders), Denis O’Hare (as a cross-dressing hotel staffer) and Finn Wittrock (as a model who becomes one of the Countess’s new paramours).
6. And Welcome, Newbies!
Joining the fray this season is an array of notable names, including Twin Peaks alum Mädchen Amick (who clearly knows from creepy and weird), Darren Criss (formerly of Murphy’s Glee, as a hipster who runs afoul of Bates’ character on Halloween), New Girl’s Max Greenfield (as a junkie), Cheyenne Jackson (as a fashion designer in search of inspiration) and Naomi Campbell (as a fashion editor with an acid tongue… well, pen).
7. Keeping Up Tradition
In addition to featuring cameos from previous characters, maintaining the flashback trope and recasting so many of its past stars, AHS will continue its time-honoured tradition of an extended Halloween episode. This season, the two-parter will bring together some of the most notorious serial killers in America – including Aileen Wuornos (long-time AHS cast member Lily Rabe) and John Wayne Gacy – for what promises to be a dinner party to remember at the Cortez.
8. Connect with AHS Online
Looking for more spoilers, behind-the-scenes info, teasers, trailers and more as the season unfolds? Check out the official American Horror Story: Hotel Twitter feed (@AHSFX) or Facebook page; follow cast members Lady Gaga (@ladygaga), Kathy Bates (@MsKathyBates), Denis O’Hare (@denisohare), Angela Bassett (@ImAngelaBassett), Finn Wittrock (@FinnWittrock) or Sarah Paulson (@MsSarahPaulson); or see what Ryan Murphy is posting about.
American Horror Story: Hotel premieres on FX Canada on Wednesday, October 7, at 10 p.m. ET. Catch up on past seasons of AHS on shomi™.
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