American Horror Story Hotel
:// INTRO
I have been a fan of horror for a few decades now, like many others, I thoroughly enjoy a good scare or two.
It’s been a while since TV had a horror show on the air, especially an adult-oriented horror show. I remember seeing the ad campaign for the first season. It predominantly featured a red colored room and a woman, who was reaching out towards the ceiling where a bondage covered figure hung from.
I have followed the entire series since that first season, a horror anthology show fits extremely well with today’s fast paced environment. A new theme and time period every season along with recurring actors taking different character roles is extremely creative.
Curiously enough the show is extremely pervy, sex has always the main element of the series. There have been a few seasons where the sexy time seemed to be a bit much and even out of place, however, with Hotel it fit perfectly.
The season takes place at the Hotel Cortez in LA, you see the events unfold through various characters and decades. Both Hotel and Coven featured a heavy theme of glamor, between both Hotel takes the level of glamor above and beyond compared to Coven.
Why? Hollywood baby!
Hollywood as in “glitz and glamor”.
:// SETTING
The Cortez is a character in itself, it features beautiful Art Deco design and intricate geometric patterns which compliment each other from every camera angle. Each room and hallway within the Cortez seem to tell a story which breaths, even more, history into the building.
Ever scene set within the Hotel is framed to perfection, usually from a top down or bottom up perspective. As if the building itself was constantly watching every character, very reminiscent of a stalker’s point of view.
:// STYLE
The show gravitates from three different styles, both visually and story driven. The Hotel is extremely glamorous, the outside world seems almost void of landmarks, making it very relatable to everyone. The third style which follows a detective who is chasing the “Ten Commandments” killer features extreme jump cuts which are very reminiscent of David Fincher’s Seven.
:// STORY
The main story unfolds in the present day, with flashbacks set during every decade from the 1920s onward. Each character seems to suffer from the need to be important throughout their lives. They all long for love, either from family or by having a significant other.
Their obsession for perfection is the greatest weakness, something which the Hotel seems to feed off from.
:// CHARACTERS
It was interesting to see the season through the eyes of an obsessed Detective and a Vampire. The Detective’s world seems to slowly implode on itself, with each relapse from his specific behavior becoming more claustrophobic with each meltdown.
The Vampire’s world was glamorous and highly flashy and fashionable. It hit all of the stereotypes associated with fame and fortune.
Curiously enough my favorite character was neither of these two. It was the Hotel receptionist and bartender who made a fantastic duo. The receptionist was a mother longing for the love of her son, and the bartender was a bald man who dressed like a woman, appropriately named “Liz Taylor”.
:// MOMENTS
Every scene which featured Liz was fantastic, some were too short, making me want to see more of her. The show had featured music tracks before, thanks to the setting of this season each track featured was perfect for the character and scenes where they were featured.
So much so that Depeche Mode’s “I just can’t get enough” resonated on so many levels for the brief scene where it was featured.
The original score was just as powerful as the licensed tracks which were featured throughout this season.
Hollywood baby
:// OUTRO
American Horror Story usually receives mixed reviews from viewers, which is totally fine. With each new theme every season, I am compelled to keep watching just to see where the show goes.
I am also excited to see what roles the recurring actors will take. Plus, the fact that some characters from previous seasons can make an appearance is always exciting.
There is only one question I have for the American Horror Story showrunners:
When are we going to see the Aliens from Asylum again?
😀