The fifth season of popular show “American Horror Story: Hotel” premiered Oct. 7 on FX, and the hair-raising mini-series wasted no time getting to the gorey details.
This season’s story is centered around the strange happenings of L.A.’s fictional Hotel Cortez. Kathy Bates (“Titanic”) plays mundane and frustrated hotel manager, Iris, who keeps sending guests to room 64 where they encounter inhuman spectacles, undead staff and a number of creepy children. The episode also guest starred returning cast member Chloe Sevigny (“American Psycho,” “Boys Don’t Cry”) and first-timer Wes Bentley (“American Beauty”) as married couple Alex and John Lowe, who are dealing with the aftermath of their missing son. John is a melodramatic detective thrown into a pattern of gruesome cases, who finds himself checked into the haunting hotel after he is forced to leave home in hopes of protecting his family. The show’s start is sinister, immediately diving into situations of serial murders, assault, drug use and characters with a taste for blood. The faint of heart are encouraged to change the channel.
“American Horror Story” premieres have a tendency toward disorienting, hit-the-ground-running material and the premiere of “AHS: Hotel” is no exception. There is not enough time to effectively establish so many characters’ backstories in one episode, and with the extensive amount of plot threads in the premiere, it was challenging to keep track of who, what and why. New and returning cast members have lots of potential for further development in the season, including Lady Gaga who is fearless in her portrayal of seductive and murderous hotel owner “The Countess.”
Creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Palchuk (“Glee,” “Scream Queens”) have been known to let character development and plot progression fall by the wayside, only to have shock value take its place. “American Horror Story” never disappoints in its establishment of conflict and crazed characters, but clarity in storyline is sometimes sacrificed in the process. There is a lot to be revealed in upcoming episodes, but with so many characters and plot lines yet to be uncovered, fans are inclined to keep watching. Keep hopes high for the rest of this nightmarish season, airing Wednesdays at 11 p.m. on FX.
