Sex, drugs, and bloody murder. The premiere episode of American Horror Story: Hotel hit all the marks. But will the season continue to burn hot or simply sizzle out?
Although AHS has faltered in recent seasons, they kicked off Hotel with a fantastic start. Hotel is truly disturbing. Unlike Freakshow and Coven, where I felt the characters were relatively safe in their homes, Hotel creates a world where no one in the hotel is safe, a feeling highly reminiscent of Asylum. And besides a few exceptions, I haven’t been this uncomfortable watching AHS since Asylum ended.
AHS has always delighted in mixing the sexual and the horrific and they gave us plenty of that to feed our sick fancies. On the more horrific side of things was the Commandment Killers first victims nailed to the bed. As if murder and bodily disfigurement wasn’t terrible enough, certain unmentionable actions involving super glue pushed the scene beyond terrifying into truly uncomfortable giving Hotel some of that shocking edge that makes AHS so great.
On the more sexual side of things is the scene everyone is talking about. The Countess’s foursome. Gaga is introduced to the series in a big way with a sex scene turned bloodbath.
I was skeptical when I heard Gaga would be in Hotel. After the overuse of musical numbers in Freakshow I was worried Gaga would simply replace Jessica Lange as the overly showcased performer and the series would suffer from another season without proper horror. While I could very well still be proven wrong, her debut gives me high hopes that Mother Monster will live up to her reputation and do the series justice.
But sex and gore are just icing on the cake. The biggest reason my faith has been restored in AHS is in the story itself. While every season of AHS follows a diverse and extensive cast of characters, Hotel has set itself up with what seems to be a main hero and story, which means that Hotel may finally have the backbone that has often eluded AHS in the past. The story of John Lowe’s investigation of the Commandment Killer and the Hotel Cortez is the perfect setup for a season that could be truly terrifying.
In the past, AHS has gotten lost trying to juggle too many stories. While Asylum had its faults (aliens anyone?) it did a really good job of focusing the story on Lana Winters fight against Bloody Face. Having this main hero and villain helped ground the series and hold the multiple plots together. If Hotel manages to keep us grounded with John Lowe then perhaps Hotel will finally be the season to restore AHS’s reputation.
A lot happened in the first episode, and if the past is any indication, a whole lot more will happen next week. Be prepared to meet new faces, new foes, and be dragged deeper into the haunted hallways of the hotel. You’ve done good so far Hotel, let’s see if you can keep it up. Don’t kill of your best baddie, keep the body count climbing, and for the love of all that is good, NO ALIENS!
Make sure you check out my preview of AHS to see how well my predictions were. What did you think of the season premiere? Let us know in the comments below.
